A Discussion with Dr. Hany El-Banna, President and Co-Founder, Islamic Relief
With: Hany El-Banna Berkley Center Profile
December 3, 2007
What path has brought you to your current work, and how has it involved you in working with faith-based organizations and international development?
It started with the famines and food shortages that affected Ethiopia and Sudan in the mid 1980s. The images of starving people shocked me, like people around the globe, profoundly. I was struck by the response of many in the West to the crisis, for example the campaigning and advocacy of the singer Bob Geldof—at one concert he raised many millions of pounds in a single evening. I visited Sudan in December 1983, and was shocked to see with my own eyes the suffering there. I decided then that I had to do something about it. It was a challenge for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. So I came back with my story and photos and began speaking and working to raise money in Egypt, the United Kingdom and beyond. I presented it as a moral issue, and our response as a duty, not just for Muslims and Christians, but every single human being. It is an issue of basic responsibility.
So that is how we started Islamic Relief. We had no place to work, no vision, no strategic plan, no policy statements, nothing except will and determination. We began working with grass roots individuals, and raised money penny by penny, then pound by pound. Our message was about need and responsibility, and we stressed the need to help our fellow human beings, with no conditions, as an imperative coming from each and every faith, following the teachings of Jesus, Abraham, Mohammed and others. There should be no political, ethnic, or racial distinction in the face of need.
What were you doing before you embarked on the work of creating Islamic Relief?
I am a medical doctor by profession. I first came from Egypt to the UK to study medicine. When I visited the Sudan, I was starting out as a medical doctor for the National Health Service in the UK as well as working as a researcher. After spending some time in Glasgow I settled in Birmingham. My research focused on fetal pathology. I continued practicing medicine while Islamic Relief was launched in 1984; indeed I worked as a volunteer for Islamic Relief until 1995, when I became a full-time employee. Islamic Relief has its international headquarters in Birmingham, because that was where I was living at the time the organization was launched.
Can you give a quick profile of Islamic Relief today?
Islamic Relief employs several thousand people working from 35 international offices. We are organized to work in four main sectors: water and sanitation, health and nutrition, building sustainable livelihoods, and orphan sponsorship. Of course we are also very much involved in providing emergency relief in areas affected by conflict or natural disasters. At present the major areas of focus for our emergency work are Indonesia, Pakistan, and Palestine. One of our largest operations is in Sudan, where Islamic Relief began working many years ago. We take great pride in working with both Christians and Muslims alike in South Sudan and we have been providing emergency relief in the Darfur region since 2004.
Most of our financing comes from relatively small private donations from individuals all around the world, but particularly from the United Kingdom, France and the United States. However, we also receive assistance from institutional donors such as the European Union and the British government.
How would you describe the Islamic "nature" of the work of Islamic Relief?
We draw profoundly on the core teachings of Islam in providing humanitarian assistance. The obligation to help the less fortunate in Islam is central, continuous, and ongoing. We are trying to project and extend the spirit of Ramadan, which is not only a month of fasting but of giving, and instill that sense and mentality in people. It is important to convey that this need for sharing and sacrifice is not just for crises and emergencies, but is over the long-term. More and more we are seeing that support comes outside the framework of an immediate disaster—approximately one-third of our work today is non-disaster linked. Furthermore, Islamic Relief is advocating that development is a long-term process that builds sustainable livelihoods, not just about reacting to acute crises and providing humanitarian aid.
There are numerous references to water and cleanliness in Quranic teachings and rituals. Our programs that provide safe and clean water to rural communities in Africa, therefore, have a particular resonance among Muslims. Providing clean local supplies of water reduces the incidence of water borne diseases and it increases the attendance of children (particularly girls) at school since they no longer have to spend their vast amounts of time fetching water from distant and often dangerous sources. Similarly, our programmes that promote income generation and employment opportunities are in line with Quranic teachings and hadiths that urge independence and self-sustainability among the poor.
What is Islamic Relief's approach to working with Muslims and non-Muslims?
There is no compulsion in religion, and for Islamic Relief this is a fundamental concept. When one sets out to help people there can be no place for discrimination based upon ethnicity, gender or religion and no place for proselytising. Islamic Relief has worked in diverse communities with people of different faiths or none. I recently met the head of the security for South Sudan at the meeting in Libya on Darfur, and he said that, in his experience, we were one of the few faith-based organizations that does not mix religion with humanitarian work.
What is your experience with issues that arise about mixing religion and humanitarian and development work? Have you been part of any explicit codes of conduct designed to address issues?
Islamic Relief Worldwide is a signatory to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements and NGOs in Disaster Relief. These codes are not contradictory to the humanitarian values that derive from our faith and religion.
I think there is an important distinction to make between religion and faith. However much we are motivated by faith, we should not talk about our own values and beliefs to people who are vulnerable. There is an important difference between being inspired by faith and promoting religion. Faith-based for us means translating our faith into action and our faith inspires us to help all those who are poor and vulnerable, not simply those of a particular religious denomination. Under no circumstances should humanitarian work be mixed with promoting religion. These are the beliefs that guide the work of the organization.
