Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe (1948) - Muslim Aid

Bangladesh Cyclone death toll mounts to 200

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:40:41 +0000

Cyclone Aila, the latest in the line of natural disasters to hit South-East Asia, tore through parts of coastal Bangladesh and South eastern India on May 25th, killing over 200 people and leaving 500,000 people homless. Persistent heavy rain has triggered further landslides and burst mud embankments, threatening to increase the death toll.

Muslim Aid emergency teams were on the ground well before the cyclone hit, evacuating people and moving them to secure cyclone shelters. Needs assessment will be carried out in Satkhira, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, Barguna and Pirojour, while emergency teams have already reached the worst hit areas with water purification units and 500,000 water purification tablets. Muslim Aid teams are also distributing food parcels to people in remote areas.

Head of Emergency Programmes at Muslim Aid, Anamul Haque said, “The priority now is getting clean water to the survivors of the storm, as hundreds of water sources and wells have been contaminated. Funds are urgently needed to provide emergency relief so we can continue to provide help wherever needed”.

Please support our relief efforts and donate now

Attack on Gaza: Emergency Appeal?

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:47:47 +0000

Attack on Gaza: Emergency Appeal

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah

Three days of intense aerial bombardment have left more than 300 people dead and hundreds more injured.

The bombings have taken the lives of civilians including women and children, and have affected hospitals and medical warehouses. The 19 month blockade of Gaza has already severely restricted the capacity of local hospitals to cope with the injured, with many reported to have already run out of critical supplies.

The blockade of Gaza has also forced more than half of the 1.5 million population to be dependant on humanitarian assistance. International aid agencies have been struggling to provide food, medicine and clean water whilst the shortage of fuel has made it extremely difficult to run essential services in Gaza including power to hospitals and sewerage treatment plants. This new and severe onslaught has brought yet more misery to an already suffering people.

Muslim Aid has been delivering humanitarian and developmental assistance in Palestine through its partners for over two decades. The £2 million raised through this appeal for the people of Gaza will be used by local partners to provide medicine and food for those most affected.

We urgently need your help to provide life-saving assistance to those that need it the most.

Click here to make a donation.

Visit www.muslimaid.org for more information

Muslim Aid 2008 / PO Box 3, London E1 1WP Tel: +44 (0) 20 7377 4200 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7377 4201 Charity Reg No 295224

This Ramadan End Poverty. Fast.

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:34:07 +0000

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullah,
May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you,

Alhamdulillah we have reached the last ten days of Ramadan -
10 days devoted to salvation from Hell.

So it's a time to perfect our fast and increase everything we do that gains Allah's pleasure. It is also a time for purifying our intentions, evaluating our life, and more specifically in the last ten days, ask for repentance from Allah. If these supplications are accepted, the reward is forgiveness for our sins and salvation from Hell.

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to spend these nights in extra prayer and devotion, as well as seeking Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) which marks the first revelation of the Qur'an. Laylatul Qadr is described in the Qur'an as being "better than a thousand months" (97:3), and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Before the blessed days leave us completely we wish to remind you to pay your Zakat-ul-Fitra before the Day of Eid. The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said "reward gained for the wealth we give during Ramadan is up to 700 times greater than at any other time, if Allah swt wills."

There is no better month to fulfil this obligation, and we pray that on the Day of Judgement the door of charity will be open for us, having spent in the path of Allah.

Please act fast in these remaining days as you still have the opportunity to feed a family of 4 to 5 in the following countries for these amounts :

Asia for a month for £40
Africa for a month for £50
Middle East (including Palestine, Iraq) for a month for £60

The Prophet said: "He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, except that nothing will be reduced from the fasting persons reward. [Ahmad].

By donating even a small amount of the money you have saved through fasting, you could provide a meal to those who need it most.

Please join us by giving your Sadaqah, Zakat and Fitra to make a difference this Ramadan.

Help us to End Poverty. Fast.

Peace and Blessings from everyone at Muslim Aid.

Remember to watch our Live Appeal on Islam Channel (SKY Channel 813) on Saturday 27th September at 9pm.

Muslim Aid - £2 MILLION PLEDGE

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 09:56:16 +0000

£2 MILLION PLEDGE FOR CYCLONE-DEVASTATED BANGLADESH

A catastrophic cyclone tore through Southern Bangladesh on the 15th of November, inflicting heavy damage to properties and infrastructure. Over 2,500 people have already been killed, with the number rising steadily. Reports have indicated a massive devastation of homes, crops and livestock, as well as severe disruption to electricity, running water and communications.

Muslim Aid has allocated an initial fund of £200,000 and pledged a further £2 million for emergency relief.

