The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the nation’s pioneering and largest custodian of Islamic community properties, today announced the creation of the Resilience and Protection Waqf (endowment), a proposed multi-million-dollar endowment fund designed to educate, train, equip, and protect American Muslim communities from rising anti-Muslim hate and violence. The Fund also intends to provide aid to families impacted by similar crimes.
NAIT also announced a partnership with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, to arrange regional safety trainings conducted by security experts for mosques, Islamic private schools and other faith-based institutions.
To catalyze this massive national effort, NAIT has committed to matching all public campaign contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000,000 (One Million Dollars), aiming to build a multi-million-dollar foundational safety net.
By preemptively equipping the Islamic institutions and community, the Endowment aims to help prevent and minimize the impact of any terrorist attacks like the one on May 18, 2026, at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) in Clairemont, California perpetrated by anti-Muslim white supremacist extremists. The mass shooting claimed the lives of three community pillars—security guard Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad—who heroically drew gunfire away from nearly 140 elementary school children sheltered inside the complex.
This waqf is dedicated in loving memory and honor of the San Diego Martyrs. May Allah (swt) accept this noble endeavor as a source of Sadaqah Jariyah on their behalf until the Day of Judgment.
“Muslim communities across the nation continue to face targeted attacks that leave deep, lasting scars on affected families and entire communities,” said Maqsood Quadri, Executive Director of NAIT. “With the Resilience and Protection Waqf, NAIT is establishing a perpetual safety net that we intend to grow into a multi-million-dollar national resource. We are calling upon our partner mosques, community members, interfaith groups, philanthropists, and national organizational leaders, and all our friends to join us in securing our institutions and supporting those grieving from similar immense tragedies.”
Members of the public, community leaders, and philanthropic organizations are urged to maximize the impact of their giving by participating in this $1,000,000 match campaign. Donations can be made securely online at: https://www.launchgood.com/naitresiliencefund
For more information about the Resilience and Protection Waqf or to schedule an interview with NAIT leadership, please contact info@nait.net or 630-789-8500.
Funds raised through this campaign will be deployed across three critical areas:
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance: Providing immediate financial support to the families of victims and impacted individuals from similar tragedies and incidents.
Preventative Security Infrastructure: Educating and guiding communities to develop robust national initiatives, apply and obtain grants from federal, state, local agencies and private foundation to upgrade security protocols, physical infrastructure, and protection measures at mosques, Islamic schools, and community centers across America.
Community Resilience and Institutional Support: Enhancing long-term community strength and providing essential institutional support to Islamic centers.
Strategic Safety Partnership with CAIR
As part of this comprehensive initiative, NAIT is partnering with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, to launch a proactive, nationwide safety campaign aimed at mosques, Islamic private schools and other faith-based institutions. This collaboration is meant to actively reinforce community security by:
Upgrading Safety Standards: Working alongside security professionals to update and expand CAIR’s Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety manual.
Regional Security Seminars: Hosting in-person regional workshops to bring mosque and Islamic school staff together with security professionals to master these protocols, learn about federal and state security funding, and connect with local specialists.
Sustained Support Networks: Networking training participants into a continuous peer group, providing them with ongoing support, real-time security alerts, and direct assistance with grant opportunities.
As an irrevocable multi-generational endowment (Waqf), the fund will be managed in perpetuity, the fund principal staying intact while investment return can be used as needed, ensuring that resources remain continuously available to counter anti-Muslim/anti-Islam hate crimes and reinforce community resilience for decades to come, inshaAllah (God willing).
