Muslim Lifestyle

20:20 Vision

Issue 100

First featured in issue 5 - May/June 2004

Click here to go to the Issue 5 archives

One day a young boy made a 20 pence donation. 20 years later that money grew to become one of the most successful Islamic organisations in the world.? -Quote: ?The success of Islamic Relief is from a combination of the sincerity of the worked, the trust of the donor, and the appreciation and prayers of the needy. These are the three elements of success, and of course all success is ultimately from God.?

Dr Hany El Banna could not have foreseen the 20p he received from that young boy would flourish into the institution Islamic Relief has become today. This dynamic charity has its headquarters in Birmingham with a scattering of offices across the UK and scores of field offices all over the world including Bangladesh, Bosnia and Palestine. Dr El Banna, President of Islamic Relief, recalls how it was initiated by young university students as a response to the famine in Africa of 1983/4. The charity’s aim to alleviate suffering of all those less fortunate, regardless of religion or race, and its vision of promoting a caring world where the basic needs of the poor are fulfilled is reinforced by Dr El Banna: “Islamic Relief is a vehicle which can carry the ‘goodness’ of helping others, being able to reach the unreachable. The success of Islamic Relief is from a combination of the sincerity of the workers, the trust of the donors, and the appreciation and prayers of the needy. These are the three elements of success, and of course all success is ultimately from God.”

The success of Islamic Relief as something far greater than merely a ‘charity’ is something that is notably unique. It provided a moral template inspiring other Islamic initiatives to seek similar achievements. Waseem Yaqub, UK Manager, appreciates the effect of being the first: “The profile and income of our projects have been emulated by other Muslim organisations, and I find this to be the best form of compliment. We need to have the nature of our work repeated as much as possible – the more charities there are the more people are giving. Islamic Relief has been accredited as a role model by the UN, the EU and the British government, who all recognise the quality and calibre of the work, which is largely due to the commitment and focus of Dr Hany and the first team of people with him.”

The professionalism and exceptional work that Islamic Relief delivers has made them the ideal candidate for collaboration. The UN chose to work in partnership with Islamic Relief in implementing the UN Food Programme in countries like Albania and Chechnya. One of the most recent emergency aid projects carried out by the organisation in Bam had the team operating within 24 hours of the earthquake. Their swift response and excellent work was rewarded with what Waseem describes as a ‘tremendous gesture’ from the Catholic charity CAFOD, which raised £180,000 in its appeal for the victims of the Iran earthquake.

Waseem is responsible for funding activities in the UK, and overlooks areas including community fundraising for mosques, conferences and dinners, and national events such as the Evening of Inspiration concerts in April. Before becoming UK manager a year ago, Waseem had worked as a volunteer since 1985 when his activities varied from door to door collections to embarking on a one-man caravan tour with a mobile exhibition all over England and Wales. His travels have taken him round the globe, where he was heartened to receive positive feedback. “When I was travelling around I was proud of what the British Muslims had done with their donations worldwide; people believe British Muslims to be the most generous.”

Islamic Relief’s resources are not concentrated on international aid only, but also on local issues. It is committed to supporting community projects, helping in the set up of organisations such as the Women’s Helpline and is now looking to extend Muslim services under the Special Community Development Unit. They are currently seeking researchers in the UK to investigate areas such as drug rehabilitation units and women’s shelters. Waseem maintains that Muslims should be providing services run by Muslims for the benefit of Muslims, where they can be ensured complete empathy and confidentiality, and have the reassurance of going to a place that offers familiar religious and cultural backgrounds. Some social ills have become so stigmatised that it is difficult to tackle issues when they are shunned by Muslim communities in the UK. Waseem wishes to challenge the taboo. “Someone has to champion matters like these, we cannot close our eyes to them. There is no British neighbourhood that does not have a drug problem; the pressures on young people in this country are tremendous. Islamic Relief is not here to judge, we are here to help and work against stereotypes.”

Waseem talks proudly of the Orphan Aid project where the Penny Box campaign and the bright cartoon-like Hilal calendars for Ramadan encouraged children to become involved. He hopes that this will have a positive impact on the whole family. “The aim of Orphan Aid is to get every home in Britain to sponsor an orphan. We want to promote the idea of giving in younger children.”

