Muslim Riders Raise £115,000 to Build Homes for Refugees
A team of 29 Muslim riders cycled almost 400 miles over three days from Sofia to Plovdiv and Istanbul, raising £115,000 to build new homes for refugees.
The money, raised by members of the London-based Hope and Knowledge (H&K) Cycle Club, will be used to build over 75 permanent 3-bedroom homes for Syrian families living in the refugee camps.
“There’s always people in need out there, especially in the Muslim world,” Shamsul Abdin, the club’s head, told Anadolu Agency.
“So, we decided to use something we enjoy, which is cycling, and to give something back to humanity. And it worked out brilliantly,” he added.
The Hope and Knowledge Cycle Club was established in London 10 years ago.
“The club started ten years ago with a group of brothers. Just six or seven people who just wanted to do something for charity and enjoy cycling as well,” Abdin added.
Success Story
Comprising of mainly Bangladeshi-origin riders, alongside individuals from India, Pakistan, and Turkey, the club boasts a group of people from many age groups, spanning from 17 to 58.
“We enjoy cycling, and it’s something that we do every Saturday, whether it’s hot, cold, rain outside, and it’s just our way of doing something for humanity,” Abdin said.
Today, the H&K Cycle Club has three main events – National Ride, Three Cities, and Hijrah Ride.
The National Ride can be between any two cities in the UK, the Three Cities event covers cities in Europe, while the Hijrah Ride runs from Makkah and Madinah.
“Our idea was to start from London and to finish in Istanbul,” Abdin said.
“Istanbul was chosen because of its vibrant history and because most of our cyclists are Muslims. We have an emotional attachment to Istanbul. We have an attachment to Türkiye as well,” he added.
There are previous instances of such beautiful initiative, as far as Muslim bikers are concerned.
In 2022, Noor Alam and Ahtsham Arfan, known as the “2 Muslim Night Riders”, raised £22,000 to support an emergency appeal by the Dabbagh Welfare Trust to raise funds for flood relief efforts in Bangladesh.
Earlier in 2021, a group of 25 cyclists got a hero’s welcome after they successfully raised more than £50,000 needed for the new Islamic Education Center.
SOURCE: https://aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/europe/muslim-riders-raise-115000-to-build-homes-for-refugees/