The Mount Zion AME Church in Greeleyville, S.C., is seen on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, after it was heavily damaged by fire. The church was the target of arson by the Ku Klux Klan two decades ago but a law enforcement source told The Associated Press that the most recent fire was not arson. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith) (Photo: )
Muslims are bringing hope to Christian communities in the South after a recent spate of fires devastated black church buildings.
Three Muslim organizations have teamed up to raise money to rebuild worship centers in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina that were destroyed by fire the past few weeks.
“ALL houses of worship are sanctuaries, a place where all should feel safe, a place we can seek refuge when the world is too much to bear,” the campaign organizers wrote on their fundraising page. “We want for others what we want for ourselves: the right to worship without intimidation, the right to safety, and the right to property.”
Church fires aren’t unusual. It’s estimated that arsonists regularly set fire to about five churches every week. The recent blazes at the eight churches noted by “Respond With Love” don’t seem to be related. Federal investigators also have not indicated that these fires were the result of hate crimes.
Still, the blazes occurred in the 10 days after a gunman killed nine parishioners at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina -- and their proximity to that tragic event raised nationwide concerns for black churches and the black community.
Linda Sarsour, executive director of AAANY, told HuffPost she doesn't believe these fires can be discussed without remembering periods in history when black churches were targets of arson.
"It doesn't matter to us how or why these churches burned down, we want to help our Black sisters and brothers get back in to their houses of worship as soon as they can," she wrote in an email. "Ramadan is a time of giving and what better cause to give to than one that rebuilds houses of worship where God's name is constantly called, remembered and loved."
Sarsour said organizers will be looking at ways to distribute the funds that will have maximum impact, providing relief for some churches on the list that don't have adequate insurance. The campaign will stay open until July 18, around the time that Ramadan is expected to end.
Imam Zaid Shakir, an Islamic scholar at California’s Zaytuna College, explained on the fundraising page why raising money for these churches is an urgent need for the Muslim community:
The American Muslim community cannot claim to have experienced anything close to the systematic and institutionalized racism and racist violence that has been visited upon African Americans. We do, however, understand the climate of racially inspired hate and bigotry that is being reignited in this country. We want to let our African American brothers and sisters know that we stand in solidarity with them during this dark hour.
From designers and dancers in Charleston’s tight-knit creative community to musicians who live hundreds of miles away, artists have addressed the racist attack at Emanuel AME Church, a historic black institution, that killed nine residents of their city. Their work (see more here) shows how art helps us survive and strengthen amid tragedy.
"I started this series with Rev. Sen. Clementa Pinckney and ended with Ethel Lance," Panhandle Slim wrote. "One preached the word from the pulpit of Emanuel AME church and he worked hard to keep his congregation's soul clean. One worked in the Emanuel AME and she worked hard to keep the entire sanctuary clean and she preached the word too. What an amazing group of people these nine people are."
Charleston artist Tim Hussey added the silhouette of a man with nine tears to a mural he was working on, entitled “Oh No Not Us.” He collaged notes from a nearby church’s old ledger to emphasize “the personal and humanness of this tragedy.”
In Kris Manning's "Our Unified Heart,” a bunch of nondescript white umbrellas become a silvery, sunlit heart. Manning created her public sculpture at the Unity Music and Arts festival in Charleston. “When the tears of our community are falling, we unite and together we create shelter from the storm with love,” Manning said.
Charleston artist Mark Avery’s illustration of protesters in Marion Square was infused with his city’s legacy of racial oppression. "Last night as I walked with my black brothers and sisters, we took over the streets that our ancestors built," Avery said. "Rattling the houses that our people built, our voices spoke power on the forever 'Holy City.' Activists from around the country came together at Marion Square to get our black people to unify and stand up for the black community in Charleston, and spoke nothing but facts about the psychological and systematic downfall of black people not only in Charleston, but around the nation."
Anne Darby Parker is donating her piece “Unity of Nine" to a silent auction in Charleston to benefit the families of the victims.
Painter Mario Robinson is represented by a Charleston gallery and visits the city often. In 2010, he painted "Sixteen Broad Street," a portrait of a boy he met in Charleston. "When I look at this portrait today, I wonder what his life is like as a young man," Robinson said. "We are living in tumultuous times and there's no guarantee that he will be treated as a harmless preteen, in search of a few extra dollars."
Graphic designer Craig Evans created two images showing how Charleston is uniting that have been circulated widely on social media.
Craig Evans' company Y'allsome is selling shirts and posters with one of the designs, and all profits will go to the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund.
Jia Sung, a recent graduate of Rhode Island Institute of Design, said painting watercolors of each victim was her way of mourning. "It was my own small gesture of tenderness in the face of violence," she said.
When Charleston designer Buff Ross saw that his depiction of sorrow in the wake of the tragedy had begun to spread on Facebook, he made a poster-sized version that included a link to donate to the victims and the church, free for anyone to use. "I truly believe that one of the unintended but beautiful consequences of social media is its power for collective grieving," Ross said.
Charleston Characters Dance Co. danced at Enough Pie’s solstice event with other women in her troupe several days after the shooting, demonstrating emotion, strength and collaboration.
Enough Pie's solstice event brought community members together for a vigil, surrounded by art. “People use creativity to make sense of all of this. They use the arts to express these deep emotions of sorrow and pain and loss,” Enough Pie executive director Cathryn Zommer said. “The arts can do that. They can help us heal.”
People shared their hopes for the city.
Hundreds of people signed a condolence board outside Emanuel AME Church.
This display was shown during an interfaith candlelight vigil outside Barclays Center on June 21, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
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