On Tuesday, Muslims Giving Back (MGB) a Brooklyn-based non-profit, provided food, water, and masks to protesters marching at Barclays Center reports Bklyner.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, MGB was already active in their community. Now, with these protests, they've made it part of their mission to support the movement.
Feeding the homeless had always been an important part of their mission. They've fed the city's homeless every Friday and Saturday for the past six years. When the pandemic began, all the masjids had to shut down to comply with the stay-at-home order.
MGB operates from the Muslim Community Center which has remained closed to members. Recently, they've converted the center into a food pantry to feed those in need. For the MGB, it's important that their commitment to justice is reflected in their actions.
"We decided we wanted to feed the protesters because they are standing up for justice," said MGB's co-founder Mohamed Bahe. "It is important to show solidarity with them because it can be me next time with a knee on my neck or my own family member or community member and these are the people that will give a voice to the voiceless."
Last month, during Ramadan, MGB also worked to deliver food to homeless people and provided over 1,000 iftar meals every day. As we've seen with the non-stop protests around the city, the support from people of all backgrounds has been astounding. But so long as protesters continue to take to the streets, MGB will continue to feed protestors.
"It is extremely important for Muslims to be part of this movement because an attack against any minority is an attack on ALL minorities," Bahe said. "And if Muslims stay silent on this issue when it comes to police brutality, then we can't expect others to speak for us."
