The U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigration has given me a gift, the chance to support the freedom of worship I have always enjoyed in America, and which somehow seems threatened today. On their Amazon Refugee Gift Page, the committee has posted Muslim prayer rugs with mat for $2, and I was moved to donate a number of them today.

Most Muslims face Mecca to pray five times a day, a commitment to devotion and faith.  Prayer rugs are important, and I did not realize many of the new refugees coming to America have lost their prayer rugs, or had them lost or destroyed.

This is a rare opportunity for me to embrace my dream of America, and my idea of America. A number of refugees are arriving in this area this week, I can’t really think of a better way to greet them, or a better message to send them about who we are.

For $2 I can help a refugee family practice their faith in their new country, especially at a time when many Muslims feel they are under siege. I am grateful for the chance to affirm my values for $2, so much so that I donated five of them.  This is less than a sandwich and soda costs, and infinitely more precious.

This is what i hope I am about, this is what I hope we are about once again. If you wish to donate a prayer rug and mat for $2, you can do so here, and your gift will be very much appreciated.