Islamic Relief Worldwide (
IRW) is an
international humanitarian organisation that provides
development programs and
humanitarian relief around the globe, regardless of race, political affiliation, gender or belief.
Founded in
1984 in
the United Kingdom, it states that it delivers its projects in over 30 countries. It also owns a subsidiary company,
TIC International, based in
Birmingham,
UK. It collects and recycles clothes to raise funds for IRW's work and provides canned meat for aid purposes.
Memberships and key partnerships
The UN's Economic and Social CouncilIRW is a member of
the UN's Economic and Social Council and it is a signatory to
the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGO s in
Disaster Relief. It is also a member of Bond (British Overseas NGOs for Development) and in the UK, a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), along with 14 other charities.
IRW is co-owner of
the International Civil Society Centre, a global action platform, and an affiliate member of the INGO Accountability Charter Company.
The International Civil Society Centre in Berlin GermanyThe organisation states that its key partners include
WFP,
IDB,
UNHCR,
UNOCHA,
EC,
DFID,
UNDP,
OIC,
Sida,
Bahrain RCO,
START Network,
ROTA, and
CAFOD.
Islamic Relief is part of
the global Make Poverty History coalition which is campaigning to end extreme poverty and the Beyond 2015 coalition, which aims to influence the development framework which will replace the Millennium Development Goals. It has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in humanitarian work with
Lutheran World Federation (
LWF) and also formed a partnership with the African Union to tackle chronic poverty.
The Charity is also the parent body to "
Charity Week", which claims to be the largest student run project globally.
AimsAccording to
Islamic Relief's Global Strategy 2011-2015 document, the organisation's four aims are:
Protecting Life and Dignity: Enabling communities to reduce the risks and effeccurrences, hazard mitigation and timely response through providing effective relief, protection and recovery
Empowering Communities: Enabling the sustainable development of the communities we work with through integrated development underpinned with sustainable livelihoods, social justice and environmental custodianship
Campaigning for Change: Supporting the marginalised and vulnerable to voice their needs and address root causes of poverty and suffering
Strengthening the Islamic Relief Family: Building a governance system and infrastructure for the growing Islamic Relief global partnership that will maximise the size, efficiency and effectiveness of our operations to alleviate poverty and suffering.
ValuesAccording to
Islamic Relief's Global Strategy 2011-2015 document the organisation states their values and teachings are provided by the revelations contained within
the Qur'an and
Prophetic example. They are
Ikhlas (
sincerity),
Ihsan (
excellence),
Rahma (
compassion),
Adl (
social justice) and
Amana (
custodianship).
History1984: Islamic Relief founded by a group of medical doctors and activists, with its first 20p donation (a year later this had grown to £100,000)
1986: began major programmes which continue to this day, including orphan sponsorship and Qurbani distribution
1988: manufactured high-protein biscuits and multivitamins to tackle malnutrition in Afghanistan and countries in Africa
1989: assisted survivors of the chemical attack in Halabja, Iraqi-Kurdistan
1990: gave GBP £200,000 to provide relief to those affected by the Iran earthquake
1991: started work in Bangladesh, responding to one of the deadliest cyclones on record
1992: work in Pakistan began with the distribution of Ramadan food parcels and Qurbani meat
1993: UK newspaper The Independent raised £37,000 for Islamic Relief's Bosnia Appeal
1994: received UK government funding for the first time (£180,000 for a training centre in Sudan)
1995: began working in the North Caucasus as one of the few aid agencies delivering aid amidst the conflict in Chechnya
1996: began recycling and selling donated clothes in the UK
1998: continued work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and opened its Gaza City office
1999: signed the Red Cross Code of Conduct (an international set of standards on working in disaster zones)
2000: set up its Waqf programme, as a source of sustainable funding for humanitarian projects
2001: one of the few international aid organisations working on the ground throughout the conflict in Afghanistan
2002: began working in China, building new homes for families affected by flooding in Shaanaxi province
2003: amidst the conflict in Iraq, Islamic Relief continued delivering aid in the country
2004: from its offices in Indonesia, launched a large-scale response to the tsunami, which left 1.5 million people homeless
2005: joined the UK's Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation which launches and coordinates responses to major disasters
2006: promoted child protection and child development to protect children from violence, abuse, neglect and all forms of exploitation in Yemen
2008: began USD $1.2 million relief and recovery programme in Myanmar – reaching more than 100,000 people from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim communities
2009: celebrated its 25th anniversary with HRH Prince of Wales delivering the keynote speech
2010: one of the first international aid agencies on the ground in the wake of the Haiti earthquake
2011: launched emergency response, which continues to date, to the crisis in Syria
2013: became one of 11 organisations to qualify for Strategic Humanitarian Partnership with Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
2013: Islamic Relief received £3.2 million from the UK's Department for International Development.
