Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Terrorism American Muslims ... raise more than $170,000 for San Bernardino families

On the afternoon of the San Bernardino shooting, a California doctor who helped found a health-care and social services nonprofit, set up a fundraising campaign for the victims' families.

Dr. Faisal Qazi happens to also be a Muslim-American. But the role of his faith in his initial effort was only that his religion teaches him to help neighbors in need. He planned a modest community outreach, hoping to raise $20,000 at most.

But as the motives of the shooters became known, Muslim leaders locally and nationally suggested Qazi expand his campaign to unite Muslims everywhere in support for the victims.

In the week since the massacre that killed 14 people at a company gathering at the Inland Regional Center, the American Muslim-led campaign has raised $171,093. It was for several days collecting at a rate of about $1,000 an hour.

A Canadian congregation in Ontario invited the local Muslim community to use its synagogue as a place to worship after their mosque was fire-bombed in a suspected hate crime following the Paris attacks.