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100 Kilometers through the Desert
I thought the desert was just sand dunes, but fast realized that it was rocky, mountainous, flat, hilly, vast, and much more. Our trek was challenging, no doubt. We covered a lot of ground within a short amount of time and camped along the way. We lived in the desert for four days, away from the comfort of our daily lives. And, surprisingly, being detached from the world made me more physically, spiritually, and emotionally connected. I journeyed physically through the desert understanding the capacity of my own body and pushing myself to my limits. I journeyed emotionally understanding my own self, my limitations, my presence, my weaknesses, and my…
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Islamic Relief USA Grantees Discuss the Importance of Fighting Hunger in Schools
No Kid Hungry Officials from Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which works to end childhood hunger by connecting eligible kids to federal nutrition programs, spoke at the March 14 forum of the Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) Public Affairs Education Series. They expressed the importance of student access to school meals in order to foster improved concentration and performance toward studies. Hunger amongst students is a significant problem. In the United States, one in six children struggle with hunger. “We feel that feeding hungry children is a moral imperative,” said Elliot Gaskins, managing director of development at Share Our Strength. Programs that Deliver The organization has set an ambitious…
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IRUSA Heads to the Vatican
An Interfaith, International Collaboration Last week, Vatican City held an international conference titled “Religions and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Listening to the Cry of the Earth and the Poor”. Islamic Relief USA was invited to attend the conference and speak on a select panel. The 3-day program focused on 5 main Ps: People Planet Partnership Prosperity Peace The program was jointly organized by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. IRUSA at the Vatican People came from around the globe to participate in interfaith dialogue, and served as representatives for governments, UN agencies, religious leaders, and many faith-based charities. The faith spectrum…
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Donor Report: A Poem
Disclaimer: The following poem was submitted by a guest contributor. Guest blog posts do not necessarily reflect endorsed viewpoints from Islamic Relief USA. Donor Report Feel for these families Fill up these pantries Put your heart in your hand and the money will land with ease Donations for what every woman and man needs There's a humanity that these tight demands squeeze Time is sinking, catch the opportunity before the land leaves Oh traveler, who couldn't even afford a shawl We've tossed Js on tree branches while from off your bare feet you had to crawl This is a letter of apology that I'm going to attempt to scrawl What…
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The HIAS I know
IRUSA’s Christina Tobias-Nahi recently returned from a trip to Lesvos, Greece. She reflected with ReliefLab on her experience partnering with HIAS. This October, I had the pleasure of spending a week traveling with some of the amazing HIAS staff and a board member to visit a partnership project we are working on in Lesvos, Greece. Shortly after I returned from this wonderful experience, HIAS became the target of hateful social media rants from the shooter responsible for the Pittsburg synagogue tragedy. It was clear to me that he did not—could not—know the true HIAS that I spent days alongside serving vulnerable refugees. In light of all of this, I would…
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Chasing Ertrugul, Racing for Water
by Amani Abdel-Dayem “What a selfless act,” said the yoga instructor when I told her what I was about to embark on. I kept thinking about that comment. Is any act really selfless? One could argue that all selfless acts have an element of selfishness in them. Don’t we do for others because it heals us individually as well as collectively? Friday, August 31, I got an email from Islamic Relief USA with a subject line that read “Imagine YOU on a bike adventure through Turkey.” Eight days following in the footsteps of Ertrugul, father of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire. A six-hour hike and 120-mile bike ride over…
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A Mother’s Day Dictionary
by Jahanara Hoque I think we can all agree that one day, let alone one word, isn’t enough to celebrate the wonderful women that we call our mothers. This Mother’s Day, to honor all the moms out there, I reached out to expecting mothers, new mothers, veteran moms, and children alike to ask them what exactly is it that makes their mom and being a mom so special? What do you love most about her? What is one word that you feel best sums up motherhood? Although there will never be enough words to express the magnitude of love that surrounds moms, I think I caught a small but heartwarming…
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Gender Justice in the Time of the Great Human Experiment of Co-Existence.
By Aseel Elborno To begin, I will recount the message from God Almighty, who tells us in the Quran: People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should recognize one another. In God’s eyes, the most honored of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware [Qur’an 49:13] I attended the 62nd Commission on the status of women at the United Nations (aka CSW) this past week and left having so many thoughts and ideas to unpack and reflect on. The panels I participated in ranged from Empowering Women…
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The Levels of Faith: Which Phase Are You In?
By Aseel Elborno “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand ( ie engaging your representatives, going to marches, signing petitions, voting, volunteering); and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue ( ie speaking up in social gatherings, writing on social media) and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart ( ie thoughts and prayers) — and that is the weakest of faith.” [Muslim] Islam is a faith that calls for action in the face of injustice. A simple google search with the words Islam and justice will dish out hundreds…
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On the Road with the Promise for Palestine Tour
By David Hawa Travel Log: Seattle ✈ San Francisco ✈ LA ✈ San Diego The magic number this week has been four. For the past four days, I’ve been in four cities, doing four charity events, averaging less than four hours of sleep, and spending less than (twenty) four hours in each city. The reason for my travels? Islamic Relief’s Promise for Palestine tour with humanitarian and world renowned artist Mohammed Assaf. The money raised on this tour will benefit the Palestinian people we serve through our programs. I’m sure people might say wow, lucky guy: Seattle, San Francisco, LA and San Diego in one trip. But honestly, you can’t tell the difference from city to…
