For Om Saker, the last seven years have felt like a lifetime. After an ISIS invasion in 2015 brought war and persecution upon her hometown, she was forced to flee Hatra, Iraq and live in displacement camps for three years. She managed to return in 2018, but the life she once knew had gone: her husband went missing, making Om Saker the sole provider for her three children: Hiba, Nada and Saker; she tragically lost her 6-month-old daughter Sada during …
Author: tamara
During the winter months, people forced to flee are faced with increased hardships and costs. As temperatures drop amid extreme weather, they struggle to meet basic needs like heating their shelters, buying warm clothes, and cooking hot meals. When people think of winter, they often associate it with thick clothes, family gatherings around fire, and a warm evening meal. But the reality is completely different for thousands of vulnerable refugees and internally displaced families in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and …
Zakat is a cherished amanah from Zakat donors who entrust a Zakat agent to deliver their Zakat to its eligible beneficiaries. ‘UNHCR is considered an agent. The entirety of the collected Zakat must be distributed to eligible recipients mentioned in Quran 9:60. None of it can be used to cover operations or wages; those must be covered by other sources’. UNHCR takes this responsibility very seriously, and therefore its Refugee Zakat Fund is subject to rigorous governance and oversight to …
After a harrowing winter experience last year, Shatha’s comments are anything but hyperbolic. They are rooted in a legitimate, deep-seated fear of re-witnessing her mattresses, carpets, and bed covers destroyed due to overflooding. She is extremely worried about her 6 family members including sick elderly and school-age children lacking the proper warmth to sleep through 90 nights of bitter cold. Shatha is the sole provider for her family: “I am responsible for providing everything for my family, including food, rent, …
“Winter assistance will be like a blessing to me; without it, the situation will be very hard”. Huda, Syrian refugee in Lebanon With these words, Huda answered our question, “How is winter assistance essential and helpful to you?” For refugee families, winter is not just the weather and seasonal change, it’s a set of evolving challenges of hardships. In reality, words fall short when we try to convey the reality and harshness of winter on refugee families. How can we …
Current Situation Following the first reported cholera case in Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) declared a cholera outbreak on 6 October 2022. Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water. It can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and health care. Vulnerable populations living in inadequate shelters with limited access to basic services are at heightened risk to be exposed to cholera. This includes refugees living in informal …
On October 12th 2022, UNHCR launched its Islamic Philanthropy Mid-Year Report 2022 in partnership with Zakat House of Kuwait. The report highlights the impact of Zakat and Sadaqah funds received by UNHCR through the Refugee Zakat Fund during the first half of this year. You can now watch a video clip that summarizes the report’s key highlights and shows the number of refugee and internally displaced beneficiaries in 20 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East – whose total number …
Since June 2022, Pakistan has been suffering from extreme monsoon weather. As of September 1st, rainfall patterns in the country stand at 2.87 times the national 30-year average. This has resulted in massive flooding and landslides – with devastating effects on human life, property, and infrastructure. To date, 80 districts across Pakistan have been declared ‘calamity-hit’ by the government. These figures remain in flux due to the ongoing weather changes, and the number of calamity-declared districts is only expected to rise. Having already possessed one of the largest …
The Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs of Brazil was established in Brazil in 2005. It aims to establish a unified legal Islamic authority representing Muslims in Brazil and recognized by Brazilian authorities and by Islamic institutions from across the Muslim world. It counts over 60 clerics and preachers from different regions of the country as members. In July 2022, the Council issued a fatwa endorsing the view that UNHCR is eligible to receive Zakat funds from Muslims in …
Muslims around the world celebrated the new Islamic calendar year, 1444 AH, on July 29, 2022. This occasion, which took place in 622 CE, draws its significance more as historical event than religious celebration. However, Hijra, or the migration from Mecca to Medina, is a momentous event that shaped Islamic civilization and is used to chronicle its history. At its core, Hijra is a human story and its main actors are refugees who sought a new beginning in a distant …
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