The rights, dignity and protection needs of refugees and displaced people are being undermined as the world faces a global displacement crisis. Islamic Relief has been responding to the needs of refugees and displaced people since 1984 and is campaigning on their behalf.
According to the latest figures from UNHCR, a record 79.5 million were displaced as of the end of 2019. 45.7 million are displaced within their own countries and the rest have sought refuge elsewhere.
The number of people displaced due to conflict and persecution is the highest it has ever been, while the climate emergency is also having a catastrophic impact on displacement. The vast majority of people forced to flee their homes are doing so in protracted situations of violence that the international community has been unable to address.
More than two thirds of all refugees worldwide come from just 5 countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia. Islamic Relief has been working in conflict-affected regions around the world for decades, as well as in neighbouring countries to support refugees, displaced people and the communities hosting them.
In Syria we are one of the leading agencies providing healthcare and food to millions of displaced and war-affected people in the country’s embattled northwest. In South Sudan we are working in the rural border areas to support refugees and returnees as well as communities who have not been displaced, prioritising women’s access to basic services. In Afghanistan we have been supporting people displaced due to various crises over the years including violence, floods and drought, at one stage providing shelter to families who resorted to living in caves for protection.
We are currently supporting both Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Jordan with programmes in healthcare, education and livelihoods. Our work involves supporting women who are the main wage earners and carers of their families, ensuring they are able to meet their basic needs and send their children to school. In Lebanon our faith-sensitive child protection training with Muslim and Christian community leaders has helped ensure refugee children’s rights are met even in the midst of instability and crisis.
Islamic Relief is also delivering life-saving relief to more than two million people a month across Yemen, where double that number are internally displaced. In hard-to-reach areas in northern Mali we are one of the first agencies to assess and respond to internal displacement as a result of regular clashes over scare resources and inter-communal tensions. In Greece, we run an interfaith project with partners to help provide vulnerable refugees with legal assistance to claim their rights. In the USA and Canada we have worked in cooperation with local communities and authorities to build faith-sensitive welcome programmes for refugees resettled to these countries.
Inspired by Islamic teachings on providing asylum to those fleeing persecution, Islamic Relief is not only responding to the needs of refugees and displaced people around the world but also campaigning on their behalf. In 2013, Islamic Relief was one of several faith-inspired organisations to work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on an inter-faith affirmation, pledging our commitment to ‘welcome the stranger.’
We have also been campaigning to help implement the UN’s Global Compact on Refugees, an historic agreement which includes specific recognition of the role of faith-based organisations and local faith communities in welcoming people forced to flee and ensuring their needs are met.
Islamic Relief has been responding to forced migration crises since our inception. We are now working to meet the needs of refugees, internally displaced people, asylum seekers and returnees in 26 countries. In this work, we have developed partnerships with numerous governments and key institutions, notably the United Nations; in 2013, Islamic Relief was listed as one of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) top ten international implementing partners.
This briefing seeks to encourage the international community to make more effective progress towards these goals and to ensure the Global Compact protects and enhances the rights of refugees around the world.
This paper provides an overview of the Islamic teachings related to the rights of people forced to leave their homes. Islam has a strong heritage of forced migrant protection, stemming from the original teachings of the Qur’an, as well as from historical examples taken from the lives of great Prophets. This heritage includes strong commands on the importance of seeking refuge if one is facing persecution, as well as on the duty to provide asylum to those who need it.
This policy brief, edited by Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh of UCL with contributions from Sharifa Abdulaziz (Islamic Relief Worldwide) and Helen Stawski (Islamic Relief UK), examines the intersection of gender, faith and refugees, aiming to deconstruct some of the assumptions that underlie humanitarian approaches to them.
Adnan joined Islamic Relief in 2004 as a regional fundraiser in the UK. He worked in multiple roles over 10 years at Islamic Relief UK, including setting up the first digital team and leading the growth of digital fundraising and engagement. Adnan also led numerous fundraising and marketing campaigns, which played a significant part in the growth of Islamic Relief UK.
