A new Kiswahili language publication called “Utangulizi wa Sheria ya Kimataifa ya Kibinadamu ya Kiislamu” (“Introduction to International Humanitarian Law in Islam” / “muqaddimah fi ‘l-qanun ad-duwali al-insani fi ‘l-islam”), a reference work that was authored in Arabic by Professor Zaid Abdel Karim Al-Zaid, Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh. This Kiswahili translation, also available in print, was prepared by the Dar es Salaam and Nairobi Delegations of the ICRC and provides an important reference resource to the many millions of Kiswahili speakers around the world.
The publication explores such important topics such as how to deal with victims of armed conflict in accordance with Islamic Shariah, looks at lessons learnt from the early Islamic battles like Badr, and lays out what Islamic law says about the treatment of Prisoners of War, women, children, dead bodies and the protection of property. It also talks about the protection of those who offer services on the battlefield but are not directly involved in fighting, such as medical personnel and reporters.
On March 11, 2021, JLI held a webinar where Dr. Riham Ahmed Khafagy (Assistant Professor, Department of International Affairs, Zayed University) presented her paper ‘Faith-based Organizations: Humanitarian Mission or Religious Missionary’. In her presentation, Dr. Ahmed Khafagy compared the British Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) and the Kuwaiti Direct Aid Society (DAS) to examine the influence of social settings on the humanitarian experiences of Islamic faith-based organisations. A response was provided by Dr. Amjad Mohamed Saleem (Manager for Inclusion, Protection and Engagement at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and JLI Board Member), followed by an engaged discussion with the audience, which included academics, NGO researchers and practitioners.
Read the paper here
View the presentation slides by clicking on the download button.
Click here to register and view the list of upcoming webinars.
“Prayer was the rope of survival.” “Religious needs are my primary needs.” “I wish I had been asked.” These statements were shared by displaced women in Iraq, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey in three independent, coordinated research studies in 2019 led by University of Birmingham, Queen Margaret University and Syria Bright Future in collaboration with Islamic Relief Worldwide and the Humanitarian Academy for Development. The studies examined the role of faith in coping and recovery of women in forced migration and conflict contexts.
The women in this study, like many forced migrants, suffered unspeakable hardships, experiencing loss of relatives and belongings, war and violence (including sexual and gender-based violence), lifethreatening journeys, separation from family, and powerlessness. Having once belonged to a local faith community, now, on the move, they had held onto the religion, faith and spirituality that move with them. Faith resilience and spiritual suffering – often difficult to comprehend for outsiders – influenced women’s wellbeing in varied ways. Throughout their experiences, religious identity, religious practices and religious beliefs had a profound impact on mental health, both buffering and contributing to psychological distress.
Visit the Forced Migration Review – Issue 66
Read the contents and articles in FMR Issue 66
The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) – Indonesia
How this story represents an international-local faith partnership in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): Internationally operating German Protestant faith-based donor organisation. Coordination by national Islamic faith inspired organisation, partnerships with Muslim and Christian local faith actors in Indonesia.
The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) is an Indonesian interfaith organization that has been working in the areas of peacebuilding, development, and humanitarian aid for 20 years.
From October 2017 to September 2020, AMAN implemented a project aimed at promoting gender justice from within an Islamic framework. The project ‘Amplifying the voices of interfaith women groups – asserting the values of gender justice, peace and tolerance in nation-building’ was run in six provinces of Indonesia (Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and Central Sulawesi).
AMAN has a designated Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (DME) Manager who oversees the organisation’s MEAL work, which is informed by three principles.
- A Result Mapping approach
- A participatory approach
- Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
Click here for the Compendium of Good Practices on Conducting MEAL and Faith
This handbook accompanies The Mosque Management Handbook previously developed by Faith Associates. It is intended as a clear guide to help Madrassah and Mosque management successfully run their Madrassah and contains practical advice including the legal requirements, for the United Kingdom, that must be observed when dealing with young people.
Faith Associates understands the conflicting pressures and demands made on staff and volunteers in Madrassahs and often the lack of time and resources they have available. This handbook provides guidance and advice on how to instigate good management styles, how to improve record keeping and how to build on good teaching and learning practice.
