'Muslims for Life' blood drive held at Milwaukee mosque

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The "Muslims for Life" blood drive held on Saturday, September 7th wasn't just about saving lives, but also about changing misconceptions.

The campaign, which is part of a nation-wide effort, was held at the mosque on Milwaukee's northwest side.

Organizers say it's their way of remembering the victims of 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing -- by saving lives through a blood drive.

They are also hoping interactions with others will begin to change any misunderstandings about their community.

"The reason why we do that is because Islam gets a bad name, so we want to try and change people's perception on Islam -- that there are modern Muslims out there who, they're not hell-bent on destruction and killing people, they actually want to save and help humanity," explained Erfan Ahmad of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

The "Muslims for Life" blood drive hopes to collect 12,000 donations of blood across the country.