Together with partner organisations in the country Muslim Aid are actively delivering water, food and medicines to the worst-affected areas. Three Muslim Aid teams are working in Bagerhat (Morelganj and Shoronkhola), Patuakhali (in Mirzaganj, Khepupara and Kolapara) and Pirajpur. We are working in collaboration with partner organisations and have a network of over 400 volunteers undertaking surveys, assessing water and sanitation and shelter needs, installing tube wells and sanitary latrines, as well as distributing food packs and medicines.

Water, food and utensils were distributed to 400 families yesterday, while the team in Morelganj and Patuakhali are today distributing food items to 1,000 families in the unions of Doibhoddohati, Hoglabunia and Boloibunia and 800 families in Kolapara and Khepupara. The food package includes 2kgs of rice, 1 kg pulse, salt, candles and match boxes.

As Mahbub Hossain Shaheed, Head of Operations in Bangladesh said, “The immediate needs are, in addition to food items and drinking water, housing, shelter, repair and rebuilding of community structures like schools.”

Donate online today at www.muslimaid.org or call us on +44 (0)20 7377 4200

Devastating floods affect 137 Million people worldwide

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 20:38:19 +0000

In what has been called the worst flooding in living memory, thousands of lives have been lost, homes destroyed and millions left without access to food and water.

Bangladesh

With over half the country under water, Bangladesh is one of the worst affected countries. Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country bursting river banks and leaving over 5 million marooned in their villages. Thousands of people have been living on their rooftops for over a week with rescue teams struggling to reach them.

The scale of the flooding is even worse than previous years, said Amjad Saleem, Muslim Aid Bangladesh Country Director, Across the country people are in dire need of clean water and food.

India

In the Indian states of Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, Muslim Aid is planning to work through our local partners to bring relief to some of the 10 million people who have been hit by the heavy rains. The BBC is reporting that at least 125 people have died in India over the last few days, many of these children who have drowned or been crushed by collapsing buildings and trees.

Pakistan

In neighbouring Pakistan, millions of people are still facing terrible conditions in the aftermath of the floods that happened last month. Muslim Aid is still on the ground in the flood-affected areas of Baluchistan running water purification systems and medical centres. With more rain expected, we are preparing ourselves for another emergency.

Sudan

Sudan is the forgotten victim. Over the last few weeks the worst flooding in decades has uprooted thousands of people and killed at least 62. Muslim Aid has been providing food and clothes to thousands in Khartoum state and will be starting a major relief operation next week to provide clean water and medicines.

Muslim Aid is currently liaising with our partner Global Medic to arrange a specialist team to visit flood-affected areas in both Bangladesh and Sudan to provide water purification systems and medicines which will be essential as disease starts to spread following the floods.

UK

This year we have experienced severe flooding at home in the UK as well. Muslim Aid is contributing to the British Red Cross appeal and recovery work by raising money for the thousands of people around the country who have lost their homes and belongings and face a long struggle to get their lives back to normal.

We need your donation today to help people in their time of need. Please give generously to:

World Flood Appeal

UK Flood Appeal

Donate online today at www.muslimaid.org or call us on +44 (0)20 7377 4200

Please note, continuous updates will be posted on the Muslim Aid website on the progress of the aid relief sent to the affected areas and people. Please visit regularly to keep up-to-date on the situation.

Charity Registration No. 295224

Public aid appeal for Somalis fleeing fighting

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:31:56 +0000

As a result of the heavy fighting in Somali the past two weeks, and the displacement of nearly half a million people from Mogadishu, many Somalis are living in makeshift camps around the main cities.

The Muslim Aid is appealing to all Britons to help then people of Somalia.

Their houses are made of cardboard, rags and clothes, and the situation has been made worse by contaminated water, no sanitation facilities and outbreaks of fire and disease.

"We are trying to help hundreds of internally displaced communities inside the Madina district," said Ahmed Muhummed, country director of Muslim Aid Somalia.

"We are assisting many mothers and their children. Many of these people, who have fled the violence, are suffering from diarrhoea, malaria and other diseases."

"In Lower Shabelle, we are running centres for those infected with cholera," added Muhummed. "Our worry is that many more residents will flee the capital as the war intensifies."

Food and medicine are desperately needed to help the Somalis.

Muslim Aid has made an initial allocation of £25,000 to provide emergency aid to the refugees.

Those interested in assisting can call 0207 377 4200 or visit Muslim Aid’s website at www.muslimaid.org http://www.muslimaid.org/

Lebanon Appeal

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:54:30 +0000

In the wake of the indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon by Israeli forces, Muslim Aid has set up an appeal for the victims of this man-made disaster.

More than 600 Lebanese people have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in early July, following the capture of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah. Since then, the cities of Beirut and Tripoli, as well as the port of Abdeh, have been subjected to Israeli air strikes.