2014: Islamic Relief Academy launched, providing training and development services to the humanitarian sector
2015: signed Memorandum of Understanding with African Union formalising partnership to tackle poverty on the continent
Awards and nominationsThe umbrella group
NARRI - of which
Islamic Relief is a founding member - received
the Sasakawa Award for excellence in disaster risk reduction in
2013.
Islamic Relief features in
the top 100 charities in the UK. At
the UK British Muslim Awards in
2013, it was named '
Charity of the Year'.
The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (
IFC) awarded
Islamic Relief USA with
the InterFaith Visionary Award for its generous donation to support the vital work of
building community and nurturing understanding among different faith-based communities. Also in 2010, a project to improve access to education in
India won
the UNESCO Wenhui Honourable Commendation award for
educational innovation.
In
January 2013,
the charity was awarded
the Charity of the Year award at
the British Muslim Awards. In
January 2015, it was nominated for
the Charity of the Year award at
the British Muslim Awards.
In
May 2016,
the charity was awarded
the 3G Leadership Award for Social Sector & Philanthropy. The 3G Awards are presented to governments, corporates and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for excellence in transparency, good governance and social responsibility.
Islamic Relief offices and partnersRegistered offices- Ireland
- Mauritius
Affiliated implementing partnersAffiliated Implementing Partners deliver projects on behalf of
the Islamic Relief family. Some of these are independent legal entities. These include:
- Islamic Relief Chechnya
- Islamic Relief India
- Islamic Relief Kenya
- Islamic Relief Pakistan
- Field offices
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Bangladesh
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Chad
- Ethiopia
- Haiti
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kosovo
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Malawi
- Niger
- Palestinian Territories
- The Philippines
- Russian Federation (North Caucasus)
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Yemen
Countries in which IRW works through the offices of local organisations to deliver projects include: Central African Republic, China, Guinea, India, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Syria.
Humanitarian Academy for Development
In 2013, Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD) was established to promote and enhance the knowledge and skills of the humanitarian sector and Islamic Relief through capacity building, applied research and leadership development. HAD aims to develop and inspire improved humanitarian approaches, to educate and empower humanitarian actors and policy makers and to provide training to humanitarian actors.
ControversiesIn June 2014, Israel added IRW to a list of organisations banned from operating in Israel, for allegedly funding Hamas. Islamic Relief continued to operate despite the ban and two days later the charity's West Bank offices were raided and their computers were destroyed, files were confiscated, and an office safe was forcibly opened. A 2014 Islamic Relief claimed that an audit carried out by an unnamed "leading global audit firm" found no evidence of any link to terrorism, without giving any details of the audit. The Israeli government responded by claiming its decision to declare IRW illegal was "based on information that has been accumulated over years, that the fund is a central player in financing of Hamas".
On 15 November 2014,
the United Arab Emirates placed
Islamic Relief on a list of
proscribed organisations.
In 2016, it was revealed that the banking group HSBC had severed ties with IRW over concerns that cash meant for humanitarian aid could end up with terrorist groups abroad. The bank invited IRW to "
end the relationship", which they did at the end of 2014.
Islamic Relief has denied any links to
Hamas, citing its support from numerous UN agencies and government aid donors. Though
the UK Charity Commission chose not to
investigate Islamic Relief,
Islamic Relief commissioned an independent investigation into the incident.
Islamic Relief says the findings of the audit firm fully cleared
Islamic Relief of the allegations. It stated that these findings were shared in full with '
a number of major stakeholders'. The UK government stated in 2014 that it saw no reason not to continue its association with the charity, which received millions in support from
the UK Department for International Development.
The government of
Bangladesh barred the organisation from aiding
the rohingya people in
Cox's Bazar, alleging funds were used to preach
Islam, construct
mosques,
encourage radicalism, and
fund militants.
