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Muslim and Christian activists are working side by side, hammering and shoveling to raise the walls of a new building to house the family of Mercedes Andrews.
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CAIRO – American Muslim activists teamed up with Christian colleagues to fundraise and build a house for a homeless family in Longview, Washington, showing the true face of Islam at a time the nation is recovering from a deadly killing spree blamed on a Muslim army soldier.
"They have all come together fundraised $45,000 to build this home," Sabrina Kirkland, a resource development coordinator with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization helping people build affordable housing, told News13 on Sunday, November 15.
Muslim and Christian activists are working side by side, hammering and shoveling to raise the walls of a new building to house the family of Mercedes Andrews.
The Muslims see in the efforts a chance to project the true image about themselves and their religion, especially after the Fort Hood attack.
"We have to get out there and let people know this is the act of one person, which we do not agree with, which we don’t condone, and is not a part of Islam," says Ima Abdula Sykes, president of a local branch of the Islam Society.
"[This] is why we’re out here, so people can see who we really are."
The move came a week after a deadly shooting by a Muslim army soldier in the Fort Hood military base in Texas.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a shooting rampage last week, killing 13 people and wounding 30 others. He was charged with 13 counts of pre-meditated murder.
"Every time something like that happens, it raises the angst in our community," said Sykes.
The shooting has been vehemently denounced by American Muslims as an individual act and has nothing to do with Islam.
Following the attack, Muslim organizations launched a fund to help families of the victims.
Dream Comes True
The Muslim-Christian cooperation has brought a smile on the face of Andrews, a nurse, and the family.
"Oh, my God, I’m getting a house!" a jubilant Andrews said.
The new house, being championed by the West Habitat for Humanity and St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, is expected to be ready in two weeks.
The family will be moving into the house in March.
Andrews has always dreamed of having a stable house for her children.
"We’ve moved a lot, and trying to keep up with the economy.
"Things have been hard. So this is a light at the end of the tunnel."
A financial firestorm swept the US and the world in September 2008, after the demise of Lehman Brothers, one of the Wall Street giants.
It has knocked down many major companies worldwide, causing mounting job losses, falling household wealth and forcing consumers to hold back on spending.
Estimates show that more than three million people went homeless last year over the economic meltdown.
"I’m getting a house, and I don’t ever have to move again,"said Andrews.
"I’m just overwhelmed."
