| Type | Charity |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Location | London, UK |
| Focus | Dialogue & Cooperation, Capacity Building, Advocacy & Lobbying, Bridge Building, Promotion of Humanitarian Priniciples and Standards |
| Website | www.muslimcharitiesforum.org.uk |
The Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) is an umbrella organisation for UK based Muslim-led charities whose primary goal is to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world.[1] It is also an associate member of Bond [2] (British Overseas NGOs for Development), the UK membership body for non-governmental organisations.
The Chairman[3][4] of the Board of Trustees of the Muslim Charities Forum is Dr. Hany El Banna OBE, co-founder of Islamic Relief, and the Secretary is Syed Lakthe Hassanain[5], Chairman of Muslim Hands.
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The Muslim Charities Forum has been established in 2007 by the initiative of Dr Hany El Banna and Ismayil Tahmazov [6] and was formally registered as a charity[7] in November 2008. The founding members include well-known UK based Muslim-led Charities such as Human Appeal International, Human Relief Foundation, Muslim Hands and Islamic Relief UK.
The Muslim Charities Forum will help its members provide better services and raise awareness of the work members are doing abroad[8]. It aims to improve British Muslim charities' contribution to international development by promoting the exchange of experience, ideas and information amongst the members, between networks of NGOs in the UK and internationally, with the Governments, and other bodies with the interest in international development[9].
On 4 November 2009, the Muslim Charities Forum organised a workshop on Zakat, or giving alms, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The focus of the workshop was to find a common view for the understanding of Zakat between several organisations working in relief and international development. The workshop concluded with a consensus that further sessions were needed with scholars and delegates on the concept of Zakat and to provide a general narrative on the general understanding of Zakat and other charitable giving and its uses[10].
On 10 December 2009, the Muslim Charities Forum organised a workshop on Institutional Funding & Partnerships. The aim of the workshop was firstly to identify opportunities to build stronger relationships between institutional donors and Muslim-led NGOs, and secondly, to promote partnerships both between Muslim-led NGOs and other types of organisations. The event was highly successful and very well attended, with participants from both Muslim and non-Muslim organisations, including the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), Bond, Muslim Hands, Euclid Network, Islamic Relief, DFID, CAFOD, and Oxfam GB[11].
On 22 January 2011, the Trustees of the Muslim Charities met with Prime Minister of Pakistan Yusuf Raza Gilani. The Prime Minister said that it was heartening to note that the Islamic charitable and humanitarian organisations are performing well to serve the cause of humanity in different parts of the world. He also lauded the contribution of representatives of the Muslim community in UK and elsewhere both for their community as well as for the country they are living in. The charitable organisations, he added, serve as a bridge between the country they are living in and the country of their origin.[12][13][14][15]