Muslim youth group starts the new year by picking up litter
Faith inspires volunteers to rise early to clean up after New Year’s Eve revellers
In an act of service to the community, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association spent the morning New Year’s Day picking up trash left behind by those counting down to midnight at Olympic Plaza and Stephen Avenue.
The group has risen early to clean up the city’s core on New Year’s Day for several years, but this was Moaz Shweri’s first time cleaning with the association because he just moved to Calgary from Syria. He has lived in Canada for only three months but feels a responsibility to improve the community by pitching in.
“I am so happy to join the group in cleaning the city because it is my duty for this community,” said Shweri, as he picked up litter at the Arts Commons building.
In Calgary, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association has more than 400 members, with 60 of them pitching in to clean the city’s downtown while another group of 25 drove to Airdrie to clean there. They were all up early to start the morning in prayer at a local mosque before taking to the streets to pick up trash.
With so many people visiting downtown Calgary for the New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks, some garbage, bottles and cans are inevitably left behind, which is why the group chooses to clean on New Year’s Day every year.
Volunteer Adeel Khalon said the youth association serves the community in cleaning the streets, food drives and other charitable events because of their faith.
“Our motto is ‘love for all, hatred for none,’ so we do community work to help others,” said Khalon.
In the past few months, they have collected non-perishables for the Calgary Food Bank and spent a day serving meals to those in need.
Seventeen-year-old Salman Sohail said the early wake-up call wasn’t difficult because it’s important for him to serve Calgary.
“In Islam, we’re supposed to give back to our country. We are so accepted in this country so this is my thank you to my community. This city does so much for us so I can do this for them,” said Sohail, as he and a friend cleared the ground outside city hall.
Volunteer Zaafar Mohson was pleased to be giving back to the community in a tangible way.
“In a big group like this, we can clean up efficiently and it’s so nice to be a part of it. Giving back to the community like this is a great feeling,” said Mohson.