UP clerics: Donate 10% of Bakrid budget for Kerala flood victims

Senior clerics across the state have appealed to the Muslim community to donate a portion of their Eid-ul-Azha (Bakrid) budget for relief work in flood-ravaged Kerala.

“People of Kerala are facing the worst calamity and it is our joint responsibility to help in rescue work. I have urged people of the community to save at least 10% of their budget for Bakrid and send it for relief work,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, Sunni cleric.

He also said that people should also abstain from lavish festivities. “Bakrid celebrates the spirit of sacrifice and people should realise this and abstain from lavish celebrations,” he said.

Facing the worst floods this year, large swathes of land in Kerala are submerged. The floods have hit basic infrastructure and led to the death of over 300 people. The central, state governments and several organisations have announced support for relief measures. Besides, people across the country have also come out to support relief work in Kerala.

Mufti Ahsan Raza Qadri, senior cleric of Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat in Bareilly, has supported such individual contributions. “Helping each other is the basic necessity of being a good Muslim. We all must pray for our brother and sisters in Kerala. People should also try to contribute to the relief efforts,” he said.

People have also taken to social media to start a movement in support of flood victims in Kerala. On facebook, people have made more than a dozen pages and groups to gather support material.

First Published: Aug 20, 2018 15:06 IST