Thousands of True Americans Respond to Call for Donations to Islamic Center

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore is an Academy-Award winning filmmaker and best-selling author

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September 13th, 2010 4:51 AM

Thousands of True Americans Respond to Call for Donations to Islamic Center

I knew that many of you would respond to my call to help out the embattled Islamic community center being built in lower Manhattan. I asked each of you to send a dollar (or five or ten) to their nonprofit organization, Cordoba Initiative, as a symbolic act against the bigotry Muslim Americans are facing. To help kick it off, I promised to match dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000, hoping to raise somewhere near that number by the end of this week.

That's not what happened.

Within hours of posting that blog on Saturday, so many thousands of you had responded, we were already far beyond the $10,000 goal. In fact, as of this morning, we're estimating that the funds raised from you have exceeded an amazing $50,000!

The people at the Islamic center are very appreciative that so many thousands have chosen to come forward in support of America and our First Amendment. And I, too, want to express my gratitude. (Anyone can contribute by clicking here.) Times are tough economically, and supporting our Muslim brothers and sisters is not a popular thing to do right now. I am truly touched by your generosity -- and people around the world will know that you, too, represent an America they rarely get to see.

I'd like to share some of the notes we've received from some of you this past weekend along with your donations:

Michael,

Here's my donation. I'm a Presbyterian from Kalamazoo who has a friend who was on the plane that crashed near Pittsburgh (on 9/11).

Carol Smith

Michael:
Please find enclosed my receipt for my $5.00 donation. I am in the process of losing my house, but I will not ever lose my Soul. That was a great letter, I made the donation with out thinking about it twice. Thanks for matching it. Bless your heart.

Regards
Ed B.

From Rabbi Yonassan Gershom:
I am Jewish, and it is now the Jewish High Holy Day season, when it is traditional to give extra charity. I am donating $18 on behalf of my wife Caryl and I, as a gesture of fellowship and solidarity. (The number 18 in Jewish numerology is the number for life -- Hebrew letters chet (8) + yod (10) -- and it is traditional to give in multiples of 18.) Please, Imam Rauf, do NOT sell out to those who want you to move the Center -- that would be a victory for bigots, heaven forbid. Build it where it is planned, in peace, pride, and freedom! Peace-salaam-shalom!

I wish I could have donated more, but I'm unemployed and money is really tight.

Thanks for matching this, Mr. Moore.

Eric Bauman

What could be more appropriate than doing this on 9-11? Rock on, Michael.

Al B.

Dear Michael,
I'm not sure you will ever read this, but I want to thank you for your
message you wrote on the mosque. It is exactly how I feel. Thank you
for expressing so eloquently and perfectly what needed to be said.
Keep up the work you're doing!

Much aloha,
Verna Bowman
Maui

Hello!

I want you to know that this is the first time i have donated money to a cause, other than donations to my religion (The Baha'i Faith, which you may not know has one of it's intrinsic values to be freedom of all religions: taking them as one single faith.)

I am active, by which i mean emailing my senators, in other areas such as protecting women's rights and gay rights, but i never donate to them. They are always asking for money, no matter what happens, and it feels like throwing money into a pit in the ground. So i draw the line at emails, I have too big a heart so i have to have good strong boundaries. ;) I never even donate to Obama, and i love Obama (but i don't trust his staff).

I guess i want you to know that you have something really good going on: you have my trust. And in donating to the occasional causes you deem worthy, i think what i am really doing is saying thank you. Thank you. =)

Thanks,
-Katie Young

What the blog says is what I BELIEVE with all my heart. Nothing better could
have been written on 9/11. Many, many thanks. I am honoured to know you.
I wish you all the best and I HOPE, with your initiative and hard work and
with people like me supporting your efforts, we will be able to make a
difference.

S.R.

For the Muslim center in NYC...
Michael, I'm not working and it's really a rough time for my husband and me, financially, but I wanted to do something nice for someone on 9/11, so I'm contributing to this cause. Love, love, love your emails, and you!
Fern Sweet

I wish I could have donated more but have been out of work for many, many months. Still, I wanted to make a token donation because I was very moved by the email I received from Michael Moore.

My thanks to Mr. Moore for, as usual, cutting through the BS and opening my eyes a bit wider to the truth.

Susan Kaiser

Mr Moore,

First of all, I should state that I am not a fan of yours. I find the "style" that you tend to use to be...well, offensive. I do recognize that is probably intentional on your part as a way of driving home your points, but it puts me off enough that I don't bother.

I tend toward being a conservative...though that's probably more "fiscal" than "social". As a retired military man of 23 years, I am still embarrassed by the use of Don't Ask Don't Tell by the military rather than allowing homosexuals to openly serve. I'm certain you feel the same on that subject, at least.

And finally, I am an agnostic atheist (I don't believe in any God, but I recognize that I really don't know if one exists or not). So I'm not particularly moved to think in glowing terms when the subject of religion is broached, because I tend to see the negatives of religion rather than it's positives.

All that being said, I just want to say that I loved the article you wrote regarding the mosque being built in NYC and "this not being America any more". As I mentioned in my opening, I don't find myself in agreement with you very often. But this article was spot-on.

I am much more than a bit of an idealist still, and in my view, it is precisely for things like this mosque that I served. I don't mind the uproar over it, because that is those folks' right to free speech also, but I certainly think it should be built.

Thank you for the article.

--Trent Woodruff

Dear Michael,

I've worked in stamping plants (in Warren) and as a welder/machinist (in Detroit, near the Budd plant by City Airport) to put myself through college. I know what the working class went through to get a fair deal (my grandfather knew Walter Reuther). I have friends and relatives back in Michigan who are struggling - big time - to hang on. I don't know what we can do to raise class consciousness when our country is dominated by corporate controlled media (and the ultra-rich who own it) . Thank you for reminding America (again) how a decent human being behaves and what our country actually stands for. You make me proud to be from Michigan.

Peace,
Curt Smith

I live on Social Security and rarely can donate - but your compelling
invitation urged me to do more than cheer.
Thanks Michael for all your work.
Lynne Hoft

Thank you for making it so easy for me to donate a little something to the Cordoba House project. It is the perfect way for me to show what I think of the situation.

This project, which was initiated as a way of reaching out to non-Muslim Americans with a message of Peace, Love and Understanding has been twisted and distorted by those who are trying to sow discord and destruction among us. More than them, we should blame all the politicians and media folks who have either remained silent or fueled the fires of hate each time they say the lying phrase "Ground Zero Mosque."

Thomas

Here is my donation. This is the one and only donation I have made for 2+ years due to my financial constraints caused by an illness. Thank you for being you,

Evonne Phillips