How does Islamic Relief relate to the Islamic faith in both a theological and an organizational way?
Islamic Relief is registered in the United Kingdom under the provisions of Charity law, regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. We do not apply our faith into the organisational structure and management. We do, however, derive our humanitarian values from our Islamic faith and those values are also reflected in our policies.
Islamic Relief is a very broad all encompassing organization and we draw from many very different parts of the Islamic faith. In a sense we can "float" among many different traditions. We receive support from many very different countries and communities and from both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
We believe firmly that Islam, like all religious traditions and all cultures, is shaped by history and circumstances. So it is not surprising that there are very different approaches in different places and that messages need to be cast in different terms—based, though, on the same fundamental principles. There are well known authorities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, for example, who lead and make specific statements. But when even those individuals go elsewhere the message needs to change. Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey, all have different traditions and approaches to Islam. We should not formulate our opinions or frame our work in ways that exclude, rather we should seek to find common understanding and be inclusive.
This diversity has deep roots. Books written in Andalusia had great wisdom, but could not be considered entirely applicable in the Middle East. However, the message in essence was the same. The use of music, art and culture can be used to promote the same message and there is always a need to adopt nuance and understanding. Imam Alshafea wrote a book in Iraq, but when he moved to Egypt he had to change the way his opinion was presented and rewrite the book. The narrative and language should be adapted to local complexities. In sum, you cannot promote an approach that implies "one size fits all" and the same is characteristic of our emergency relief and development programs.
I understand that Islamic Relief organized a remarkable meeting in South Africa recently on HIV/AIDS. What were the highlights?
The conference took place during the first week of December 2007 and was indeed remarkable. HIV/AIDS is a pandemic that affects all. We undertook extensive preparations in order for the event to be successful. We gathered together approximately 100 case studies to provide a voice for those living with HIV/AIDS. At the meeting, there was a remarkable openness and also remarkable acceptance. Much came as a surprise to us, the organisers, but it was all handled well. People came out and said, "I am a gay Muslim," and "I lived by working as a prostitute." Of course, we were somewhat taken aback by their candidness. Certainly, in many Muslim communities such frank language is rare and often frowned upon. However, in the conference people did listen and they did accept.
At the conference, we had delegations from countries throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North America. HIV/AIDS is increasingly a major problem in many parts of the Muslim World. The meeting had support from a wide variety of donors, including eight or nine Muslim organizations. The Department for International Development of the British government also supported the event. There is much material on the website already, and it will be updated further with the rich information that came out during the conference.
What were the major issues at the South Africa meeting?
Perhaps the two "hottest" discussions were around condoms and public talk about gay and lesbian issues. The latter came rather as a surprise—they were not planned—and caused something of a stir, but we managed to overcome the surprise and negative reactions among some participants.
We also realized that much of the language we were using on HIV/AIDS, well intended though it was, was not really accommodating to others. The meeting in South Africa was itself recognition that we, as a Muslim community, were neglecting the issue. We came out with a clear sense that HIV/AIDS is not a moral issue, and has many dimensions including medical, social, family, and economic. The moral dimension is only one of at least five issues. We need to be concerned about the paths of transmission, for example. One case that was discussed was the situation of a woman infected when rape was the cause. How should the victim be treated? This has been a real situation in some of the areas where we work. A Muslim leader from Qatar issued a fatwa that stated that the husband of a girl who was raped must consider the child as his and give it his name, as the wife was the blameless victim of force. We discussed stigma and came to a recognition that Muslims have to treat HIV/AIDS victims with greater care. This represented a breakthrough, and gives us practical things to work on, to stop stigma. We focused on the need for more care and action for the women and children who are affected. We appreciated that as Muslims we need to recognise realities and this include the fact that not all Muslims are saints, and that like all communities there are some who behave immorally, and that promiscuity if anything is increasing among some Muslim communities.
Who was at the conference and how was it mobilized?
Many different communities and countries from the all over the Muslim World were represented—over 150 participants from 50 countries attended the event as well as approximately 100 visitors a day. Perhaps the fact that HIV/AIDS has become such an important issue among Muslim communities has meant that there is now an increased willingness on the part of many, particularly some governments in the Middle East, to discuss the issue more openly. In fact, we could not accommodate all those who wanted to participate.
From where you sit, what do you think could be done to advance dialogue about the roles of women in development dialogue and programs?
Islamic Relief is presently preparing a policy position on gender justice and development that will guide our emergency relief and development programs. Our work already promotes the role of women in development. As an individual, I would like to see as more women working in senior positions within Islamic Relief. The issue we need to address is that many qualified and experienced professional women tend not to apply for positions in Islamic organizations, because they are concerned that there may be poor career prospects for them. Nevertheless, we are always looking to provide and promote opportunities for women within the organization. More broadly, we are an equal opportunities employer and we are building a large and diverse organization comprising qualified and experienced men and women from different faiths and backgrounds. Our work if often complex with political, economic, and moral dimensions, as well as purely technical, and the make-up of our staff should reflect this.
