As the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close, Islamic Relief is urging world leaders to embody its values and agree a ceasefire ahead of Eid al-Fitr and other major religious festivals.
Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid this week, marking the end of Ramadan, but the war raging in the Middle East means celebrations are deeply muted. The crisis is having an increasingly devastating impact on civilians around the world – disrupting global food and aid supplies, displacing families, and exacerbating famine.
Writing in an opinion piece today, Islamic Relief Worldwide CEO Iftikhar Shaheen says a humanitarian truce is urgently needed:
“As the holy month draws to a close, millions of families will be spending Eid in grief, fear and uncertainty. We are seeing the most dangerous military escalation in a generation, and its deadly impact is being felt all over the world.
In Lebanon people will spend Eid sleeping on the streets as there is nowhere safe to go to escape the bombing. In Gaza critically ill children and cancer patients are prevented from accessing treatment as crossings are shut. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is choking global food and fuel supply, exacerbating the famine in Sudan and the drought in Somalia, and hurting poor families in Europe.
It is hard not to despair. But Ramadan reminds us that the values the world needs most – compassion, solidarity, the obligation of the powerful to protect the vulnerable – have outlasted every crisis in human history. They will outlast this one too.
Over the next few weeks, people of all faiths across the Middle East will mark religious festivals that share similar values of humanity and restraint – Muslims for Eid, Christians for Lent and Easter, and the Jewish Passover.
I pray that world leaders embody these values and agree a ceasefire so that people can celebrate without fear of bombs or starvation. The world is spending an estimated $1 billion a day on this war, which could save and transform millions of lives if spent on aid rather than bombs.”
As more governments and rich nations turn inwards and cut aid budgets, Muslim communities have shown incredible generosity during Ramadan. Thanks to global donations, this Ramadan Islamic Relief has been able to deliver food parcels to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in 34 countries – from Sudan to Gaza, and Malawi to Nepal. Without this support, many of these families would struggle to find food to break their fast.
Read Iftikhar’s opinion here: Our urgent appeal for an Eid ceasefire
Islamic Relief Worldwide is a faith-based humanitarian and development organisation, supporting vulnerable communities affected by poverty, conflict and disasters. Founded in 1984, it has grown into one of the largest Muslim charities and in 2024 helped over 14.5 million people in 39 countries.
