Birmingham mosque raises over £140,000 in days as Turkey Syria earthquake death toll rises
ITV News Central journalist Barnaby Papadopulos went to Green Lane to speak to some of those involved in fundraising efforts.
A mosque in Birmingham have raised over £140,000 for disaster relief, just days after the earthquake which devastated parts of Turkey and Syria.
The Green Lane Masjid in Small Heath has been collecting donations from its thousands-strong congregation both during and after prayers.
On Fridays, thousands of worshippers crowd into the Mosque's prayer halls.
But on this Friday, prayers were proceeded by a member of staff calling on people to donate to the earthquake appeal. When he asked who would be willing to donate a thousand pounds - several hands went up.
The earthquake was also discussed in the sermon, with Imam Shaykh Ahsan Hanif saying his congregation was relating to the devastating images currently being broadcast around the world.
"We've got families, we've got children, the images that we've seen the reports that we've heard is something we relate to very easily, it's very close to heart."
"We felt that it was very important that we step up and do whatever we can."
Others appeared notably moved. Mozaum Ali Khan, a regular at the Mosque, could barely keep a tremor out of his voice as he discussed some of the pictures he'd seen.
"I just heard yesterday that there's a mother and a child that were pulled out of rubble after three days
"We can't even imagine being hungry for three days, not having water."
What's the latest on the Turkey - Syria earthquake?
Turkey’s disaster management agency said more than 19,300 people had been confirmed killed in the disaster so far in Turkey, with more than 77,000 injured.
More than 3,300 people have been confirmed killed in Syria, bringing the total number of dead to more than 22,000.
With temperatures - in places - below zero, critical now is providing shelter to the hundreds of thousands of people made homeless by the earthquake.
This is particularly pronounced in Syria, where years of conflict means that critical infrastructure was already damaged, and it can be difficult for aid agencies to easily transport supplies to affected people.
'Faith really shines', says Imam
Despite huge need, the Imams at Green Lane Masjid say they'll continue to fundraise for those affected by the earthquake.
"As a Muslim your faith revolves around two things: service to the creator, worship, and service to his creation, the people," said Mustafa Abu Rayyan.
So it's really a tenant of our faith to help each other, and to support each other and this is where faith really shines."
According to the Mosque's donation page:
£50 can provide vital medical supplies to hospitals
£80 can provide a cash grant for a family to purchase food and other essentials in an emergency
£168 can provide two families with shelter in an emergency