The Orphan Aid project attracted vast numbers of volunteers like Ayeisha Chaudhry who got involved with 15 other volunteers in her area just before Ramadan. They all attended an induction session which updated them with general information about Islamic Relief’s work and policies and gave them brief training on presentation skills. “We were asked to contact mosques and schools so that we could go and distribute calendars and flyers,” recalls Ayeisha. “I accompanied an Islamic Relief worker to a primary school in West London to give a talk to the children on Eid and charity. We then set up a mini refugee-style tent and the children sat inside listening to a talk about the duties we have towards orphans and getting them to imagine life inside a refugee camp. We showed them a video and some of the children wrote letters and short prayers. It was really great.”

After this experience her reservations vanished. “I was sceptical about charities, but I completely trust Islamic Relief. All the volunteers I know have been impressed with the level of professionalism of the staff. Everyone is so committed that it rubs off on you, and I hope I make up a small part of this huge operation.”

The compassion and commitment is most keenly sensed by Islamic Relief fieldworkers who have direct contact with victims. Adeel Jafferi has worked in Kashmir, Iraq, Chechnya and Iran and is chief spokesperson for Islamic Relief’s field operations. The Bam earthquake was the most severe emergency in Adeel’s experience. “There were no Islamic Relief field offices in Bam, so there was complete chaos. We had to start from scratch, getting tents from nearby countries like Pakistan and Jordan, and set them up along with shower blocks and toilet facilities. We encourage the local people to engage in the building, training them where necessary, so they feel part of the reconstruction process.”

Adeel found Iran a very emotional experience for him. A major part of his work involved being with the people in affected areas. “Human emotions are all the same, but they are felt by each individual differently. Yes, you do have to be detached to some extent, but what is very important for all fieldworkers is empathy. We try to understand the victims’ situation – we share food with them, we sleep in the same tents, we laugh and cry with them. It is an intensely emotional experience.”

Adeel recounts the story of a 10 year old girl who had lost her entire family and clung to what kindness she could find amongst the destruction in Bam. “She took me by the hand and led me to a tent where a little picnic was waiting, along with some other children. This was very typical. The generosity and warmth of the people of Bam had a profound affect on me. It was very difficult to see the destruction and not feel disheartened, but every victim I spoke to said that it had been God’s will and that they were determined to rise to the challenge. The people of Bam were so philosophical yet pragmatic that it invigorated me.” “Working out there has made a massive impact on my whole outlook,” Adeel continues. “It makes a huge difference when you can see the tangible benefits of money raised, and it has enriched my attitude to charity work.”

The ethos of commitment and sacrifice is echoed throughout by the staff. Haroun Atallah, General Manager at Islamic Relief HQ believes this special ethos is the key contributor to its success. “Islamic Relief is an extension of the aspirations and values of the Muslim community to reach those who need help. Recent events in the world have added to the responsibilities of all Muslim organisations in the West to deliver the sublime values of our faith to the wider commu-nity. Islamic Relief works towards achieving a better global understanding.”

Haroun is in charge of four divisions at Islamic Relief HQ: Projects, Fundraising, Support and Business Development. The number of staff working for Islamic Relief worldwide is estimated at 800, along with thousands of volunteers. “A network of offices and partnerships was established in various parts of the world enabling the organisation to cater for the needs of more people. The war in Bosnia galvanised feelings of many of our supporters and increased the organisation’s income between £4-5m annually. By the end of the 90s Islamic Relief operations were more firmly established and our worldwide income rose to £13m annually. In the last few years income has nearly doubled to £23-26m.” Apart from emergency aid, Islamic Relief also has a system of long-term support in the form of waqf projects. Waqf is a means of sadaqa jariya or continuous charity which builds up resources as well as invests in long term benefits such as support for education, health, social development and training.

A vital element to increase awareness and mobilise people to become contributors is the Media Department. The dynamics behind all publications are headed by Shagufta Yaqub who finds her role as Publications Co-ordinator has greater dimensions than it suggests. “Like many of my colleagues here I see my role at Islamic Relief as more than just a job – it is an extension of our role as human beings and as Muslims. I feel we have a duty to serve those who are less fortunate than us, and that is something Islamic Relief is dedicated to,” she declares purposefully. “Islamic Relief is probably one of the largest Muslim charities in the world but more importantly, it is at the cutting edge of development work and on a par with many of the well-established charities around the world. As far as possible, Islamic Relief is an implementing agency, which means we implement projects in the field rather than just fundraise and pass the money onto others. This obviously means we have developed a wealth of experience in many of the areas we work in.”

