Seeking to empower each other for a lasting impact, Muslim charities from the UK came together in London, 12 October.

The Muslim Charities Convention, the first event of its kind in the UK, was the culmination of four months of hard work by Muslim Charities Forum (MCF), the national umbrella forum from British Muslim charities, supported by ten key event partners. It brought together 300 delegates, 40 speakers, 12 facilitators and 26 exhibitors for a day of learning, networking, capacity building, problem solving and collaboration.

The theme was ‘The blessings of the collective’, emphasizing the huge potential of Muslim charities to work together to expand their work and increase their impact in cooperation with others. The program included nine workshops on a wide range of topics, from safeguarding to cybersecurity, and from fundraising to crisis management.

The UK’s Muslim-led charity sector now comprises over 450 organizations working for social good, both domestically and internationally, with a combined annual income of over £700 million. This was mapped in detail for the first time last year in MCF’s ‘Bridges of Hope’ report.

Charity is a central pillar in the Islamic faith and deeply entrenched into the Muslim way of life. Islamic Shari`ah encourages generosity and charity.

A February 2023 report by the London-based think tank, the Ayaan Institute, proved that British Muslims are among the most generous religious groups, giving at least £1bn a year to charity.

Source: Muslim Charities Forum (MCF)

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), a global organization with an annual income of about £130m, was a “highly effective charity” performing “crucial humanitarian work around the world”, said Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney general who led the independent review. “We found absolutely no evidence that the reputational issues that have arisen over the conduct of a few individuals has had any link to the way IRW carries out this charitable work,” he said. Grieve said there was no evidence of antisemitism in the organization. “On the contrary, the charity has made a lot of effort to ensure there isn’t antisemitism, and I saw no evidence of it among staff whatsoever,” he said.

The charity had been “horrified” when it discovered that Tayeb Abdoun, network and resource development director, had been tweeting antisemitic material under an alias, and had acted swiftly to deal with the individual, Grieve said. Abdoun, who had worked for the charity for more than 25 years, was forced to resign. A few months earlier it was revealed that two trustees had posted antisemitic comments on social media before they were appointed. A new board of trustees was appointed soon afterwards.

As a result of the disclosures, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office suspended its funding of the charity, along with the German and US governments. IRW, which was the only Muslim charity on the disasters emergency committee, withdrew from the body while the Charity Commission investigated.

Source: The Guardian

Italy’s death toll so far is approaching 31,000, with almost half the fatalities occurring in Lombardy, the northern region considered the country’s powerhouse because of the key role it plays in the national economy.

But with the whole country feeling the pinch after the two-month lockdown, local media have highlighted Muslims’ generosity, especially during Ramadan.

Muslim communities and Islamic centers around Italy have worked hard to deliver food packages and aid to needy families during the crisis.

“Every single day we provide food deliveries everywhere to families who struggle to make ends meet. This is our charitable contribution,” Yassine Lafram, president of the Union of the Islamic Communities in Italy (UCOII), told Avvenire, the Italian Episcopal Conference newspaper.

“Muslims are citizens and workers with families. They share the economic hardship that all Italian families are experiencing. Even though Muslims are also facing difficulties, there have been generous donations from the community,” he added. On a national level, aid offered since the end of February by Muslim organizations has exceeded €500,000.

Funds have been donated to municipal administrations, the Red Cross, volunteer associations, and directly to hospitals on the frontline, mainly in the north of Italy. But the generosity extends beyond cash donations.

Source: Arab News