Date Posted: Monday, September 12, 2005

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful

<<September 12, 2005>>

 MUSLIM COMMUNITY UNITED AND FULLY MOBILIZED FOR KATRINA RELIEF DAY IN HOUSTON

Volunteers Work Around the Clock as MAS Houston Youth Center

(HOUSTON, TX) - This Sunday, September 11, in a wonderful display of discipline and unity, over 2,000 Muslim volunteers descended upon Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center to provide hot meals and services to thousands of evacuees temporarily housed in the city.

The effort was coordinated through the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH). The unified efforts of local and national Muslim organizations to assist Katrina victims exceeded all expectations.

Buses of volunteers departed from the MAS Youth Center - turned Relief Command Center one day before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans - at 3:00 a.m.

At 12:00 noon, the local leadership, through the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, provided a press conference concerning response on relief efforts by the local Muslim community and the major national Muslim organizations that have formed a relief task force.

MAS Houston “Boots On The Ground” were joined by MAS Youth from Dallas, TX; Santa Clara, CA; New Jersey, Cincinnati, OH; and Detroit, MI.

MAS Houston is now shifting its focus from providing daily relief to Katrina victims to long-term resettlement through its Food, Shelter and Resettlement program, which focuses on providing families with apartments, groceries and employment opportunities. These services are being provided to families of Katrina who plan to remain in the Houston area.

Additionally, MAS Freedom Foundation is negotiating with a national non-profit response team bringing together the American business community with corporations like the Safeway grocery chain and McDonalds Corporation; the interfaith community; organized labor; municipal and state officials; and MAS “Boots On The Ground” and MAS Medical Corps; to develop a long-term and comprehensive relief effort in the state of Mississippi.

If you would like to join MAS and its Freedom Foundation, in Katrina relief efforts, please contact us at: 281-530-4MAS (4627).

Checks: can be sent to

6210 Highway 6 South

Houston, TX 77083

Wire transfers:

Washington Mutual Bank

Muslim American Society - Houston

Account #: 1811955400, Routing #: 111993776

The Freedom Foundation is the public affairs arm of the Muslim American Society (MAS), a national grassroots religious, social, and educational organization. MAS is America’s largest grassroots Muslim organization with over 50 chapters nationwide. Learn more at www.masnet.org. Support our work at MAS Freedom Foundation: Make a donation.

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MAS Freedom Foundation

1050 17th Street NW, Suite 600

Washington, D.C.  20036

Tel:  (202) 496-1288

Fax:  (202) 463-0686

URL:  http://www.masnet.org/index_publicaffairs.asp