Islamic association spends Christmas clearing snow from neighborhood sidewalks

At a time when Muslims and Islam are being associated with terrorism, one Calgary, Canada group spent Christmas day giving back.

According to a CBC report, one woman was overcome with emotion when she returned home to see driveways and sidewalks shoveled. The good samaritans were members of the Islamic Association of Northwest Calgary and they were handing out flowers and chocolates to the neighbors.

"They are just so humble and kind," said Cindy Russell.

Muhammad Abbas, outreach director at the association, explained that the tradition for the last five years has been that younger members of the center come together to give back on Christmas.

"They share the best wishes of the season with our neighbors," Abbas said. "We want to make a positive contribution to our community."

Russell noted that the gesture came at an important time, "especially right now with all the dialogue going on around the world," she said. "There is so much fear and ignorance and a lot of people who are afraid just haven't taken the time to educate themselves."

She thanked the members for " showing me the real purpose of this time of year, which doesn't belong to any religion. It's time to express love, concern and interest for each other."

[caption id="attachment_953595" align="aligncenter" width="363"] Flowers handed out from the Islamic Association of Northwest Calgary (Photo: Cindy Russell)[/caption]