Muslim Aid has allocated an initial sum of £250,000 to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people in the wake of this brutal aggression. The donation will be used primarily to procure and distribute medicines and food relief.

Muslim Aid strongly condemns the indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon by Israeli forces, and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

“We would like to express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Lebanon in the wake of this brutal assault,” said Farooq Murad, chairman of Muslim Aid. “It is a naked act of aggression, targeting unarmed civilians, and must be ended with immediate effect. This action is a cruelly disproportionate reaction, and cannot be justified.”

The cities of Beirut and Tripoli, as well as the port of Abdeh, have been subjected to Israeli air strikes.

“If these attacks continue, we could have a more serious humanitarian disaster on our hands,” said Farooq Murad. “We are calling on the United Nations to take some urgent action to bring this conflict to an early end.”

Your generous contributions to our Lebanon appeal would be greatly appreciated.

www.muslimaid.org

Muslim Aid CEO to retire

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:01:26 +0000

The Chief Executive of the leading Muslim Charity Muslim Aid Mr. Ebrahimsa Mohamed has retired from post recently after 4 years of service which saw the Charity increase its turn over significantly. He will be replaced by Mr. Saif Ahmad – former Chief Executive of Faith Regen UK. Mr. Ahmed brings with him many years of experience in public and voluntary sector works. In a statement Muslim Aid confirmed that the outgoing CEO will continue to support its work as a Special Advisor.

Indonesia Earthquake Death Toll Exceeds 5,000 Muslim Hands Responds

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sun, 28 May 2006 22:38:21 +0000

Please donate generously to support this life saving work.

http://www.muslimhands.org
http://www.muslimaid.org/

Thousands of people have been killed and injured after a deadly earthquake struck Indonesia's main island of Java. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck before 6:00 am local time on Saturday off the island's coast.

The Indonesian Health Minister, Siti Fadillah Supari, described the situation as "very serious." Supari further noted "medical teams are on their way to the south where they need it most." Some 200,000 people have fled their homes as a result of the earthquake .

Muslim Hands has already begun distributing blankets, clean water, food, and hygiene kits and is coordinating efforts with domestic and international agencies in the area, including Oxfam and Plan International.

Muslim Hands has already dispatched response teams from Aceh and Jakarta who will begin assessing needs and emergency relief operations. The death toll from the earthquake currently stands at almost 5,000 with many more injured -- though there are fears the true toll will be much, much higher.

Water projects aid Tsunami survivors to rebuild

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:56:05 +0000

Muslim Aid has implemented water supply projects worth £22,000 in eastern Sri Lanka that have helped survivors of the regions devastating tsunami, to get back on their feet, more than a year after the catastrophe.

The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 devastated the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, killing more than 30,000 people and making more than half a million homeless. The 10-metre waves also destroyed the inland water supplies of many communities in eastern Sri Lanka.

Prior to the tsunami, the villagers of Mutur had their own wells for their drinking and household water needs. The tsunami destroyed most of their wells, and others became unsafe as a result contamination by sea water.

In the Trincomalee village in Nilaveli, the farming community lost their farms, their only source of livelihood. The loss of water pumps during the destructive tsunami was a severe setback to the community, who depended on them for the irrigation of their farms.

"This village depends on farming," explained Kaleel Rahman of Nilaveli’s Rural Development Society. "Our farming village lost their water pumps to the tsunami."

In Nilaveli, Muslim Aid replaced the water pumps destroyed by the tsunami at a cost of more than £14,300. The project assisted 167 families whose livelihoods were destroyed by the 2004 tsunami.

With the help of these pumps, these families are able to irrigate their land and to start cultivation on their farm land. They are able to earn an income for their families.

"Supplying the water pumps helped the farmers to start their cultivation with an air of confidence," said Kaleel Rahman.

Coastal inundation by the tsunami completely destroyed the horticultural farm lands of eastern Sri Lanka. This project repaired about 63 pumps and provided 52 new pumps.

With the help of the Nilaveli Muhaideen Jummah Mosque, the farmers also established a savings fund and make regular contributions from it to rebuild the farm land at the end of each harvest. The funds will be managed by a farmers’ committee to assist other farmers, or to secure small capital for assisting members of the farmers’ association.

Green Ribbon Week

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 18:49:28 +0000

Drought in Somalia, Kenya Worsens

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:50:36 +0000

The severe drought that has gripped the Horn of Africa has worsened, according to Muslim Aid relief workers in the field.

"The situation on the ground is very bad," said Ahmed Muhammed, Muslim Aid's country manager for Somalia. "Most of the households living in those areas have lost their livelihood, which is their livestock. There was no rain for the last three seasons. They could not cultivate their lands for crop production."

