Muslim Aid

Muslim Aid

Type	Charity
Founded	November, 1985
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Key people	Dr Manazir Ahsan MBE (Chairman), Dr Suhaib Hasan (Vice Chair), Syed Sharfuddin (CEO), Dr Abdul Bari MBE (Secretary)
Area served	Indonesia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Somalia and others
Focus(es)	Healthcare, education, Disaster & Emergency, Shelter & Construction, Economic empowerment, Income generation, Child sponsorship
Revenue	£25 million (2010)
Motto	"Serving Humanity"
Website	www.muslimaid.org

Muslim Aid is guided by the teachings of Islam and endeavors to tackle poverty and its causes by developing innovative and sustainable solutions that enable individuals and their communities to live with dignity and by supporting initiatives that promote economic and social justice. Muslim Aid works with all in need, regardless of their race, religion, gender, nationality or political opinion.^[1]

History and beginnings

Muslim Aid was founded in 1985 when leading British Muslim organisations joined together to respond to endemic humanitarian crises in Africa. The following year, conflicts in Afghanistan and Palestine and floods in Bangladesh saw Muslim Aid expand its emergency relief operations. Over the past 25 years Muslim Aid has grown from a small office in London to a leading UK NGO, providing relief and development programmes in over 70 countries across the globe.^[2]

Muslim Aid has since tried to ensure that it would strive to serve the whole of humanity in keeping with the principles of Islam. By 1989 Muslim Aid’s operations had expanded considerably and over £1 million of emergency aid had been distributed throughout Africa, Asia and Europe. As the charity grew, the scope of its work expanded.^[2]

Whilst continuing to carry on its commitment to emergency relief work Muslim Aid also began to implement long-term development programmes. Today, water, healthcare and shelter and construction programs.^[3]

Muslim Aid believes that in order to really help people, the causes, not just the symptoms of poverty must be addressed. By 1994 long-term development projects accounted for almost 50% of Muslim Aid’s relief activity. As well as helping people overcome crises Muslim Aid provides skills and resources to assist people to move forward to a better life.^[4] Muslim Aid works closely with the communities to deliver its programmes and remains committed to working in collaboration with all its beneficiaries to ensure that the solutions are not imposed from the outside. All solutions are culturally sensitive, practical and owned by the beneficiaries.^[5]

Countries of operation

They have field offices in 13 countries namely, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.^[6]

Recent work

It has carried out its work in areas such as Indonesia, following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (tsunami) and then the two earthquakes in Java, one in May 2006, the other in July that year.^[7] It also worked in Bosnia following the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.^[8] It worked in Pakistan following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake to build seismically resistant sustainable housing in conjunction with UK architectural charity Article 25, and has continuously worked in the Palestinian territories, as well as Darfur, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Lebanon, India and Bangladesh. It also worked in China following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

In 2010 Muslim Aid responded to the destructive earthquake in Haiti and the devastating floods in Pakistan. It raised nearly £600,000 and £3 million respectively to help those who afflicted by the disasters. It is continuing its reconstruction work in these countries ensuring long-term prosperity of those living there.^[9]

25th anniversary

In 2010 Muslim Aid celebrated 25 years since it began its work. The year was marked with events and initiatives to highlight its achievements and plot its future course.^[10]

The year was headlined by the 25th Anniversary Dinner held at the Natural History Museum in March 2010. Over 600 guests attended Muslim Aid’s 25th Anniversary event. Speeches were given by Northern Ireland Secretary, Shaun Woodward MP; Shadow International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell MP; Shadow Foreign Secretary Edward Davey, MP and Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Chairman of Muslim Aid.^[11]

Government Minister the Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan MP, Minister of State for Transport also delivered a speech and was joined by distinguished guests from the media, diplomatic community, political, development and community organisations.^[10] Renowned nasheed artist Ahmed Bukhatir performed on the 3 nights which raised over £300,000 in the events in London, Manchester and Birmingham.^[12][13]

Controversies

In 2002, a Spanish police report alleged the organisation to have used funds to send mujahadeen fighters to Bosnia.^[14] In 2010, the organisation was investigated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales for allegedly funding groups linked to a banned terrorist organisation.^[15] The investigation cleared the organisation and said that the claims were unsubstantiated.^[16]

On the 2 May 2013 an international arrest warrant was issued for its former chairman and long time trustee Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin for war crimes. He was subsequently found guilty in absentia of murdering 18 Bangladesh intellectuals as a leader within Al-Badr, a pro-Pakistan Islamist paramilitary force in the Bangladesh liberation war.^[17]

References

External links

• Muslim Aid Homepage
• Charity Commission page on Muslim Aid
• The Rainbow Family, a Muslim Aid project
• The Muslim Aid 25th Year Anniversary Souvenir Brochure
• Muslim Aid 2009 Annual Review