Bella Hadid Highlights Destroyed Mosque and Churches After Notre Dame Fire: 'Talk About This Too!'
Bella Hadid has joined the chorus of social media users highlighting world tragedies in the wake of Monday’s devastating fire at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.
On her Instagram Story, the 22-year-old model shared a pair of social media posts about the Keriya Aitika Mosque in China’s Xinjiang region, which reportedly “disappeared in 2018” as part of the continued destruction of mosques in Xinjiang, Forbes reported. Another post highlighted the recent burnings of three historically Black churches in Louisiana.
“Sending love and bringing awareness to every part of history around the world that was taken this week…” Hadid wrote in one post. In the other, she added: “Is this a f—— JOKE!!!!!!! Let’s talk about this too people!!!!!!!!!!”
A social media user tweeted on Monday that the Keriya Aitika Mosque was 800 years old and was “razed to the ground.” A University of British Columbia student tweeted earlier this month, “where has this mosque gone? Keriya Aitika Mosque. more than 800 year history, disappeared in early 2018 despite selected as Chinese architectural heritage in late 2017.”
RELATED: More than $700 Million Raised Overnight to Rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral After Massive Fire
Internet users have worked to spread awareness about the burning of the Louisiana churches as fundraising efforts for the 856-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral surpassed $700 million.
The Seventh District Baptist Association set up a GoFundMe page nearly a week ago to help fund repairs for St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, plus Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, both in Opelousas. However, after initially raising $150,000 for the repairs, according to CNN, the fundraiser skyrocketed to more than $1.1 million as thousands donated in the wake of the Notre Dame fire.
“It’s a blessing,” said Rev. Gerald Toussaint, pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, according to CNN. “It’s going to help our community. What the devil meant for bad, God’s going to turn it into something good.”
Holden Matthews, the 21-year-old son of St. Landry’s Parish Sheriff’s deputy Roy Matthews, has pleaded not guilty to three hate crime charges, two counts of simple arson of a religious building and one count of aggravated arson of a religious building, CNN reported. In response to PEOPLE’s request for comment, Matthews’ attorney, Quincy Cawthorne, says, “There’s no statement at this time.”
RELATED: FBI Investigating ‘Suspicious’ Fires at 3 Historically Black Churches: ‘There’s No Coincidence’
Donations have been flooding in to rebuild the 856-year-old Paris church after it was nearly gutted by the blaze Monday evening. As of Tuesday evening local time, over €700 million (around $790 million) had been raised for the project. Three of France’s wealthiest families are spearheading the monetary effort.
The Catholic church is a world-famous landmark for the French capital, second only to the Eiffel Tower, and has been a center of religious and cultural life for centuries.
The White House announced that the U.S. would offer “assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization,” The Hill reported. This sparked criticism, as many pointed out Trump’s lackluster response to Puerto Rico, which is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma’s devastation in 2017. Others criticized the decision as they noted the contamination of water in Flint, Michigan, following 2015 revelations that the water was not treated for corrosion, which resulted in widespread lead poisoning.
“The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn’t fully won yet,” Macron said. “It is with pride I tell you tonight we will rebuild this cathedral … we will rebuild Notre Dame because it is what the French expect of us, it is what our history deserves, it is, in the deepest sense, our destiny.”
