BEIRUT, Lebanon — Beirut continues to suffer after a massive explosion took place in the afternoon of August 4, 2020. Millions of people worldwide took to social media to bring awareness to the issues going on in Beirut, including big celebrities like Puerto Rican singer, dancer, actress and businesswoman Jennifer Lopez who has recently provided support to Lebanese fashion designer Zuhair Murad.
The Beirut Explosion
The explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, reportedly took the lives of 137 people while leaving roughly 5,000 people injured. Meanwhile, about 300,000 have had to move to another home or have become homeless due to the blast. Estimates have determined that the damages the explosion left will cost up to $5 billion to fix.
There is an ongoing investigation to determine if there is a person behind the explosion. As a result, authorities have questioned about 16 employees of Beirut’s port. However, BBC News has reported that President Michel Aoun believed that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the Hangar 12 warehouse caused the explosion.
Who is Zuhair Murad?
Zuhair Murad was born in Ras Baalbek, Lebanon, and has taken pride in helping and giving back to his people. Murad placed a post on Instagram on August 18, 2020, promoting the hashtag, risefromtheashes. He has used his fashion-focused platform to create t-shirts with the hashtag on them. Currently, his business page @ZuhairMuradOfficial has over 5 million followers. Meanwhile, his own page @Zuhairmuradprivatel now has over 900,000, making his influence even higher.
The t-shirts come in black and white, and have received positive feedback and support from other celebrities such as Cesc Fabregas, Becky G, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. They go for $25.99 and include XS sizes through 3XL sizes. About 100% of the profits from selling the t-shirts will help those on the ground assist Beirut during these difficult times. Organizations that the proceeds will be going towards include the Lebanese Red Cross and Offrejoie.
Jennifer Lopez Supports Zuhair Murad
Millions adore Jennifer Lopez, a Bronx native, for her talent and the fact that she has used her platform to advocate and support projects like hurricane relief efforts. Lopez is also a co-founder of the Lopez Family Foundation which helps women and children receive medical care worldwide. Due to her previous philanthropy work, it is no surprise that she has used her platform once again to support and bring awareness to Beirut, Lebanon after the immense explosion.
On August 21, 2020, Jennifer Lopez reached out to her 130 million followers on Instagram to support Beirut after the massive explosion. Jennifer Lopez has asked her followers to join her and Zuhair Murad to help bring awareness to Beirut’s people. Lopez posted a photo wearing Zuhair Murad’s ‘”Rise from the ashes,” t-shirt. The picture has since received over 1.5 million likes.
The people of Beirut remain in shock. Social media applications such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have allowed for the spread of knowledge and updates about what is going on in Beirut, Lebanon. Zuhair Murad continues to use his platform to advocate and express concerns for the people the explosion left homeless with his followers and other celebrities’ support.
– Amanda Cruz
Photo: Wikipedia Commons