**If you prefer to send a check --> Checks can be written out to "SMILE" or "Smile For Charity" and mailed to "The Islamic Center at NYU" at 238 Thompson Street rm 491 NY NY 10012.**

Help them Heal

Not a week has gone by in the last 15 years in which at least one woman, if not that many more, have reached out seeking support and safety from men who have no idea what it means to be a man.  These women come from every background you can imagine.  Some are mothers, others newly-wed.  Some were married, others were forced.  Some were young, others were grandmothers.  None of them deserved the horrific abuse that they were made to endure.  All of them deserve a life of peace and contentment. 

As a community we have been able to help many individuals find new beginnings in their lives alhamdulillah. But with every individual that we help, there are hundreds more waiting for assistance.  The time has come now for us to take the next step in support for our sisters.  Our goal is to raise $700,000 to acquire and fully renovate a properly-zoned and permitted building that will serve as  an emergency shelter for abused women in NYC.

The Project: Noora House by Pillars of Peace 

Pillars of Peace was founded by members of the Islamic Center at NYU community in order to address a gap in appropriate residential services for Muslim survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. While our focus is on the Muslim community, all are welcome.  As a registered non-profit, Pillars of Peace is in the final stages of receiving 501(c)3 status.  All contributions to this project will receive tax-deduction through our fiscal sponsor, SMILE for Charity.  

Our first project, an emergency shelter, is called the ‘Noora House’. Noora is the feminine conjugation of “light” in Arabic. Light is used symbolically in Islam not only as a contrast for dark times and situations, but also more broadly as a metaphor for the illumination of God and a means of guidance. As an emergency shelter, we imagine the Noora House being a means of refuge from dark circumstances and a shelter wherein individuals can begin again on a brighter path.

Our Guiding Pillars:

• Dignity and Equality

• Solidarity and Inclusivity

• Community Engagement and Empowerment

• Social Justice

• Faith

We aim to create a trauma-informed organization that is based on an empowerment model of services which focus on cultivating an atmosphere of support and encouragement. Our mission and goals are rooted in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and we will continue to advocate for these basic rights on behalf of survivors of gender-based violence.  

As an initial step, we are developing a series of in-person seminars, online webinars, and private counseling sessions. We will complement these services with outreach and training programs as well as targeted legislative and policy advocacy.

Our ultimate vision is a more complete set of resources to address issues related to domestic and gender based violence. We intend to open a series of residential facilities to provide emergency shelter, safe houses, transitional and supportive housing that will be supplemented by the educational and training programs to end cycles of violence

All our initiatives aim to encourage more care, knowledge, and resources for survivors of domestic violence in addition to fostering long-term, sustainable support systems.

Why it Matters 

Domestic Violence is haraam - clear and simple.  Our challenge today is to move beyond simple rhetoric and live our faith.  Even if we as individuals are not ourselves committing this vile act of injustice, we are helping perpetuate it by remaining quiet, standing by, and not helping those in need. 

Whether talk about or not, it is common knowledge that domestic violence is a big problem in many of our communities, so I urge each of us to take a look at our own hearts and ask ourselves what is compelling us to stand by and allow these atrocities to continue? 

How You Can Help 

Give whatever you can. Whether its $1, $5 ...  $5000, every bit will make a difference.  And please keep this project in your thoughts and prayers, especially in these blessed days and nights of Ramadan.  May Allah reward you for your generosity and give you and your loved ones only the best in this world and in the next.  Ameen.

If you prefer to send a check
Checks can be written out to "SMILE" or "Smile For Charity" and mailed to "The Islamic Center at NYU" at 238 Thompson Street rm 491 NY NY 10012.

Fundraising Iftar: May 29th 

If you are in NYC, feel free to join us on May 29th, 2019 for a fundraising iftar hosted at the Islamic Center at NYU.  Tickets and more details can be found at https://www.icnyu.org/humanitarian-fundraising-iftar-2019/