The Shia community in Toronto will be participating in a blood donation campaign to mark Arba’een that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) sacrificing his life in defense of the Islamic nation.
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On Sunday, Sept. 3, hundreds of Shia Muslims in Ontario will show their compassion and generosity by donating blood and plasma, as part of their religious observance of Arbaeen.
Arbaeen is a commemoration of the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Nearly 400 community members have booked appointments at various donor centres across the province, with more than 130 expected to donate at the Jaffari Community Centre in Thornhill, between 10 a.m. and noon, yorkregion website reported.
The blood and plasma donation campaign is organized by the Canadian Blood Services (CBS), a national not-for-profit organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in Canada. CBS says that the support of donors, especially communities like the Shia Muslims, is invaluable, especially amid recent challenges such as heatwaves, wildfires and floods disrupting blood collection efforts.
This act of kindness follows a previous successful campaign, where Toronto-area volunteers recruited donors across Canada for the Global Blood Heroes initiative.
Global Blood Heroes is an international movement that encourages people to donate blood as a way of honoring Imam Hussein's sacrifice and saving lives.
Not only are the Shia Muslims helping recruit new blood and plasma donors, vital for the 100,000 annual donor target in Canada, but they are also diversifying the donor base. This includes prospective stem cell donors, as a patient's best chance of a matching stem cell donor often lies with a person of a similar ethnic background.