Islamic Relief has worked for several years now on the issue of humanitarian finance and the damage that blocking such flows can have both on humanitarian and development programs and on community attitudes. There was also work on codes of conduct and standards. What is happening now?
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 allegations were made that some Muslim NGOs had links with terrorist organizations. They were closed down and had their funds sequestered. After prolonged investigation some were subsequently found to be completely innocent while others were closed down for their alleged links. Whether they were investigated or not, the intense media scrutiny and the negative image presented to the public and governments have been difficult to overcome.
Previously unimpeded donations, as a result of this increased scrutiny, slowed dramatically with honest donors no longer confident that their well-intentioned generosity would reach the poor. Obviously, as a result, operations in the field were impeded. It is incumbent upon Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth to the poor who in turn have a right to this wealth. Many Muslims will do this whether or not there are legitimate NGOs to receive these donations. The widespread curbing of Muslim humanitarian action threatens the ability of the Muslim community to redistribute its wealth to the poor using legitimate means and increases the amount of informal giving to "fundraisers" who appear genuine and offer a reasonable method of reaching the poor. The result is that potentially billions of dollars which could go to the immediate aid of the poor is not being distributed. It is not difficult to imagine how great an effect this injection of cash would have on alleviating the suffering of poor communities around the world.
We are still working on this issue, indeed I recently returned from a series of discussions in the Middle East. We are focusing particularly now on strengthening both the legal framework and capacity within organizations for accountability and transparency. With Oxfam and the Charities Commission (the body that oversees the work of non-governmental organizations in the UK) and with governmental support in the UK we are developing a framework and procedures that can be used in the Middle East to guarantee honest and transparent use of charitable funds from internal and external sources. We also recently organized a workshop to discuss issues relating to finance and transparency involving ten large organizations in Kuwait. There have also been workshops in Indonesia, where financial and security officials were involved. Islamic Relief serves as a model because of its success in addressing the issues, and as an Islamic organisation that has been effective in working with western organisations.
Ongoing discussions are focusing upon the large donor countries in the Gulf, such as Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia where there are still significant problems in moving money and where this is a serious impediment to humanitarian and development work. The aim is to regulate flows with more objectivity. The model of people giving to charity in cash and transferring large sums is problematic but very hard to control—transfers can be disguised through business transactions. People are reluctant to write cheques as they are afraid they will be questioned and prosecuted. Those who are most affected tend to be small organisations and the danger is that they will cease to operate altogether. However, without them a strong civil society will not develop. People want to be able to help the needy but are blocked from doing so. I am not sure how this work will evolve but it continues to be an urgent issue.
As you look at the Berkley Luce FBO project and December conference, what are the issues you would most like to see addressed?
I welcome the initiative and hope that the project will be a long term commitment to the development of understanding among all those involved in the field of humanitarian relief and development. I hope it can highlight the importance of the work of faith-based organisations in development and analyse as well as encourage compliance with the existing codes of conduct.
What kinds of questions might this suggest for discussion and research?
We would be interested to understand the relative importance of or role of faith in the development process for different communities and regions around the world. We would also be interested to see how different faith-based organizations actually implement relief and development work—are there significant differences as compared with secular organizations? Other research could focus on how increasing financial scrutiny has impacted upon the work of faith-based organizations.
How does Islamic Relief work with other Muslim and secular organisations?
Islamic Relief works in partnership with both other faith-based and secular organisations in undertaking emergency relief and long-term development projects. For example, the recent conference in South Africa on HIV/AIDS was funded and supported by a number of Muslim organisations. Furthermore, we are supported by a diverse range of institutional donors from all around the world. In areas that have suffered from natural disasters, and where we are not present, we often channel our assistance through the British Catholic development agency, CAFOD. For example, we have provided assistance through CAFOD on a number of occasions in recent years in response to flooding and landslides in Central America.
What do you see as perspectives from where you sit in the United Kingdom?
I think the working environment for international non-governmental organisations is slowly improving, there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, it is important to ensure continued cooperation and coordination among all organisations involved in the field of humanitarian relief and development assistance. Through initiatives such as the Humanitarian Forum we are working hard to ensure equal partnership among governments, and national and international development organisations. Only by working together and by coordinating our efforts will we be able to provide effective assistance and come anywhere near achieving the targets envisaged by the Millennium Development Goals.
And concluding thoughts?
Providing humanitarian assistance to those less fortunate is the right, indeed obligation, of every individual and no one should prevent an individual from helping others. So at this crucial time it is important that we all work together in beating the real enemy—poverty.
You are leaving shortly for a UNHCR/University conference in Malaysia, then receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham before you arrive in Doha. Bon voyage and many congratulations!