New book published!
What can we learn from Islamic teachings that will take us closer to addressing today’s most pressing development challenges, including forced migration and refugees, safeguarding and child welfare, gender-based violence, climate change, and peacebuilding and conflict resolution?
How can the mechanisms of charitable giving in Islam, such as zakat, sadaqah and waqf be used to fund development programmes?
Islam and International Development is the culmination of extensive grass-roots experience of working among Muslim communities in developing countries, coupled with the commentary of academics and researchers. It includes analysis of successful projects that have respected and incorporated Islamic teachings into their design and delivery, so that development professionals and Muslim communities can work together to effect meaningful and sustainable change.
Read the blog on the importance of a faith-inclusive approach to development
View the Book Flyer
Click the download button (to the right) for the book site.
In January, join the Religions Humanitarianism and Development reading group with the Ajaz Ahmad Khan.
Interim guidance
25 July 2020
On the occasion of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, WHO has issued interim guidance entitled “Eid al-Adha safe practices in the context of COVID-19 pandemic”. The document highlights public health advice for social and religious practices and gatherings during Eid al-Adha that can be applied across different national contexts.
The guidance informs individuals, families, communities and governments on how to make this religious occasion safer and encourages adoption of key measures to prevent and minimize the spread of the COVID-19 infection. The guidance focuses on social gatherings, physical distancing, animal-human interface and sacrificial slaughter, prayers and charity.
The guidance recommends avoiding large numbers of people gathering in public places, strictly maintaining a distance of at least 1 metre between people, and/or to wearing a fabric mask, discouraging slaughter at home and increasing the number or capacity of slaughter facilities, and encouraging good hygiene practices.
WHO recommends that any decision to restrict, modify, postpone, cancel, or proceed with a mass gathering during Eid al-Adha should be based on a standardized risk assessment exercise, taking into account current epidemiological trends, capacities and resources.
View the resource in Arabic
Published in Consultation with Senior Scholars
The current coronavirus pandemic has spread rapidly across the globe, completely changing people’s lives. This also includes the Muslim community, who have been affected in a variety of ways.
In writing this booklet, we aspire to bring hope to the community by the will of Allah and impart practical tips that are grounded in sound Islamic principles and knowledge.
The aims of this booklet are to:
- Strengthen our imaan and spiritual connection with Allah during this time.
- Ensure we are best prepared to deal with all eventualities for ourselves and loved ones.
This article examines the engagement of Indonesian Islamic civil society organisations in the international arena by paying particular attention to the role of the Islamic modernist movement, Muhammadiyah. Beyond its vibrant religious and social activism in the domestic context of Indonesia, Muhammadiyah has, in the past thirty years, engaged in various international affairs such as peacekeeping operations, humanitarian activities, and politics. This engagement indicates that Muhammadiyah has attempted to strengthen its international exposure and contribute to the global community. By examining Muhammadiyah’s vision and activism, both discursively and practically, this article seeks to know why it is so essential for Indonesian Islamic civil society organisations, such as Muhammadiyah, to be involved in the international arena, and what Muhammadiyah engagement means for the global picture of Islam in the Muslim world.
Dealing with climate change is vital for Islamic Relief to fulfil its mission of addressing the root causes of poverty. Climate change is a threat to us all but it is already having a devastating impact on the poorest and most vulnerable, those who are least responsible for global warming.
This review describes Islamic Relief’s most recent interventions and highlights how communities are working with us to adapt to climate change and build resilience, including efforts to reduce the risk from future shocks. It also captures why Islamic Relief is vocal on climate change and climate justice issues, and how we are campaigning to reduce emissions, promote sustainable living and protect the most vulnerable.
We use the term ‘climate change’ throughout this report, but recognise that what we are witnessing is something entirely different from what occurred throughout the earth’s history. This is climate breakdown, where the actions of humans are causing changes within decades that have previously taken millennia. To deal with this means questioning not only current environmental and economic policies, but entire political and economic systems.
