Despite the discrimination facing Muslims in America, this community still contributed nearly R 29 billion in charity last year.

The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University says that according to a report, the average Muslim American donated over R 33 000 in zakat during that period.

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and an annual obligation on all Muslims to pay a tiny portion of their earnings and wealth for charitable purposes.

Meanwhile, a leading Muslim advocacy and civil rights group says cases of discrimination and harassment against Muslim Americans increased nine percent last year, compared to 2020.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) had received just over 6 700 complaints last year.

It’s warned that the figures mentioned in its report were still an undercount.