Imam: Muslims condemn 9/11 terrorists, rally to give blood

As an Ahmadi Muslim Imam, I often get asked, “Why don’t Muslims do more to condemn 9/11?” Such people don’t realize that the bulk of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims find militant Islamic groups despicable. In fact, on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Ahmadi Muslims in America shed their blood — not to take life, but to save it (“‘Muslim Americans shouldn’t have to feel and act this way’: 20 years later, reflecting on the 9/11 attacks and hate that followed,” Sept. 9).

Since 2011, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA has partnered with national and regional blood centers to host several thousand interfaith drives across America. To date, our blood drives have yielded a collection of over 70,000 pints of blood and have helped save as many as 200,000 lives.

Recently, the American Red Cross said that there is a “severe blood shortage in America.” Whether you are Muslim or not, we can all agree on the sanctity of human life.

So, let’s find a local blood drive near us and preserve the sanctity of life that our collective enemies are trying to take from us.