PRESS RELEASE – Wednesday, February 8, 2023

– Help Survivors of the Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria –

We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose are devastated by the enormous loss of lives in Turkey and Syria as a result of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in southeast Turkey, followed by hundreds of aftershocks with one measuring as high as 7.5 on the Richter scale.

The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria is approaching 10,000 as rescuers battle freezing weather, rain and snow to pull still-alive people from under mountains of concrete and collapsed buildings. It’s a race against time. People are in dire need of urgent medical help, food and shelter as thousands have become homeless overnight and are in danger of freezing to death. The region has already been reeling from a terrible refugee crisis and the horrifying war in Ukraine.

Please donate to relieve the sufferings of our sisters and brothers in Turkey and Syria. There are many charitable organizations collecting funds and supplies. Some of these are the Diyanet Center of America: https://diyanetamerica.org, Rahima Foundation: https://www.rahima.org/donate, and the Turkish American Community of California: https://www.taaca.org/content.aspx

Whichever charitable organization you choose, and you can do your own research, please contribute immediately and generously to save lives.

May Allah (SWT) bless the dead with Jannatul Firdous and may He help the grief-stricken and desperate survivors of the earthquakes with succor and ease. Ameen.

Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center