Islam4mankind & all creation of Allah

01/05/2013 9:00 PM Syracuse, N.Y. -- A group of Muslim-Americans has opened a free health clinic for uninsured adults on Syracuse’s South Side. The Rahma Health Clinic, which recently opened its doors at 3100 S. Salina St., is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Rahma is an Islamic word that means mercy. The Muslim religion places a strong emphasis on giving back to the community’s less fortunate, said Dr. Mustafa Awayda, the clinic’s volunteer medical director. That belief was the catalyst behind starting the clinic. “We’re so fortunate because we have wonderful lives in the area, great jobs and we wanted to give back,” said Awayda, who works at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. He and other Muslim Americans formed a nonprofit, the Muslim American Care and Compassion Alliance, which purchased a vacant former doctor’s office at 3100 S. Salina St. in 2009. It took much longer than expected to open because the clinic applied for and received c...