To date, Muslim Aid has come to the assistance of those suffering by providing GBP74,485 worth of humanitarian relief, distributing rice, flour, sugar, oil, tea, beans, biscuits, water, shelter, and drugs to thousands of people in southern Somalia. With the help of three partners, Muslim Aid is distributing water, maize, beans, cooking fat, anti-malaria medicine and milk powder to thousands of people in Isiolo, Wajir and Mandera in north-east Kenya.

Each family has received 61 kilograms of food, and 200 litres of water from Muslim Aid. A total of 91,500 kilograms of food and 200,000 litres of water have been distributed to victims of the Horn of Africa famine.

Muslim Aid is providing food, water, medical relief and shelter to thousands in the worst affected areas. Food is being purchased close to the distribution centres in order to keep the transportation costs down.

We have not received any institutional funding and we totally rely on the support and generosity of our donors to provide the humanitarian relief to the people affected by the famine before it is too late.

Muslim Aid delivering food and water in Somalia and Kenya

Muslim Aid
Charity Registration No. 295224
www.muslimaid.org

Horn of Africa in the grip of famine

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 20:11:52 +0000

The world is not paying serious attention to the human catastrophe looming in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia where 11 million people are facing starvation due to the raging famine caused by the failure of the past two rainy seasons.

The World Food Programme has appealed to the world community for £327 million to feed the starving but only £106 million has been committed.

Muslim Aid, with the help of three Partner Organisations in Kenya, and its Field Office in Somalia, are in the affected areas providing food, water, medicine and shelter to the victims of famine.

The people in these arid areas are victims of frequent droughts and were already one of the poorest in the world. They have lost all their worldly possessions including their animals, the main source of their livelihood.

Muslim Aid has so far spent over £70,000 providing relief and will commit further funds as and when needed.

How You Can Donate

Muslim Aid rushes relief to famine stricken Somalia

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 15:05:08 +0000

Thousands of people in southern Somalia are dying from thirst and shortage of food as a result of one of the severest droughts to have gripped the Horn of Africa in forty years.

Two million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations, which estimates the need of food aid for 11 million people in parts of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania and Burundi for the next six months.

The World Meteorological Association has warned the Horn of Africa will remain in the grip of a drought until at least April.

Muslim Aid has come to the assistance of those suffering by providing £74,485 worth of humanitarian relief and has allocated £37,500 towards emergency relief. The UK-based charity will be working with UN agencies such as the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation to bring this relief to those suffering from the drought.

With offices in Somalia, Muslim Aid has are already distributed rice, flour, sugar, oil, water, etc. including drugs to 7,500 people in southern Somalia. Temporary shelters will also be set up in response to many who have abandoned their homes in search of food and water.

The greatest problem is lack of water with eighty percent of wells in the risk areas having dried up. Farming has also been badly affected by the dramatic drop in water levels of the Somalian rivers of Shabelle and Jubba.

Scores of people, mainly children, have also died in northern Kenya.

Muslim Aid has contributed just under £37,000 towards addressing the emergency, after the Kenyan government declared a national disaster. The local media on the other hand has reported nearly 50 fatalities, though the actual figure Muslim Aid have said is feared to be much higher.

In partnership with the Islamic Foundation, Muslim Aid will be distributing maize, beans, cooking fat, anti-malaria medicine and milk powder to 3,000 people in Isiolo in eastern Kenya.

Farooq Murad, chairman of Muslim Aid, said: "Mothers and children are suffering from malnutrition and death of livestock is occurring on a large scale.

"As a result of the drought, dams and water pans are drying up and borehole wells are also breaking down from overuse. Food, water and medicine are our immediate priorities right now."

Pakistan Earthquake Update

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 16:50:24 +0000

Islamic Relief is leading teams of international aid workers into the affected area to assess the needs of survivors.

Two teams of aid workers from several international humanitarian organisations have been sent to Rawalakot and another is now in Bagh.

All three teams are led by IR staff. IR has extensive experience in the region and is the leading agency in Kashmir.

5 million need help
Rawalakot suffered 90% damage, while Bagh is all but destroyed. IR staff estimate that 5 million people will need assistance.

Tents
A planeload of aid from the UK government has been received by Islamic Relief staff in Pakistan and has already been distributed to survivors in Muzaffarabad. The shipment contained tents and blankets.

The UK government has provided Islamic Relief with a further 1,000 tents from its stockpile in Lahore. The tents will be distributed in Muzaffarabad on 11 October.

Food
In Muzaffarabad, 4,000 packs of food, each weighing 15 kg, are being distributed among survivors.

Locals in Islamabad donated 30 metric tonnes of rice. Two IR Pakistan lorries are in transit to distribute the rice in affected areas.

The people of Pakistan need your help now! Donate Online