The As-Soennah Mosque in Assen calls on the municipality to donate 1 euro per inhabitant for victims of the devastating earthquake in Morocco.
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Schiedam and Eindhoven previously announced that they would also make such a donation. “We would love it if Assen would also make such a noble gesture,” says Mohamed El Mourabit of the mosque.
Morocco was shocked by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale on Friday evening. Moroccan authorities have revised the death toll upward after the earthquake. The Ministry of the Interior says at least 2,497 people have died.
“It’s really incredible,” sighs El Mourabit. “This hits home very hard. Children have been orphaned and some families have been wiped out in one go.” As far as El Mourabit knows, his fellow believers in Assen did not lose any family members in the earthquake. “Most of the people in our community are from a different area than where the earthquake is.”
The Asser mosque soon joined a national online collection. As of today, items can also be donated at the mosque. “There is a need for clothing and tents, but also for medical help. So we also continue to raise money.”
El Mourabit cannot do much else, he says. “You are powerless, it is so sad. Our thoughts go out to the deceased and all other victims. We pray for them.”