What started out as a local effort by Muslims to write messages of goodwill to the family of slain US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens has quickly become a global online movement, with thousands of letters being sent from 90 countries in just one week.
The effort was launched by Celebrate Mercy, a non-profit organization which aims to educate people of all faiths worldwide about the life and character of the Prophet Muhammad through online telecasting and social media.
It solicited responses to its 10-day ‘MercyMail Campaign’ via Facebook and Twitter, urging followers to “respond to an evil deed with a good one”.
Letters began pouring in rapidly after the campaign made the front page of Reddit.com, the social news website, and received the endorsement of prominent Muslim scholars and celebrities such as Cat Stevens (Yusuf).
“Violence and vandalism, no matter how angry you are, is not right in any religion. By killing an innocent man, this mob did more to offend the Prophet Muhammad’s legacy than this film could have ever done,” said Tarek El-Messidi, founder of Celebrate Mercy.
“The Prophet Muhammad embodied mercy and patience on a daily basis, and taught that killing a single person is equivalent to killing all of humanity. This tiny, but loud minority obviously wasn’t listening, but the outpouring of heartfelt letters from Muslims worldwide reflects the values of the overwhelming majority,”
The organization is collecting all of the letters, as well as flowers and gifts, to send to Stevens’ family.
They have received letters from Muslims spanning five continents, most of which came from the United States and North Africa, including many Libyans and Libyan-Americans.
Messages have ranged from personal stories, to condolences and prayers for the family, and explanations of why the act contradicts Muhammad’s message and character.
CelebrateMercy has over 120,000 Facebook fans and over 1,000 registered volunteers worldwide. For more information and to view campaign results in real-time, visit www.CelebrateMercy.com/Stevens
Global Muslim campaign to send condolences to slain ambassador’s family goes viral
