It is one of the largest crowdfunding initiatives in Kerala: over ₹30 crore collected for payment of ‘blood money’ to secure the release of Kerala native Machilakath Abdul Rahim, who is facing the death sentence in a Saudi Arabian jail.
The campaign started off in earnest at the start 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.
That’s just one month to collect such as large amount – a feat that demonstrates the power of collective action, transcending religious differences to address a common goal.
Rahim’s story
Rahim worked as autorickshaw driver in Feroke, Kozhikode district, before going 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.
Years later, the Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee was formed in Kozhikode in 2021 in an effort to secure Rahim’s release. The breakthrough came in December 2023 when the committee members held talks with those associated with the Saudi family. Following months of negotiation, the family members of Anas finally agreed to grant pardon to Rahim by accepting ‘blood money’ of 15mn Saudi riyals, or ₹34 crore.
According to Islamic law, blood money, also called diya, is financial compensation paid to a victim or the victim’s family to compensate for causing death, physical harm or the loss of property. It is especially common in cases of unintentional death, like what happened by Rahim, and manslaughter.
Power of the people
By getting the pardon, the first step had been achieved, but now came the daunting task of collecting such a large amount. There were a host of factors including meticulous planning and practical thinking that led to the initiative’s success.
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, an app was created with specially designed features for the crowdfunding initiative; the legal aid committee and trust formed to manage the money had representatives from all political parties.
K Suresh, chairman of the legal assistance committee, said that though the amount was huge, they remained optimistic.
“We had hope in the holy month of Ramzan 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. 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 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 could keep track of the progress in fund collection. The app even provides analytics on the geographical locations from where the funds came state wise and district-wise,” he said.
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To spread the word, the committee 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 said that until the fifth day of Ramzan, the funds collected stood at a modest ₹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. Muslims believ ‘Laylat Al Qadr’ is a night of great reward and significance.
News about a large donation made by businessman Boby Chemmannur created even more hype, which propelled the crowdfunding drive further.
“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 MNREGA workers to Haritha Karma Sena volunteers, all participated in the initiative. Expat organisation KMCC’s [Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre] Saudi unit gave ₹1.5 crore. Apart from the money raised through the app, around ₹4 crore was also donated directly,” Suresh said.
Committee convener KK Alikutty also 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.
Suresh said 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.
“On April 12, the day we reached our target, 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 said.
“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.
Rahim’s lawyers have informed the Saudi court that the blood money has been collected. Meanwhile, back home, Rahim’s mother Fathima is now eagerly waiting for her son whom she has not seen for the past 18 years to return.
“I thank everyone. Now my son will finally be able to come home. The harmony of people has helped in the effort to save my son,” she said.