Canadian Muslim charities lead fundraising for Toronto van attack victims

People pay their respects at a makeshift memorial on Yonge Street following a van that attacked multiple people in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Canadian Muslim charities are leading fundraising efforts to help victims of Monday’s van attack in Toronto and their families cope with medical and funeral costs, teaming up with Toronto’s city government.

Suspect Alek Minassian, 25, was charged with 10 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder on Tuesday after he plowed a rental van into pedestrians on a crowded Toronto sidewalk.

Charity Canada Zakat had collected more than C$145,000 (about $113,000) as of late morning Wednesday through a GoFundMe campaign, while Islamic Relief Canada, which provides emergency relief following disasters, had received C$6,500 in donations on Launchgood.com, a Muslim fundraising platform.

These charities’ efforts were spurred by donor feedback from fundraising following a January 2017 shooting at a Quebec City mosque and are the most high profile since then.

“One donor said ‘if this ever happens again, you guys should be out there again, regardless of who the perpetrator is, who the victim is’,” said Zaid Al-Rawni, chief executive of Islamic Relief Canada. “That was the main driver for this.”

Human Concern International, another Muslim charity, and Islamic Circle of North America’s Canadian relief arm are also raising funds, according to their websites.