“And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, (and of) those who say: ‘O Lord! Cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper’.” – Holy Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 75
For over 20 years we have campaigned injustices across places like Nigeria, Myanmar, Yemen and Bahrain.
As Muslims, it is our responsibility to remember the oppressed and stand up for the rights of our fellow brothers and sisters in Islam.
Whilst the rest of the world has forgotten their plight, IHRC continues to work and campaign for justice. We have been at the forefront of these issues well before the media has paid any attention and we continue to persevere once the media stops talking too.
As Muslims we must love and care for one another and help each other in times of need. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that the Muslim Ummah should act like a body: “If one part of the body suffers pain, the other part also suffers.”
Please take a look at the projects below and help us continue our work by donating generously:
The situation in Nigeria has been dire since the Zaria Massacre of 2015 when at least 1000 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria were killed and its leader Shaykh Zakzaky was imprisoned by the Nigerian army.
Victims of the massacre left behind have little access to medical treatment and are often without homes or jobs. Children have been orphaned and parents are bereft. Protesters demanding the release of Shaykh Zakzaky continue to be attacked and persecuted.
One such example is this young boy who was shot and immediately paralysed. Bleeding and suffering; he had little hope of walking again. IHRC helped by flying him out of Nigeria and ensuring that he got the necessary medical treatment. He is now, fortunately, able to walk again.
This young sister’s body was burnt beyond recognition in the attacks against the innocent members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria. Bright and full of hope, she should have had an exciting future ahead of her. Instead she was left brutally disfigured and blind. IHRC helped by flying her out of Nigeria and ensuring that she got the necessary medical treatment. Doctors are currently working to help her regain her sight. She has six more operations ahead of her but with the support of IHRC she should soon regain her sight.
IHRC has spent twenty years campaigning against the unjust treatment of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, including campaigning for the release of all those unjustly detained, and demanding justice for the victims of the Nigerian authorities’ violence.
For background and factual information please Click here to read IHRC’s briefing to the International Criminal Court regarding the Zaria Massacres of 2015 and the subsequent detentions.
The Rohingya are fleeing violence and persecution and desperately need your support. IHRC Trust is raising funds to help the organisation MAPIM deliver critical aid to Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh and Malaysia.
IHRC is also funding a report to provide evidence of genocide/ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. As part of this report, a team visited Bangladesh to interview the Rohingya refugees and hear their stories.
Camps have been set up on the beach with thousands and thousands of people being housed on Cox’s Bazaar. An elderly Muslim man spoke of how his son – who was 32 years old – had been taken away by the Burmese army. The army are taking away young men, dressing them up as jihadis and killing them. A couple had also lost their two children: a girl and a boy. They were both kidnapped by the Burmese army and are now presumed dead. The couple witnessed rocket launchers being used to burn homes and villages. They themselves had to pay smugglers money in order to cross over to Bangladesh. Another Muslim woman described seeing her husband being chopped up. On her journey to Bangladesh she also lost her 7 year old son and so travels alone with her baby. Please urgently donate to help provide critical aid for these people.
From the beginning of the crisis IHRC have spoken out about the horrible crimes being committed in Yemen. These war crimes have predominantly been directed at civilians in schools, mosques, hospitals, funerals, etc: over 8000 Yemenis have been killed. Yemen imports 90% of its food and the land/air/sea siege by Saudi Arabia has resulted in mass starvation with the UN reporting that 3 million (largely children) are suffering from malnutrition.
Saudi airstrikes target Yemen infrastructure and as a result there is no clean water available. This has led to an unprecedented cholera outbreak with 1 person dying almost every hour according to Oxfam.
Click here to read the exhaustive briefing IHRC have produced on The War in Yemen. Please help us continue to speak out about these horrendous crimes by donating now.
IHRC has been chronicling the myriad human rights violations in Bahrain for a long time now. In a kingdom of just 650,000 inhabitants, Bahrain has 4,000 political prisoners – representing the hight incarceration rate in the Middle East.
Prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab remains detained and is facing fifteen years in prison for merely criticising Bahrain’s participation in the war in Yemen. Human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja spent three months in jail in 2016 after an unfair trial. Over 300 individuals – comprising of human rights defenders, political activists and journalists – have been stripped of their citizenship. All of this has been done to suppress any form of dissent.
In 2017 the Bahraini government has carried out five executions by firing squads. The resumption of executions is effectively the end of a de facto moratorium on the death penalty that has been in place since 2010.
IHRC continues to lobby the UN and the EU to bring attention to what is taking place in Bahrain. Difference in political opinion is not allowed and anyone who expresses criticism faces arrest. Please donate so we can continue striving toward justice for all those affected.
One of the most important pillars of Islam is ZAKAT. The Quran orders us numerous times to fulfill this obligation and remember that there are so many who are less fortunate than we are: including those who have been forgotten across the world fleeing persecution; dying from starvation and malnutrition; thrown in prison for speaking out…
SADAQAH (voluntary charity) is a virtuous deed in Islam and is considered proof of one’s Faith. Unlike Zakat, Sadaqah is a voluntary act of kindness to help contribute towards bettering and improving our society and ensuring a just world for Muslims and for everyone.
