Christian and Muslim Aid Agencies.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Katrin Bailey 06/07/2003

Christian and Muslim Aid

Agencies

One Muslim aid Agency – Muslim Aid

Muslim Aid was founded in November 1985 in London by 23 leading British Muslim Organisation. It was started as a result of continuing conflicts and disasters round the world, especially in the developing countries. The aim was to eradicate the sufferers of poverty, war and natural disasters. In its debut year, Muslim Aid delivered emergency relief to thousands of people affected by the devastating famine in Ethiopia, continuing wars in Palestine and Afghanistan and widespread flooding in Bangladesh.

Muslim Aid is an Organisation that concentrates on responding rapidly to emergencies in developing countries. It provides short-term aid in the cases of natural disasters; famine and wars ands is also involved with long-term development schemes. Examples of these would be provision of clean water, shelter, education, income-generation and healthcare. All of the long-term causes are there to tackle the roots of poverty – to make the countries more developed. In the beginning of the aid agency, Muslim Aid concentrated on more emergency/short-term aid, it is now focusing more of the long-term development scheme so that the countries can be free of poverty for a lifetime instead of a day. By 1994 projects on education, healthcare, skills training and water & irrigation had accounted for half of Muslim Aid's charitable expenditure, making a strategic impact on the development and strengthening of local communities worldwide.

Current projects that Muslim Aid are involved in include helping the population of Iraq rebuild Iraq after the war with “the west”, offering humanitarian aid to its people. It aims to provide shelter, medical care and food. Another current long standing campaign of Muslim Aid is to deliver Palestine and Afghanistan out of suffering and poverty. Muslim Aid is involved in funding many long-term development schemes and provides food; education and medical care for the victims of long-standing wars and political difficulties, which have torn the countries apart.

Aid is delivered to [Islamic](often Islamic not solely) poor countries in the hope ...

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Aid is delivered to [Islamic](often Islamic not solely) poor countries in the hope to bring them out of poverty. Aid is delivered to the people and working organizations in the countries. It is ensured that the money is being spent in the right place and that it isn’t being delivered and used to a corrupt government that won’t spend it where it’s needed.

Muslim aid’s sole source of income is from government grants and donations made by the public. 89% of all donations are spent directly on helping the poor to tackle poverty and to hopefully in the end lead a better way of life. 3% is spent on raising further funds for Muslim Aid’s work be it in advertising or in the production of equipment needed to help Muslim Aid’s work.

Muslim Aid’s basic Islamic teaching that motivates them to help the poor is a passage from the Qu’ran that says, “Whoever saved a life, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind”. This means that if mankind are to survive with pride and prosper all of humankind have to help each other out. It doesn’t matter of what culture the people that they help are of; if they are poor and in need, Muslim aid will help. This is from the story of Muhammad having a black prayer caller. Another teaching found in the Surrah 2:274 is, “Those who in charity spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public will have their reward with their Lord”. This means that people that share with the needy without boasting but by allowing others to see will find God and go to paradise.

One Christian aid agency – Christian Aid.

Christian Aid aims to preach the Good News to the poor and to deliver them from poverty. Christian Aid views the world, as we know it as a construction site not as a waiting room for heaven. Instead of waiting to reach heaven they believe that it is their job as Christians to turn the world into a heaven by delivering those suffering from their problems and creating harmony and happiness upon earth.

Christian Aid Organisation was started after the second world war