Americans donate over ?5.4 crore to rebuild mosque in Texas
An online donation drive to rebuild a mosque that was gutted by fire in the US state of Texas has raised over $800,000 (over ?5.4 crore), reports said. Nearly 18,000 people have helped to raise the funds within a day. The mosque had been burnt down hours after President Donald Trump announced the ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Houston, Jan 30 (PTI) An online donation drive to rebuild a mosque that was gutted by fire in Victoria in the US state of Texas has raised more than USD 780,000, demonstrating the overwhelming goodwill from people in the city and beyond. The Islamic Center of Victoria was destroyed in early morning fire on Saturday when nobody was in the building in Victoria city, about 185-km southwest of Houston. The incident occurred within hours of President Donald Trump announcing a ban on citizens from seven Muslim majority countries entering the United States. "A gofundme.com page set up to raise funds to rebuild the mosque demonstrated the overwhelming goodwill from supporters in Victoria, the state of Texas, the US and beyond. As of 10:45 PM Sunday, the page had raised more than USD 780,000 since its creation the previous day," Victoria Advocate newspaper reported. Meanwhile, hundreds of people prayed and communed yesterday at the burned ruins of the mosque in a show of community solidarity. Religious leaders of varying faiths and backgrounds led an emotional crowd, the paper said. At least four churches and a synagogue have offered the use of their own houses of worship for the displaced members of the now-destroyed mosque. 