CAIR rallies Muslims to pray Friday for end to oil spill

The Council on American-Islamic Relations put out a call Wednesday for Muslims to pray for an end to the BP Gulf oil spill.

CAIR asked imams across the country to use sermons this Friday to pray for a resolution to the oil crisis and ensuing environmental disaster.

Mosque officials are also being asked to rally community members to volunteer for Gulf Coast relief efforts as part of the group's "Muslims Care" initiative.

"Engineers, officials and residents of the Gulf Coast are doing their best to mitigate this environmental disaster, and people of faith must also do what they can to seek divine intervention when human efforts fall short," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement citing Quranic verse. "Along with the prayers, we ask American Muslims to volunteer their time and talents to assist in the massive clean up effort."

Awad said CAIR chapters also encourage other faiths to get involved in the prayer and relief efforts.