Muslim-American Leaders Unite To Educate About, Raise Funds to Fight Malaria

Some of America’s most famous Islamic scholars and community leaders gathered at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD on Sept. 5 to educate more than 2,000 Muslim Americans about malaria.

Officially titled “United Against Malaria,” the all-day event featured workshops, lectures as well as a fund-raiser to benefit Islamic Relief USA’s “Bite the Bug” campaign, a grassroots project seeking to eradicate malaria-related deaths in Mali.

Islamic Relief USA, an international relief organization that operates in more than 30 countries, teamed with Muslims United for Change, an organization that facilitates collaboration and unity among the Muslim-American community, to host the event.

Islamic Relief USA’s “Bite the Bug” campaign began on the Web in March 2009, and has been picking up support among youth, activists and community leaders. The project seeks to educate and raise awareness about the ills of malaria, especially in Africa. Every 30 seconds, an African child dies from malaria and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), by the end of 2006 an estimated 4.3 million cases of malaria had been reported in Mali, with more than half involving children under the age of five.

“We have to do more for the people who are suffering,” said Imam Siraj Wahaj, one of the speakers at the event. “Many people are dying every day. We can make a difference,” he added.

For more information visit <www.bitethebug.org>.

—Mohammed Jones