Working within such an environment, it must be difficult to remain emotionally detached from the realities of human suffering, stories of which reach the UK offices from staff working in hard hit areas. Yet the desire and compassion of the staff are essential ingredients that form the driving force of their successful work. Shagufta echoes the sincerity of all Islamic Relief staff in their aim to support the needy and make sacrifices for the improvement of society. Most importantly, she points out that the emergence of Islamic ethics in the West should be recognised. “Islamic Relief is an international aid agency, inspired by Islamic values – and it is based in the West. I think this in itself goes a long way to dispel stereotypes about Muslims, and indeed, about those who live in the West. It is really encouraging to see that a Muslim organisation is so well respected for its expertise and professionalism - the fact that we work in partnership with so many of the major aid agencies around the world is testimony to this.”

“I have joined Islamic Relief at a very exciting time,” Shagufta continues with enthusiasm. “We are now in the process of reviewing our 20 year history. I think after all these years, it is time to convey how, every day, we are changing lives. Our work is so much more complex than just feeding the poor, and I think people would be really interested in learning about it. In that sense, Islamic Relief is ideally placed to be that link, to convey the relationship between the donor who writes a cheque sitting at home in London or Los Angeles and the beneficiary whose life is changed in Tirana or Timbuktu. And yes, we do work in Timbuktu!”

In addition to their emergency relief Islamic Relief invests in the very fabric of societies. Long term projects lay the foundations for independence.

Education and Training

Poverty is a major factor causing 125 million children to be out of school, and over 870 million adults to be illiterate, two thirds of whom are women. IR aim to eradicate the vicious circle of poverty and illiteracy by implementing educational or vocational training. IR constructs new schools, rehabilitates schools damaged in warfare and supplies schools and universities with books and computers. IR supports projects to build schools, community training centres, graduate training centres, and teach primary and adult education,

Areas worked in: Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Kosova, Mali, Palestine and Sudan.

Water and Sanitation

2.2 million deaths are caused each year from diseases due to unclean water. Over a billion people throughout the globe do not have safe drinking water and nearly half the planet’s population are without adequate sanitation. IR have implemented water purification projects: they have dug and restored countless wells, installed hand pumps and built latrines. IR trains the local community on the maintenance of water and sanitation systems and generally raises awareness of sanitation and hygiene.

Areas worked in: Afghanistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Albania, Bangladesh, Chechnya,India,Mali,Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan.

Health and Nutrition

A massive lack of basic medical care for the world’s poorest lead to 3 million deaths each year from diseases like tuberculosis, tetanus and polio. IR aids in the construction and rehabilitation of

medical clinics, ambulances and medical equipment for hospitals and provides immunisation and medical check ups. IR also offers programmes that train people to improve agriculture, raise awareness about health and nutrition, and provide a physical and psychological care programme for war victims. One of the many projects IR undertakes in Pakistan, for example, is the Prevention of Blindness project, which has carried out 2,500 cataract operations since 1998 and consulted almost 60,000 patients.

Areas worked in: Afghanistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Bangladesh, Chechnya, Kosova, Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan.

Income Generation

IR is dedicated to providing long-term support that maintains the needy throughout their lives. IR lays the foundation for people to be self-sufficient by offering vocational training including computer classes and tailoring, and giving out loans to set up small businesses. Positive outcomes of IR support include mental encouragement and capacity building that strengthen communities via self-sustenance. An example of empowerment through employment is the Women’s Bakery Project in Kandahar, which employs approximately 5,600 women at a fixed time to bake bread and sell it to poor households including widowers and their families. IR spent over £2 million in 2001, which benefited over 7,000 families.

Orphan Sponsorship

IR’s orphan sponsorship programme has projects established in 10 countries, with over 5,000 orphans as beneficiaries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In the UK, the project was directed towards the younger generation, attracting them to the programme through penny boxes and colourful Hilal calendars. The 1 to 1 sponsorship programme enables sponsors to have a personal link between the sponsor family and the orphan, communicating through letters and getting updates on their progress. IR ensures that the needs of each individual orphan are met with their special tailored programmes along with receiving health care, food, clothing, education, vocational training and emotional support.