TransFaith Humanitarianism: Muslim Aid and the United Methodist Committee on Relief

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Trans-Faith Humanitarianism Muslim Aid and the
United Methodist Committee on Relief
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Context (1)

• A 60 increase in the number of humanitarian
  crises/complex political emergencies over the
  last 10 years in comparison to the previous
  decade
• Humanitarian disasters will continue to occur
  with greater frequency and with greater ferocity
  
• (Source speech by Gareth Thomas MP, Minister
  of State for International Development to the
  Executive Committee of the United Nations High
  Commission for Refugees, 7 October 2008).

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Context (2)

• International NGOs channel an estimated US29 bn.
  per annum in emergency or humanitarian aid and
  faith-based organisations feature prominently
  among their numbers (Riddell 2007 xv 316)
• For instance, six of the 15 NGOs represented on
  the board which oversees the SPHERE Humanitarian
  Charter have an explicit faith-based ethos as do
  five of the 13 NGOs that constitute the (UK)
  Disasters Emergency Committee

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Sri Lanka and the Iconography of
Sinhalese-Buddhist Culture
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Map Muttur and the Surrounding Area
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Religious Institutions Provide Sanctuary An
Islamic College and Catholic Church in Muttur
where thousands took refuge, 2-4 August 2006.
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The Continuing Impact of the Conflict on
Civilians Damage to homes in Muttur from
artillery shells, rockets and gunfire still
evident in June 2008
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The Krandi Rock Incident, 4 August 2006
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The 17 Action Contre La Faim staff murdered in
Muttur, 4 August 2006.
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Emergency Field Offices in mosque and Catholic
church to assist Muttur returnees
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UMCOR House Reconstruction in Muttur with UNCHR
support
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Muslim Aid

• Established in 1985
• Significant growth since 2004/05
• Estimated income of 24m in 2008
• Employs 1,217 staff in the UK and overseas
• Draws its values from the Quran and the Ahadith
• Politically, many of its Trustees influenced by
  the social justice agenda of Jamaat-e-Islami
  (Pakistan Bangladesh)
• Culturally, it remains close to Britains
  Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities

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The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

• Established in 1940
• 2007 income of US78 (39m as of 9.08)
• Employs 500 staff in the US and overseas
• Official organ of UMC GBGM
• Dual structure UMCOR UMCOR-NGO
• Draws inspiration from Bible and from Methodist
  doctrine (eg. Social Creed)
• Political context declining UMC membership and
  conservative v liberal tensions

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Successes to date

• Sri Lanka On-going multi-sectoral response to
  the Muttur Emergency
• Sri Lanka New cooperation around nationwide
  inter-faith and pro-peace community mobilisation
  and advocacy
• Bangladesh 2,000 school kits for children
  affected by cyclone Sidr
• Lebanon 15,000 school kits to communities
  affected by Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

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Set Backs to Date

• July 2008 Israeli government lists Muslim Aid as
  a banned organisation gt disrupts plans to
  collaborate in Palestine and Israel
• Leadership changes in both organisations in 2008
  gt erosion of some of the earlier momentum

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Challenges

• Trans-faith partnerships generate concern and
  opposition among conservative elements of the
  faithful
• Conservative elements in beneficiary communities
  can be even more suspicious
• Trans-faith partnerships also give rise to
  tensions between hardware and software, or
  between tangibles (such as joints grants or
  projects) and intangibles (such as personal
  relationships and inter-organisational knowledge)

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Lessons

• Faith-based humanitarian agencies have an
  important role to play in responding to natural
  disasters and conflicts, in significant part
  because of the trust vested by local communities
  in local religious institutions and leaders
• FBOs have a significant ability to mobilise
  volunteers and other forms of support on the
  basis of their distinct values and resultant
  links to local communities

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Lessons (cont.)

• FBOs often provide a vital response to instances
  of state failure during conflicts and natural
  disasters
• Partnerships among FBOs across cultural and
  religious boundaries can undermine
  cross-community tensions that stimulate conflict
  and provide a model of inter-faith cooperation