Hamed Chapman
The annual income of Muslim charities in the UK is projected to rise by a staggering six fold to reach over £4 billion, due largely to the divinely ordained rituals and obligations of Islam.
A new report by the Ayaan Institute, titled, ‘Aiding the Ummah: Analysing the Muslim Humanitarian Charity Sector in the UK’ identified 1,026 British Muslim charities with humanitarian objectives that raised a collective income of £708 million for causes in 2020, an increase of 37 percent (£192 million) since 2017.
In total, 2,074 projects out of 3,171 were carried out in the ten main countries out of 90 different ones worldwide. These included 809 projects that were delivered in Pakistan, 529 in Bangladesh, 186 in India, 291 in Arab countries, 138 for Palestinians, and 65 in Somalia.
The independent think tank, established in January 2021, predicted that the income of charities could rise to £4.4 billion by 2051, based on what was said to be a ‘conservative income growth rate of 20 percent every four years.’
“The information in this report shows just how seriously Muslim communities take their religious obligations to help the poor and needy around the world,” the Ayaan Institute said.
Graph: p 31 of the report Aiding the Ummah: Analysing the Muslim Humanitarian Charity Sector in the UK
(Credit: Ayaan Institute)
“It is in the divinely ordained rituals and obligations of Islam that we find the greatest expressions of Ummah solidarity. The Islamic faith has provided us with the tools to provide for the welfare needs of the Ummah, whether states and politicians are working towards those goals or not.”
The positive performances of the Muslim charity sector are rarely covered in the mainstream media but are often overshadowed by “the negative linking of charitable aid to crime, terrorism, and extremism,” according to the report.
“That negativity is also often perpetuated by groups with an anti-Islam or anti-Muslim political or racist agenda.
Those negative stories can lead to investigations by the Charity Commission and restrictions on charity banking services.”
“Good news stories about Muslim charities, and their impact on beneficiaries, or the Muslim community as generous donors involved in caring for others and acts of kindness, are rare,” it reported while criticising the Charity Commission for its treatment of Islamic voluntary organisations.
Some 20 of the largest Muslim charities were found to currently receive three-quarters of the total income, but the institute said that while these are all well-established charities, “there is a younger group of charities that have emerged since that war in Syria, which began in 2011, that are doing well”.
Combined with Muslim giving to UK charitable causes, including from 2,752 mosques and prayer venues, it was estimated that the total amount of donations given was already worth £1 billion per year.
Prime Minister, David Cameron, acknowledging Muslim contributions to society at The Muslim News Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner in March 2014, said, “Muslims give to charities more than any other faith group.”
Jahangir Mohammed, Director of Ayaan, said the Muslim charitable sector “makes a valuable contribution to UK society, the economy, the Muslim community, and it helps countries around the world through aid and assistance. This work is driven by the Islamic faith and deserves more recognition.”
Photo from Ayaan Institute report titled, ‘Aiding the Ummah: Analysing the Muslim Humanitarian Charity Sector in the UK’ id
