CHANTILLY, Va. – A Virginia mosque says it’s going to save more lives than terrorists will take.
It might sound like a bold claim, but that’s the goal the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Chantilly has to counter the extremism proliferated by the Islamic State.
“Our objective in holding these blood drives is to actively do something to counter terrorism,” Imam Rizwan Khan told WTOP. “Sometimes we give our well wishes; we give our condolences, we pray for people who have been victims of terror. But there is also a desire to do something practically, as well, to counter terrorism and undo the damage terrorism has done.”
The mosque has been doing annual blood drives since the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks to honor the victims and counter those attacks.
“This year, we are doing a special blood drive which is in memory of the attacks that happened in Paris and also elsewhere, and the lives of the terrorists,” Khan said.
Their goal? To save more lives than were taken by extremists.
“So each pint, as I understand, has a potential of saving three lives,” explained Khan. “We hope to be able to save far more than the unfortunate loss of life we have seen so far.”
The blood is being drawn and collected by Inova Blood Donor Services, which will determine where and how the donated blood will be used.
