JEDDAH, 19 November — The International Islamic Relief Organization last night launched a new fund-raising campaign under which the Jeddah-based charity started collecting zakah (alms) to finance projects to benefit the refugees, the displaced and the destitute worldwide.
For the first time since its establishment, IIRO which until now depended on voluntary donations said it hoped to generate millions of riyals from zakah and appealed to Muslims to give the 2.5 percent zakah from their annual savings for charity work.
IIRO Secretary-General Dr. Adnan Khalil Basha said the money will be spent in specific areas, including the education of poor students as well as construction of schools, vocational training centers, orphanages and hospitals. Part of the funds will also be used to cater to the needs of displaced people in the Muslim world. Muslims make up 70 percent (15 million) of the total refugees around the world.
Dr. Basha was speaking at IIRO’s annual fund-raising event attended by Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed and the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Dr. Abdullah ibn Abdul Mohsen Al-Turki.
Dr. Basha assured donors that their money is in safe hands and will only be used for defined purposes — supporting the poor — without discrimination or favoritism.
"Our records can prove that the money is spent on charity projects and not on supporting acts of evil, terrorism or aggression," he said responding to accusations in the Western media that Muslim charity organizations are using their money to finance terrorist activities.
The IIRO said it will soon initiate legal action against three American newspapers, The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, for publishing reports implicating the charity with links to groups accused of masterminding the Sept.11 attacks on the United States.
It said it is working with other relief agencies in the Arab and Muslim world to take to court all those who sought to tarnish the image of Islamic relief work without providing any proof.
Outlining IIRO activities last year, Dr. Basha said the aid agency spent SR121.23 million ($32.3 million) on humanitarian projects in Asia, Africa and Europe.
This includes SR42.8 million spent on social programs including supporting 39,434 orphans in 51 countries, SR29.7 million which went to provide urgent relief assistance to 620,400 persons in 20 countries and SR22.9 million spent on digging wells to provide drinking water in rural areas and building mosques and other religious institutions.
The remaining sums were used to provide health care, dawa activities, education, vocational training programs and providing iftar meals during Ramadan.
The organization built 37 schools and three colleges, which benefited more than 31,000 students, in addition to 712 Qur’an schools in 24 countries.