Having moved to Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2014, Adnan has held different roles that have helped grow Islamic Relief’s global digital footprint into new geographic territories, supporting Islamic Relief members with their digital and marketing growth as well as developing new products and initiatives for the Islamic Relief family.
Adnan graduated in Industrial Design and Technology from Loughborough University. He has since completed an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from Durham University and a Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Institute of Data and Marketing.
Nadeem Azhar
Nadeem joined Islamic Relief Worldwide in September 2022. He has worked in the charitable sector for over a decade.
He studied Modern History and Politics at Manchester University, and at the University of Law in London before qualifying as a solicitor in 2011.
Nadeem is an experienced corporate, commercial and governance lawyer, having worked with various faith-based and grant making charities as well those in health and education settings. He was a partner at a law firm in London before moving in-house where he focused on setting up and restructuring charities and social enterprises.
Most recently, Nadeem was Lead Counsel at Mind, a leading mental health charity, where he co-authored a new federation agreement, revamped legal processes, and played a major role in developing its strategic and fundraising partnerships.
Nadeem has been a charity trustee for the Seafarers Charity, as well as many grant-making bodies and theatre companies.
Adnan Hafiz
Adnan joined Islamic Relief in 2004 as a regional fundraiser in the UK. He worked in multiple roles over 10 years at Islamic Relief UK, including setting up the first digital team and leading the growth of digital fundraising and engagement. Adnan also led numerous fundraising and marketing campaigns, which played a significant part in the growth of Islamic Relief UK.
Having moved to Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2014, Adnan has held different roles that have helped grow Islamic Relief’s global digital footprint into new geographic territories, supporting Islamic Relief members with their digital and marketing growth as well as developing new products and initiatives for the Islamic Relief family.
Adnan graduated in Industrial Design and Technology from Loughborough University. He has since completed an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from Durham University and a Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Institute of Data and Marketing.
Martin Cottingham joined Islamic Relief in 2012 as IRUK Media Relations Manager, and was appointed Head of Communications in 2015 before taking up his current position as Director of External Relations and Advocacy for Islamic Relief Worldwide.
Martin has helped Islamic Relief to increase its mainstream media profile and expand its campaigning work, producing hard-hitting advocacy reports on floods in Pakistan (2011) famine in Somalia (2012) disaster risk reduction (2013) and aid to Afghanistan (2014). He has over 20 years’ experience working in media, communications and marketing roles for international development and environmental charities.
Martin graduated from the University of London with a degree in English and Drama (1982-85) then trained as a journalist with a postgraduate diploma at City University (1986-87). He has previously worked for Christian Aid as Editor of Christian Aid News and Media Relations Manager (1988-97) for Oxfam as Regional Campaigns Manager (1997-2000) and at the Soil Association as Marketing Director (2001-2006), as well as working for a wide range of organisations as a freelance writer, researcher and communications consultant.
Waseem Ahmad joined the Islamic Relief family over 24 years ago, serving as Programme Officer in the Balochistan province of south-western Pakistan before becoming Head of Programmes in Pakistan. Waseem then moved to Oxfam and Tearfund before returning to Islamic Relief to establish our mission in Malawi. Later serving as Head of Programme Funding and Partnerships, Waseem led the response to major crises across the globe, including the East Africa drought, Pakistan earthquake and the Indian Ocean Tsunami.
Waseem then served for nearly 6 years as our Director of International Programmes, during which time the charity secured and retained the coveted Core Humanitarian Standard certification in recognition of the quality of our programming. He was appointed CEO of Islamic Relief in May 2021.
With a special interest in community mobilisation and infrastructure, Waseem received an MSc in Project Planning and Management from the University of Bradford, as well as an MSc in Economics from Arid Agriculture University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Waseem has also worked for Lepra Health in Action and is a member of the International Civil Society Centre’s Board of Trustees. The father-of-3 enjoys walking and playing football, and is a keen birdwatcher.
