It’s is likely one of the largest crowdfunding initiatives in Kerala: over ₹30 crore collected in a span of just one month. The reason: Payment of ‘blood money’ to secure the release of Machilakath Abdul Rahim, who is facing the death sentence in a Saudi Arabian jail.
The campaign started off in earnest in the Islamic holy month of Ramzan (which began on March 11) and achieved the seemingly impossible target of raising ₹34 crore just two days before the Hindu festival of Vishu on April 14.
It’s a feat that demonstrates the power of collective action and solidarity transcending religious differences to address a common humanitarian goal, and it yet another chapter in the state’s legacy of standing up for the shared humanity that binds its people.
Behind its success though lie a host of factors including meticulous planning and practical thinking. One of the reasons why the fund drive was planned for Ramzan is because during this time Muslims make the mandatory Zakat charity contribution. Zakat requires all Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth to charity.
To ensure transparency, a specially created app was used for crowdfunding and to ensure that everyone was on board; the legal aid committee and trust formed had representatives from all political parties.
Watch: Crowdfunding campaign to save Kerala native medium nocaptionhttps://youtu.be/y5HLSwI3RzY?si=W_Q-DCtgXF23dzms
Rahim’s story
Rahim was an autorickshaw driver in Feroke, Kozhikode district, and had gone to Saudi Arabia in November 2006 to work as a driver for Saudi national, Abdulla Abdurahman Al Shahri. He was mainly tasked with attending to Al Shahri’s differently-abled son Anas Al Shahri.
On the fateful day just one month after his arrival in the kingdom, Rahim was trying to pacify Anas who became agitated during a trip, when his hand accidentally hit the tube attached to the child’s throat. Anas became unconscious and later died. A court in Riyadh found Rahim guilty of murder and sentenced him to death, which was upheld by the higher courts as well.
Though the Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee was formed in Kozhikode in 2021 and has been making efforts to secure Rahim’s release, the breakthrough came in December 2023 when the committee members held talks with those associated with the Saudi family. The family members finally expressed their readiness to grant pardon to Rahim by accepting ‘blood money’ of 15mn Saudi riyals.
The power of the people
K Suresh, chairman of the legal assistance committee, said that though the amount seemed daunting, they remained optimistic.
“We had hope in the holy month of Ramzan and that we could channelise the zakat funds to our crowdfunding. The most positive thing that happened to us was that we could do the fund collection through a dedicated app. Earlier, Indian Union Muslim League had done crowdfunding through an app and we decided to follow that model and an IT firm developed the Spinecode app for us,” said Suresh, who is also the vice president of the Ramanattukara municipality in Kozhikode.
Suresh said that another key factor that helped the crowdfunding drive was the transparency brought in by the dedicated app. “Every donor would get a receipt instantly and the money would be deposited in the bank account. The donor can keep track of the progress in fund collection. Even the app provides analytics on the geographical locations from where the funds came state wise and district wise,” he said.
Suresh said that until the fifth day of Ramzan, the fund collected stood at ₹5 crore, but by the 20th day of Ramzan it started picking up. Prayers were held in mosques urging people to contribute towards the cause.
The 27th day of Ramzan, believed by Muslims to be the day of Laylat Al Qadr (Night of Power), was transformative as around ₹9 crore was collected on that day alone. It is believed that Laylat Al Qadr is a night of great reward and significance.
“On March 12, the crowdfunding attained full speed as ₹1 crore was collected in just nine minutes. We put a halt to the fund collection after it touched ₹31 crore to tabulate the amounts received by various means,” Suresh added.
News about a large donation made by businessman Boby Chemmannur created even more hype, which propelled the crowdfunding drive.
“What struck us the most was the kind of response the campaign elicited from the people. From the donation of ₹1 crore made by businessman Boby Chemmannur, which was the highest individual donation, to ₹10, people chipped in with whatever they could. From Kudumbashree workers to NREGA workers to Haritha Karma Sena volunteers, all participated in the initiative. Expat organisation KMCC’s Saudi unit gave ₹1.5 crore. Apart from the money raised through the app, around ₹4 crore was made directly,” Suresh said.
The committee had formed four WhatsApp groups, each having around 1,000 people to spread the word. Funds were also collected from Qatar, UAE, Saudi and other Gulf countries.
Suresh the largest contribution received through the app was from Malappuram with donors from the district contributing around ₹9.2 crore, while Kozhikode came second with ₹5.3 crore. Around ₹6 crore came from foreign countries, the majority from the Gulf.
“This is the real Kerala story. What is most significant is that it has happened when efforts were being made to divide people. But people disregarded it and joined hands to save a life,” he said.
Committee convener KK Alikutty said a majority of the contributors were common people. “People joined hands irrespective of their backgrounds. From auto drivers to Kudumbashree workers, everyone did their bit,” he said.
Rahim’s mother Fathima is now eagerly waiting for the homecoming of her son whom she had not seen for the past 18 years. “I thank everyone. Now my son will finally be able to come home. Harmony of people has helped in the effort to save my son,” she said.
Rahim’s lawyers have informed the Saudi court that the diya (blood money) is ready.