Needham Muslim Neighbors.

Eid ul Adha Mubarak! As the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca gets to its final stages, we wish Muslims in Needham and beyond a spiritually renewing Eid filled with joy, family and yummy feasts!

Statement of Needham Select Board and the Needham Human Rights Committee
Adopted by the Select Board on June 11, 2024
Adopted by the Human Rights Committee on June 12, 2024

The Select Board is aware of multiple incidents of antisemitism, Islamophobia, intolerance and hate in Needham, and we feel compelled to specifically address these matters.

These recent incidents, reported to Town staff, the Human Rights Committee, and the Needham Police Department include statements posted on private property, removal of lawn signs, silencing of opinions, and disruption of religious events, among others.

The Select Board abhors this behavior. Acts that threaten or violate another person’s safety or property cannot be tolerated.

The Select Board is here to support Needham residents, and to promote a safe and welcoming community. We are one Needham, one community.

Yesterday, the Needham Muslim Neighbors held our Mother's Day bake sale for Humanity Auxilium at Islamic Center of Boston (ICB Wayland). Our goal was to raise $1000.

By the grace of God, we far exceeded that goal and raised *$4,556*!

This funds treatments for nearly 60 anemic pregnant women who are at risk of dying from blood loss during childbirth. If you count the impact on the newborn, as well as other children/family members, we have funded the ability to affect hundreds of lives. Alhumdulillah! What a meaningful way to honor Mother's Day.

Thank you to our incredibly generous ICB Wayland Sunday School community, and to each and every person who contributed via their energy, time, support and prayers - with a special shout out for all the baking support from Indian Community of Needham, to the Rotary Club of Needham for their generous donation to this cause (plus their own fundraising page) and to ICB Wayland for their in-kind and financial donation to Humanity Auxilium.

THANK YOU to all, and may Allah reward you and put barakah/blessings in your efforts!

Don’t forget to join us for the Bake Sale tomorrow to save lives in Gaza!

You can also donate online directly: https://humanityauxilium.org/donation/country/usa/funding/mothers-day-gaza

We were honored by the invitation extended to Dr. Huma Farid who proudly represented our community and gave the opening address at yesterday's Needham Town Meeting. She spoke about the importance of justice and community, values that form the bedrock of the Muslim faith, and we hope they resonated with the hard-working Needham citizens who attended!

🧁Sweet Support!🧁

Join us for a Mother’s Day bake sale to support providing urgent prenatal care for pregnant women in Gaza! 🇵🇸

Mark your calendars for next week! 🌸 Sunday May 12th, from 10am-4pm at ICB Wayland. 🌸

You can also support this cause directly at bit.ly/HAbakesale - it will redirect to Humanity Auxilium's Mother's Day campaign.

An Eid-ul-Fitr hate crime in NJ. Life on college campuses nation-wide is becoming unbearable, with little to no physical or psychological safety for Muslim students or their allies.

>>An Islamic student center at Rutgers was broken into and vandalized early Wednesday morning, and the intruder or intruders smashed religious items and TVs and ripped down a Palestinian flag, according to a chaplain at the school.

A video of the damage, shared with HuffPost, showed broken glass covering the floor of the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, or “CILRU.” The break-in occurred on Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and began Tuesday night.

Rutgers Islamic Student Center Vandalized During Eid Al-Fitr The chair of the student center’s board said the vandalism was “undoubtedly fueled by Islamophobia.”

An Eid-ul-Fitr shooting in PA. Even when enacting the simplest acts of religious freedom, there is always an undercurrent of fear. May God grant a swift recovery to those injured and give them justice.

>>According to police, at around 2:26 p.m. three people were shot during an end of Ramadan event near the 4700 block of Wyalusing Avenue. One of the wounded was shot by a police officer.

Approximately 30 gunshots were fired during the shooting, officials say.

An officer assigned to the area engaged a 15-year-old who Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says was armed with a gun. Sources say the 15-year-old was armed with an assault rifle.

Philadelphia Eid event shooting injures 3, including teen shot by officer; 5 arrested Multiple people were injured during a shooting at an Eid event in West Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon where around 1,000 attendees gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Another fantastic NMN Eid party in the books! Food, presents and piñatas - oh my!