The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, have lauded the “strength” of the Muslim community in London for its efforts to raise record amounts of money to help the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last month.
On the same day that the UK Disasters Emergency Committee announced that the nationwide appeal to raise funds for people affected by the disaster had reached £121 million ($144.37 million), the royals, with the princess wearing a headscarf, visited the Hayes Muslim Centre to thank volunteers.
According to the center’s chief fundraiser Zia Rehman, who spoke with The Times, “For this, we broke the record. A total of £18k was raised in less than two hours. Typically, you can expect to pay anywhere from £10,000 to $12,000.
But the community rallied together magnificently this time. Thirty thousand pounds have been collected for the people of Turkey and Syria. William has expressed interest in working with us for (future) fundraising because “they really liked what we did.”
We have a mixed community,” Rehman reportedly said to the royals. When we raise money, it’s not just for the Muslims. People will naturally rally around a good cause.
The princess replied, “When you all come together and support each other, it shows the strength of the community.”
A representative from Age International named Malen Alhousseiny told the royal family that many people in the earthquake-stricken areas “have lost their lives, their homes, their loved ones, and their pension as well.”
With all the other obstructions, William speculated, “I bet it’s quite a large area. It’s not simple having two countries share a border.
Islamic Relief aid worker Salah Aboulgasem, who arrived in the area after the disaster, told the two about a nine-year-old girl who was rescued from a collapsed building in Syria but “died in the ambulance” because the roads were so badly damaged.
He continued, saying that rescuers “were hearing voices underneath and hammering the concrete” as they routinely dug through the rubble. You’re putting in time and effort despite the fact that you know you won’t be rewarded for it.
Dila Haya, 14, and Lina Alkutubi, 15, were two of the students the royals met; they had created 700 paper cranes as part of a school fundraiser for earthquake victims that raised over £10,000 dollars.
