#Stories
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A Grand Iftar We’ll Never Forget
Communities gather virtually to contribute to IRUSA’s emergency aid Islamic Relief USA held its first-ever “virtual” Grand Iftar on April 26. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the large in-person gathering was unable to take place at a hotel in the D.C.-area as it normally would. While the format was different, the program nonetheless provided viewers/guests an evening of enlightenment, reflection, and several opportunities to support various organization programs around the world. Projects in countries where Islamic Relief has a rather large footprint were highlighted, including Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen. Anwar Khan, president and cofounder of IRUSA, talked about the need to support immediate and long-term programs in Pakistan, particularly Balochistan and Rawalpindi,…
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Revisiting the Syrian Refugee Crisis: Hopes and Frustrations with Marwa Aly
A journal entry from Trinity College Muslim Chaplain Marwa Aly during her time in Jordan with Syrian refugees IRUSA invited a group of dynamic women community leaders on a visit to Islamic Relief USA’s Projects in Jordan serving Syrian refugees. It expose them, and educate them first hand about IRUSA’s women’s empowerment projects in Jordan, as well as the refugee projects. It was an opportunity to not only meet the staff and volunteers who make the delivery of humanitarian aid possible, but to come face-to-face with the very people we serve. How Perspectives can Change Today was both an uplifting and perspective-shifting day as we traveled to both Ramtha and…
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4 Life Lessons from IRUSA’s Peru Challenge
We reflect on a life-changing expedition for a life-changing cause 1 “The goal is not simply for you to cross the finish line, but to see how many people you can inspire to run with you.” ― Simon Sinek If we told you we could bring strangers half-way around the world to climb endlessly and walk on the edge of cliffs all while depending on each other just so we could support life-saving water projects, would you believe us? In the beginning there were doubts about what, when, and how it would even happen but the Peru challenge did what all IRUSA challenges have been successful at doing, it brought people together…
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First-Ever IRUSA Meal Pack Out IN Harrisburg, PA, Shows Power of Love
IRUSA, Rise Against Hunger, Islamic Society of Greater Harrisburg, and volunteers come together to serve those in need Coming Together Aligning with five of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations has empowered IRUSA to be able to focus intensely on areas of concern for vulnerable communities. One of those goals is to end hunger. Though ending hunger in the world is an effort many in humanitarian spaces see as a challenging effort, requiring belief and commitment, it is a priority that we have put our collective hearts into. On November 9th, almost 100 hearts from Rise Above Hunger, Islamic Society of Greater Harrisburg, and other members of the…
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‘Back to School’ For Tunisia Students
Some students in Tunisia were hesitant to attend school due to the sub-par bathroom facilities. Now, they’re excited to attend after a special, important makeover thanks to a $5 million commitment by Islamic Relief USA. Obstacles to Education In Tunisia an education can put a child in the driver’s seat of their own life. Finding a student in the region who doesn’t understand and believe this to be true will be nearly impossible. But while students in Tunisia are eager to attend school for the upcoming year, they often face a challenging dilemma–one that makes the reality of attending school difficult, and sometimes, nearly impossible: adequate bathrooms. In one town…
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For Myanmar Refugees in Bangladesh, Dignity Matters
The following first-hand account is written by an Islamic Relief USA staff member who visited IRUSA relief projects for refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh. During a visit to Kutapalong camp in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh, I sat in a shelter made of straw and bamboo that housed multiple families. Everyone there had fled violence and conflict in Myanmar a year earlier, leaving behind their homes, possessions, and family members. Everyone had lost a spouse, a child, parents, or siblings. The trauma and pain each refugee now lives with is unthinkable: acts of genocide took place before their own eyes, destroying everything they held dear. Everyday, they are reminded of this devastating…
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5 Humanitarian Highlights from Nelson Mandela
Prophet Muhammad said: “(Angel) Jibril kept recommending me to treat my neighbour well until I thought that he would tell me to make him one of my heirs” (Bukhari: 6014). When we look to contemporary examples of what it means to truly embody the principle of care for our neighbors, we see the legacy of Nelson Mandela. He became President of South Africa after being former political prisoner, and championing the rights of disenfranchised South Africans. For many humanitarians across the world he has illuminated a path the we can all find lessons in. Here are a few highlights of his impactful life. 1. MANDELA TOOK 1948 APARTHEID LEGISLATION HEAD…
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Remembering Rwanda
Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: وَاتَّقِ دَعْوَةَ الْمَظْلُومِ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ حِجَابٌ “Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.” Sahīh al-Bukhārī 4090 The Cost of Cruelty Kevin Van Valkenburg is now a decorated senior editor for ESPN. His coverage of golf is renowned. His social commentary regarding the recent power struggles in professional sports has been immaculate. But at 16 years old, Mr. Kevin, as I called him then, extended a small black microphone towards my hairless chin while we sat in my high school lunch cafeteria and…
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World Water Day 2019: Humanity Behind Water
Bacteria washing up on they beaches (Say word?) Don't drink the water, son they can't wash they feet with it (Let em' know) Young babies in perpetual neediness (Say word?) Epidemics hopping up off the Petri dish (Let em' know) - Hip-hop artist Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) My friend Victor tapped me with his burly hand and said, “Look out the window.” I struggled for a moment and finally climbed across my bed, placed my hands on the sill, and dipped my head a bit to see the full view. My stomach dropped and rose to my ears all in an instant. There was a mountain range flush green with…
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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…
