Islamic Relief Worldwide: A trusted and respected humanitarian organisation with an outstanding track record

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is extremely disappointed by the Middle East Forum’s attack on its important life-saving and life-changing charitable work around the world. Our mission is, and has always been, to take faith-inspired action to alleviate poverty and suffering around the world. We assist those in need regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, gender or sexual orientation.

Islamic Relief is extremely proud of what we have achieved in the last 34 years, in reaching over 117 million beneficiaries and establishing programmes funded by individuals and institutional donors from every part of the world. We have demonstrated to our supporters and beneficiaries that we take their trust in us as the foundation of all we do. We have established very rigorous systems of governance, accountability and audit to ensure we fulfil our remit as a non-political, purely humanitarian charity. Our internal control and compliance systems ensure that donations entrusted to us come from legitimate sources, and are spent only on those who legitimately require humanitarian assistance.

IRW and its partners across the world are subject to rigorous regulatory and legal standards, and we invest a huge amount of time and energy in meeting those standards. We are also subject to the due diligence and compliance requirements of various government and UN donors, who routinely trust us to deliver on their humanitarian objectives.

Islamic Relief has an outstanding track record of responding to natural disasters and conflicts and alleviating poverty around the world. It subscribes to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Codes of Conduct, enjoys UN consultative status, and is a member of the UK Disasters Emergency Committee – the prestigious coalition of leading aid organisations in the UK that work together to respond to major emergencies.

Over 500 audits of IRW’s programmes and offices have been carried out in the past decade to the satisfaction of regulators, partners and auditors. We also offer added reassurance by using specialist software to screen every major donor, employee, volunteer, trustee, contractor, supplier, bank, local partner organisation and cash beneficiary against over 540 lists of proscribed entities and individuals published by law enforcement and intelligence agencies and governmental and regulatory bodies worldwide – including US OFAC and Israeli lists.

This latest attack on Islamic Relief by Middle East Forum is wrong, misleading and motivated only to do harm. It reflects a worrying climate of Islamophobia that is affecting legitimate Muslim institutions and organisations. IRW is a purely humanitarian organisation that abhors and rejects terrorism in all its forms, and categorically denies any terrorist links.