Muslim Aid

History and beginnings

It was first established in 1985 in response to the 1983–85 famine in Ethiopia, by 23 organisations based in Britain. It was initially led by a committee including Cat Stevens and members from the Muslim Council of Britain. Stevens served as chairman until his resignation in 1996. Suhaib Hasan became the next chairman. Mahmood al-Hassan became executive director in 1993. From 1995, Iqbal Sacranie was a trustee. 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 an international UK NGO, providing relief and development programmes in over 70 countries across the globe.

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.

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

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. 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.

In April 2013, three men were convicted of planning terrorist attacks in UK. They raised funds by criminally posing as Muslim Aid workers; the matter was pursued by the police and prosecutions were made. A small amount of funds was recovered and passed onto the Charity.

Countries of operation

They have field offices in 13 countries namely, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Myanmar. Fully functioning offices are also being established in India and Philippines. Muslim Aid has also registered and has functioning offices in Sweden and the USA. The Head Office is based in Whitechapel, London (UK). The Muslim Aid aid delivery footprint extends over 70 countries and is one of the largest of any INGO.

Over the years, Muslim Aid has developed a “world-wide network” of international partners—both corporations and humanitarian organisations—including British retail chain ASDA, the Islamic Bank of Britain, the Qatar-based Al Asmakh Charity, and the US-based United Methodist Committee on Relief. In 2014, Muslim Aid was part of an international, interfaith coalition of aid organisations that traveled to the Central African Republic to assess and raise awareness of the growing humanitarian crisis in that country.

Recent work

Muslim Aid has carried out its work in many areas of the world. It operated in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (tsunami) and then the two earthquakes in Java (one in May 2006 and the other in July of that year). It also worked in Bosnia following the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. It worked in Pakistan following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, to build seismically resistant sustainable housing in conjunction with UK architectural charity Article 25. It has continuously worked in the Palestinian territories, 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.

Since 2011, Muslim Aid has worked inside Syria, as well as in neighbouring countries through its field offices and partners, to deliver essential aid to those affected by the conflict in Syria. To date, food items, clothing, hygiene kits, medical aid and non-food items have been distributed. Education projects and long-term support of a hospital inside Syria commenced in 2016.

In 2016, Muslim Aid, in partnership with WFP, was the first NGO to reach Shirqat, Iraq, for over two years with essential food aid.

25th anniversary

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

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.

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. Renowned nasheed artist Ahmed Bukhatir performed on the 3 nights which raised over £300,000 in the events in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Controversies

Controversy surrounding Muslim Aid has centered mainly on allegations of its role in the financing of terrorist or extremist organizations. In 2002, a Spanish police report alleged the organisation to have used funds to send mujahadeen fighters to Bosnia. In 2010, the organisation was investigated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales for allegedly funding groups linked to a banned terrorist organisation. The investigation cleared the organisation and said that the claims were unsubstantiated. The Sunday Telegraph criticised the outcome saying that the Commission cleared the organization “without examining any of the evidence presented,” that the organisation has admitted funding two organisations linked to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and alleging that Muslim Aid is “closely linked to the extremist Islamic Forum of Europe, which wants to create a sharia state in Europe.”

In 2003, ABC News established a link between a Muslim Aid Australia and the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia (DDII) which is linked to the Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah. In 2008, their offices in Lakemba were raided by the police over allegations that funds were being sent through Interpal to help get money into Gaza during Israeli border closures.

In 2008, the organisation was banned in Israel, due to its alleged ties to the Union of Good. A 2009 report by the US-based think-tank Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, also alleged the charity was part of the Union of Good. Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies also said they funded Hamas.

On the 2 May 2013 an international arrest warrant was issued for its 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.

The government of Bangladesh investigated the organisation for allegedly funding militants in the country. In December 2013, Mozammel Hossain, the head of the Rangpur branch of Muslim Aid, was arrested for financing "subversive activities". In April 2014, Bangladeshi politician Sayed Ashraful Islam of the Awami League Central Working Committee warned funds from the organisation were being used to spread "religious fanaticism". Again in September 2014, Major general Abdur Rashid said they funded extremism.

In 2014, the Charity Commission for England and Wales announced it was part of a "statutory inquiry". According to the charity, the investigation was caused after they reported "non-compliance with some operational aspects in two field offices". The Statutory Inquiry report has not yet been published

Despite being dogged by allegations of foreign intelligence links and terrorist support throughout the Muslim world, Muslim Aid Pakistan, with full support of Muslim Aid UK figures appointed a former director of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Khaled Latif Mughal as it's country chairman in 2009. Mughal was responsible for the Afghan and Kashmir theatres for Pakistan's premier spy agency during the 1990s. After the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, Mughal claimed that it was a conspiracy by the United States, Israel and India to cripple Pakistan and to steal its nuclear arsenal.

Responses to Controversy

In response to the multiple allegations made against Muslim Aid, the non-profit watchdog agency of the United Kingdom Charity Commission began a comprehensive investigation. The Charity Commission examined alleged ties with terrorist groups as well as alleged payments made to groups linked with Hamas. Investigations lasted six months, from March 3 until September 2, 2010 and "found no evidence of irregular or improper use of the charity’s funds or any evidence that the charity had illegally funded any proscribed or designated entities". The report further concluded the Charity Commission report "has given a public assurance that public allegations of links between [Muslim Aid] and terrorism are unsubstantiated".

Awards and nominations

In 2013, Muslim Aid won International Charity award at the Charity Times Awards. The Charity was also nominated for the Charity of the Year award.

In January 2014, Muslim Aid was nominated for the Charity of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.