Windsor Islamic Association fundraising for Moroccan earthquake relief

A child reacts after inspecting the damage caused by the earthquake, in her town of Amizmiz, near Marrakech, Morocco, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy

Days after a powerful earthquake rocked the nation of Morocco, killing thousands, Windsor, Ont.’s Muslim community is stepping up.

On Sept. 8 at approximately 11:11 p.m., a magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked the North African nation of Morocco, with the epicentre located approximately 70 kilometres from the city of Marrakech.

Thousands of people have been injured, while more than 2,000 people have reportedly been killed — and those numbers are expected to rise.

As soon as news of the devastation broke, Windsor’s Muslim community stepped up to help.

"Just on a human level it’s devastating...its just layers and layers of devastation,” said Widad Mezahi, communications coordinator with the Windsor Islamic Association.

The Windsor Islamic Association started an online fundraiser first thing on Saturday when news of the disaster reached Canada.

They have already raised $11,000 towards an overall goal of $100,000 to help with the immediate needs of Moroccans.

Mezahi said what while Windsor's Moroccan community isn't as large as those who hail from Turkiye or Syria, what matters to them is doing what they can to support relief efforts, just like they did when Turkiye and Syria were ravaged by an earthquake earlier this year.

“We raised $500,000 and we also had a drop off center where people donated clothing and tents, books, anything that they really wanted to. That was sent over to Turkiye and Syria and we were able to get footage on the ground from charity workers showing the donations going to people who were affected,” Mezahi said.

It’s estimated that 300,000 people have been effected by Friday night’s earthquake. 

— With files from the Associated Press