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Disasters Serve As Tests of Strength…In More Ways Than One
It’s always rewarding to be part of the solution, alleviating the woes of the people who were severely impacted by the major weather events. Last year, it felt as if one disaster didn’t complete unleashing its wrath before another one took place in some other part of the U.S. Fortunately, Islamic Relief USA, a humanitarian and advocacy organization that works in more than 40 countries, lent a hand in the aftermath of many of these catastrophic, and often life-changing events. Thanks to our relatively new Disaster Response Team (DRT), the organization, which will mark its 25th anniversary later this year, was able to have an on-the-ground presence and help people…
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A Day Off for Eid and a Special Meal — It’s a Luxury
In the U.S., most families try to take the day off of work and school for Eid to make it more special. This Eid, think about what a luxury that is. Because for Saleha, taking off would make the day less special. Saleha, in Bangladesh, goes to work on Eid like she does any other day. If she were to take off, the family would celebrate by having even less to eat. Saleha’s husband is too old and sick to work, and her son-in-law passed away, so she supports her family of seven all alone by working as a maid. They need the money she earns each day—about $1.85 to…
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Dignity on the Streets of Philadelphia
Lina Hashem is a Writer at Islamic Relief USA. She recently attended Day of Dignity in Philadelphia and wrote about her experience. Lamarr could be anything. He’s smart as a whip. He loves to read, and he researched Islamic Relief USA before spreading the word about Day of Dignity. He loves his bike like richer men love their sports cars, and he prides himself on his clean, neat clothes. He also sleeps on a bench in a Philadelphia park and knows where to turn up for food and clothes. On Oct. 8, at Day of Dignity in Philadelphia, he had ticket number 199. I don’t know why Lamarr is homeless.…
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Open Arms at The Muslim Center in Detroit
Salman Aznan is a Marketing Specialist at IRUSA. He recently attended the Detroit Day of Dignity and wrote a reflection about the experience. “The buses won’t move” said Mika’il Saadiq. “That’s not good.” I thought to myself. “The buses with the beneficiaries?” Maab replied. “Yes.” answered Mika’il. “That is definitely not good!” I screamed in my head. It was a cold, bitter Detroit morning and we arrived at the Muslim center with banners and notebooks in hand ready to document the event. We entered the masjid and walked into the auditorium and the place was bustling with energy. Men and women were unpacking boxes, categorizing coats, socks, and other articles…
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Ibtihaj Muhammad: We’re Rooting for You!
Christy Bectel reflects on Ibtihaj Muhammad’s visit to Islamic Relief USA. Christy was a Public Affairs Intern this summer at Islamic Relief USA. She is originally from Michigan and is a senior at Grand Valley State University majoring in International Relations and minoring in Middle East Studies and German. The morning of July 21 was a bit more exciting than usual at IRUSA as news got around that Ibtihaj Muhammad would be stopping by for a quick visit. Most of the staff was already familiar with the 30-year-old athlete who will be the first U.S. woman to wear a hijab when she competes at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this…
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Faith Communities and Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights
Sharifa Abdul-Aziz is the Senior Gender Policy Advisor at Islamic Relief Worldwide. Sharifa attended the Women Deliver conference on behalf of Islamic Relief USA, who is part of the Faith Alliance for Health who organized the panel Sharifa spoke at. She wrote the following reflection Women Deliver is a leading global advocacy platform for women and girls rights, health and wellbeing. Thousands of influencers, policy makers, activists, journalists and young people from a number of countries come together to promote and highlight solutions and focus on how to make Sustainable Development Goals matter to women and girls. The event takes place every three years and has achieved putting maternal,…
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In Solidarity: A Lesson from IRUSA’s Capitol Hill Iftar
Christy Bectel recently attended the Capitol Hill Iftar and shares her refections. Christy is a Public Affairs Intern at Islamic Relief USA. She is originally from Michigan and is a senior at Grand Valley State University majoring in International Relations and minoring in Middle East Studies and German. The mention of certain cities in the U.S. often evokes images of decline, decay, even pity. Particularly in my home state of Michigan, Flint and Detroit are the cities people name and quickly dismiss in their discussions of poverty in the U.S. Though I’m a resident of neither, I feel an inclination to defend these cities, the stories of which are often framed through…
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World Environment Day and the Muslim’s Duty
Salam Aznan, Marketing Specialist at IRUSA, reflects on our duty to the environment. Our Duty Out of the many obligations bestowed upon us by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), one of the most neglected aspects of our religion is our duty to the environment. Islam teaches us to be kind to our neighbors, to be generous with o Our Islam There are a wide variety of hadiths and Qur’anic ayahs directing us to protect and to not neglect the sanctity of the environment. In Surah Al-A’raf, Allah (SWT) commands us to not consume extravagantly, “O children of Adam, take your adornment at every…
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Dear Aleppo…
IRUSA’s Mayssoun Olabi is from Aleppo, Syria. In the aftermath of the recent attacks, she shares a reflection. Today I woke up with a heavy heart. My usual, happy disposition was muted by images that played over in my head, and sounds that echoed off the walls of my heart. My whole body ached. And though I was deeply upset, I needed to show the world that everything was okay. I needed to show my children. I needed to show myself. Forcing a smile on my face, I went about the morning as usual: Wake up, kids! Brush-your-teeth-comb-your-hair-get-ready-for-school. Eat your breakfast. I smiled as my 7-year-old daughter, Mariam, asked me…
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70% of the World Is Water — But So Often, There’s Not a Drop to Drink
When you think of places where girls have to walk for hours to carry back water, you might tend to think of hot, dry regions of Africa. But water shortages can happen anywhere in the world—from remote villages in Albania to cities right here in the United States. Schoolchildren learn that water covers 70% of the planet—it sounds so plentiful. But the fresh water we drink and use in our homes and on our farms only makes up 3% of the world’s water. And most of that is unavailable—locked up in frozen glaciers or otherwise inaccessible. So providing clean water is more difficult than it might sound at first glance.…
