AED for Mosques

Every Masjid in America Needs an AED

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the heart experiences an electrical malfunction, causing it to stop beating effectively. Without immediate treatment, the victim will die within minutes. The good news is that Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) can treat SCA by restarting the heart into a normal rhythm, giving victims a chance at survival.

SCA affects people of all ages and backgrounds, even those who seem perfectly healthy. In the United States, it leads to approximately 350,000 deaths annually and is the leading cause of death among student-athletes, claiming the lives of 7,000-10,000 young people each year. Despite the effectiveness of AEDs, fewer than 10% of SCA victims survive without immediate intervention.

Why Masjids Need AEDs

Research shows that more than 50% of people who attend religious services weekly are over 50 years old, placing them at higher risk for SCA. Yet many masjids in the U.S. are not properly equipped with AEDs. This is a problem, but one that can be fixed.

Masjids are more than just places of prayer—they’re community hubs where people come together for life’s most significant moments, from weddings to funerals. They are also where Muslims bond, learn, and support each other. Many masjids are located in neighborhoods, making them ideal places to help both community members and visitors during emergencies.

For SCA survival rates to improve, AEDs must be easily accessible at masjids. When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every second counts. For every minute without a shock, the chances of survival decrease by 7-10%. After calling 911, the average response time for emergency services is 8-12 minutes, by which time the victim's chances of survival are already severely reduced.

A Simple Solution to Save Lives

The solution is clear: AEDs should be readily available at every masjid. By making AEDs easily accessible, masjids can become central locations for life-saving interventions. Avive is dedicated to helping communities, including Muslim communities, equip their facilities with AEDs and raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Avive is committed to ensuring that no case of SCA goes untreated. We strive to drive positive change and make AEDs accessible to all, helping to prevent tragic, preventable deaths in masjids and other community spaces.

Together, we can save lives.

Common Misconceptions & Concerns

The lack of preparedness in masjids is a direct result of the lack of awareness surrounding Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and AEDs.Let’s Change That!

MYTH: You have to be medically trained to use an AED

TRUTH:  MashaAllah, there are many medical professionals in the Muslim community, but you don’t need to be a doctor to use an AED. All AEDs are built for use by anyone; studies have shown that even children can use them safely! Since AEDs only deliver a shock to patients in cardiac arrest, they are safe to use by non-medical people with limited or zero training. In fact, AEDs are designed deliberately to be easy to use, by including minimal buttons and providing comprehensive voice instructions to help coach responders through the rescue process.

MYTH: SCA & Heart Attack are the same thing

TRUTH:  The main difference between Sudden Cardiac Arrest vs. heart attack is the underlying problem that occurs in the heart.

Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem where a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system causes it to stop beating. Normally, the heart is controlled by regular electrical impulses that make it beat. When SCA happens, these electrical impulses become scrambled and the heart can no longer pump blood (containing oxygen that is necessary for life) around the body. An AED is the only tool that can restart the heart in the event of cardiac arrest.

By contrast, a heart attack is when the blood supply to the heart is cut off due to blockage in an artery. This blockage causes damage to the heart and the muscle begins to die.

MYTH: AEDs are expensive and won’t fit into our Masjid’s budget

TRUTH: Avive is committed to providing a fully-featured AED and comprehensive response system for a much more affordable price.

We have made owning an AED an attainable goal for masjids with our LIFESaver Plan™, which allows an organization to buy an AED for just $349/year. That's equal to only $30/month to protect your Masjid!

It may also be possible for the masjid to obtain a charitable “sponsor” or donor to cover the one-time purchase expense of an AED, which, with the Avive Connect AED™, is just $1395.

FAQ

How Can Having an AED On-site Benefit Members of the Masjid?

Accessible AEDs are critically important to boost survival chances in the likely event that SCA strikes at the masjid. Loss of life to SCA is preventable, and having an AED on-site can literally save your members’ lives. There are thousands of SCA “save” stories that have taken place in churches and other faith-based organizations simply because they are places of communal gathering. Mosques should offer this same level of protection and peace of mind for their members. If your masjid isn’t already equipped with at least one accessible AED, hopefully, after reading these stories, you will become a vocal advocate to change that!

How Does Having More AEDs Placed in More Places Benefit the Broader Community?

Being able to respond quickly to someone having a cardiac event is crucial to their survival. Having an AED in the masjid helps members, neighbors, and the community in case of cardiac arrest. AEDs are a tool that can be used to help someone in their greatest time of need. By having more AEDs in more places, more people will be ready to respond when SCA strikes.

Why Should Masjids Consider Purchasing the Avive Connect AED™?

It's critical for the Muslim community to have access to the technology needed to save a life when SCA strikes - and that is an AED. At an absolute minimum, every masjid in America should have at least one AED. As SCA awareness continues to grow in the Muslim community and beyond, medical technology and equipment continues to improve as well. Our Avive Connect AED takes proven defibrillation technology and expands its benefits to the masses with first-of-its-kind capabilities.

Learn more about our features here.

Our goal is to give everyday people the tools and the opportunity to offer cardiac arrest victims quick lifesaving help before EMS arrives at the emergency so that you can protect all of the lives who enter into your space.

Why are Masjids & Islamic Centers an Ideal Place to Learn Lifesaving Skills?

Masjids are gathering spaces where people are committed to caring for one another. As a pillar of the community and a primary gathering space, it just makes sense that people should be able to be and feel safe on these grounds. Masjids are a perfect location to model what “neighbors helping neighbors” truly looks like in action through teaching SCA awareness and CPR & AED use.

Muslims have historically been at the forefront of engineering, medicine, and science. Sharing in a rich Islamic history, Muslims’ contributions continue to be on the leading edge of science, modern medicine and technology. It makes perfect sense that the community's places of worship would offer the most up-to-date lifesaving training and technology.

How Can Masjid Leaders Do Their Part to Eliminate Preventable Death from SCA?

Masjid leaders can teach members how to save lives and equip them with the tools to do so! Masjids are a great place to hold training sessions for community members to promote SCA awareness and teach people of all ages how to perform CPR and use an AED. These skills may also be useful outside of the masjid one day.

Is my Masjid Legally Required to Have an AED On-site at Our Facility?

No, by law, mosques and other faith-based organizations are not required to have AEDs. However, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t!

‍