Shia Muslim Foundation Meets with Pakistani Embassy to Discuss Relief Efforts

(WASHINGTON DC - March 14, 2022) On March 14, 2022, the Shia Muslim Foundation met with the Pakistani Embassy to discuss relief efforts for Shia Muslims in Pakistan. The meeting, held at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., was a success, with both parties discussing ways in which the Pakistani Government could provide support to Pakistani Shia Muslims in need.

During the meeting, the attendees discussed the current situation facing Shia Muslims in Pakistan and the challenges they face in accessing relief services. The Shia Muslim Foundation expressed its concern for the well-being of Pakistani Shia Muslims and its commitment to working with the Pakistani government to address these issues.

In addition to discussing relief efforts, the Shia Muslim Foundation also presented a letter to the Pakistani Embassy, addressed to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The letter requested increased support and resources for Pakistani Shia Muslims, with a focus on providing access to basic necessities such as food, shelter, and medical care.

The Shia Muslim Foundation is grateful to the Pakistani Embassy for the opportunity to discuss these important issues and looks forward to continuing to work together in support of Pakistani Shia Muslims.

SMF Delivers Food to Afghan Refugees

(LANDOVER, MD) On March 5, 2022, volunteers from the Shia Muslim Foundation came together to distribute food and groceries to the Afghan refugee community in Landover, Maryland. Over $2,500 in groceries were purchased, and distributed to approximately 30 families.

Unfortunately, their situation is much more tragic than most have realized. When volunteers were beginning to distribute the foods, a young girl wearing hijab, no more than 12 years old, ran across the road to ask the team, in broken English, if she could have some food.

She said her family didn’t have enough. It was only by chance she was walking on the road at that time and happened to see us, and she took the responsibility to try and get food for her family. This is because she knew there weren’t any other opportunities. Imagine the life that the refugees live, that even a little child knows to look for ways to feed the family.

This story was repeated over and over throughout the day. A mother with her two small children came. Two brothers came, and one of them said his wife was too sick to leave their home. Others reported that nearby Afghanis were so hungry that their clothes were falling off of them.

As much as they are struggling, they continually let us know that others are worse off than them. They are looking out for each other.

Despite the hard times, each of the refugees had a smile on their face. They have hope. It is up to us to fulfill this hope.

The Shia Muslim Foundation will return to donate more groceries in April 2022, just before Ramadhan. Please support our efforts with a donation.

SMF condemns attack on Shia Mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan

(WASHINGTON DC – March 4, 2022) The Shia Muslim Foundation condemns today’s attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan and mourns the lost lives of the innocent worshippers killed in the attack. Terrorist attacks like these are a scourge on the entire world, and attacks upon innocent lives directly contradict the teachings of Islam.

According to CNN, “A blast struck a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least 56 people and injuring another 196.”[1] Reports indicate that the attack began with gunfire, followed by a suicide bombing. Peshawar police were also injured in the attack.

Shia Muslims in Pakistan have regularly been the victims of terror attacks, and Pakistani authorities have with equal regularity failed in their duty to protect their citizenry in this regard. The Shia Muslim Foundation calls upon the government Pakistan to investigate this incident as an act of terrorism against all Pakistanis, and to prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.

Shia Rights Watch tracks worldwide incidents of anti-Shiaism, and in a May 2021 report said “Despite promises of protecting Shia Muslims against violence, Shia Rights Watch notes no explicit security or counterterror measures have been announced across Pakistan. Shia Muslims report experience living in fear of being targeted by terrorists which run rampant all over the nation.”[2]

Nearly 4,000 Shia Muslims are estimated to have died in sectarian attacks in Pakistan between 1997 and 2007.[3]

[1] Saifi S. Dozens killed in blast at Shia mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar. CNN. Published March 4, 2022. Accessed March 4, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/asia/pakistan-peshawar-blast-intl/index.html [2] Zahraa Akhwand. Incidents of Anti-Shiism, May 2021. Shia Rights Watch. Published June 10, 2021. Accessed March 4, 2022. http://shiarightswatch.org/incidents-of-anti-shiism-may-2021/‌ [3] Montero D. Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan. The Christian Science Monitor. Published February 2, 2007. Accessed March 4, 2022. https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0202/p01s02-wosc.html ‌