How You Can Donate To Nabra Hassanen's Family

Less than 48 hours after the murder of Nabra Hassanen, a Muslim teenager who was on her way home from her mosque, her family has already received an outpouring of support from the world. A fundraiser for Nabra has already raised more than $180,000 of a $200,000 goal, and it's still gaining steam.

Nabra, who was murdered Sunday near her home in Virginia, was only 17, is described by her friends and family as a popular girl and a dedicated student. The local law enforcement and political community quickly rallied around her family, with various lawmakers calling for a full investigation and expressing their deep sadness. But the fundraiser — which is on a Muslim-focused crowdfunding platform called LaunchGood — has shown that there are people feeling for Nabra's family from all around the globe.

The woman who started the fundraiser is Khadijah Abdullah-Lardas, who is no stranger to philanthropy. She's already the founder of two organizations that benefit Muslims in America: Muslim Nannies and Reaching All HIV+ Muslims In America (RAHMA). She started the fundraiser on Sunday, and it initially had a goal of $25,000. Needless to say, donations from approximately 8,000 supporters in less than 24 hours blew that goal out of the water.

It was only weeks ago that two men were stabbed trying to protect a Muslim teenager from hate speech on a Portland train, and hate crimes against Muslims have been on the rise since Donald Trump began his campaign, according to the Human Rights Watch. So far, President Trump has been silent on Nabra's murder, which continues his pattern of reticence to speak out against crimes against Muslims.

Although law enforcement officials told Bustle that they are not investigating Hassanen's murder as a hate crime, it struck a particular chord in the Muslim community. The Washington Post reported that Hassanen was dressed in traditional Muslim clothing, and the initial assault took place when she was walking home from her mosque after midnight prayers for Ramadan.

The great outpouring of support, however, shows that there are many who want to stand up and make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. Because no amount of money will ever give Nabra's parents their daughter back, this is truly a case where it's the thought that counts. As it stands right now, the number of people standing with Nabra's family is just over 8,000, and it's growing quickly. When terrible things like this happen, people often feel the best thing that can happen in response is a show of unity — and that's exactly what the great success of this fundraiser is.