Food shortages still a challenge When President Anwar Khan said with all his heart, “They asked me when I was coming back. Yemeni hospitality is amazing, Mashallah. I am not sure, but if I am needed I would love to come back. My focus now is not going back, but to let people know what is going on, to be a voice for those whose cries we cannot hear” we knew that the struggle to provide every inch of support to the beautiful people of Yemen possible would require the best from us. However the outpouring of help and compassion built medical facilities, cured cholera for thousands, and made water no…

Volunteers show inspiring resilience all year Hitting the Ground Running for MLK Day of Service 2020 For MLK Day 2020, more than 400 Islamic Relief USA volunteers spent a day packaging an outstanding 100k meals that were distributed domestically to various food banks and shelters. The interwoven fabric of love and legacy that day was the eternal flame, the burning stone that sealed the opportunity and helped capture the importance of service and empowerment. Our volunteers painted the moving picture that a few hundred hearts are capable of going above and beyond. That’s what gives our mission its energy to provide relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of…

Torrential rains submerge thousands of homes in Hyderabad, India Non-stop rain Heavy rain lashed large parts of India, including Hyderabad, over the last week swelling several rivers to dangerous heights, flooding large parts of the city and submerging homes and cars.   The deluge uprooted trees, electricity poles and damaged over head cables. According to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and local Indian media: around 40,000 homes are affected —  with thousands plunged into darkness without electricity and internet connection which remains unrestored.  The aftermath In some areas water levels started to recede, but not without leaving a trail of destruction including, heaps of slush along with organic and inorganic waster left inside the gutted homes.…

Floods in Sudan have displaced thousands, who are suffering by the hour For many of us, 2020 has been a year that we’ll never forget. For hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan that statement holds even more significance as 2020 has brought with it some of the worst flooding the region has ever seen. Typically prone to flooding around this time of year, water levels in the Blue Nile reached levels of over 17 metres, levels which haven’t been seen in over a century. The result of intense monsoons in neighbouring Ethiopia, the banks of the river burst and have caused widespread flooding with a devastating impact. Sudan is…

A new 1442 Hijri year sets in for us to prepare for better times New beginnings There are many important days and months in the Islamic calendar, but only one of those is the start of the Islamic year, and that’s just one thing that makes Muharram such a special point of the Hijri calendar.  Muharram is blossoming before us, and at Islamic Relief USA, we’re looking forward to starting off a new Hijri year 1442, with gratitude and focus. The Hijri calendar was established by the second Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (ra), starting from the year that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set out from Makkah to Medina.  Blessed meanings Muharram itself…

Written by Shaykh Hasib Noor Alhamdulillah what a blessing it is to welcome Eid! We hope and pray deeply that we have all achieved our goals. Allah (SWT) gave us the opportunity to spiritually cleanse ourselves, to draw near to Him, and to help others. This of course includes those less fortunate than ourselves. Allah (SWT) blessed us and Eid is a moment of celebration! Eid is such a special blessing that it’s almost a reminder of how the joyous celebration of entering Paradise. It is a blessed day of eating, connecting virtually with loved ones, and remembering the favours of Allah upon us: Every nation has its day of celebration,…

Dawood Yasin sits down for an insightful What-A-Relief podcast about the spiritual value of serving humanity There are many valuable things people learn while seeking a higher education. In the halls of universities across the world, most students are seeking opportunities to better their future, obtain meaningful careers, and build lifelong bonds. Naeem Muhammad interviewed our guest Imam Dawood Yasin of our latest podcast about where his passion for exploration has brought him and how he now teaches students to do the same and serve. At Zaytuna College, in Berkeley California, Yasin is an administrator that believes deeply in exploring the true meaning of education. He also provides a pathway…