With only a month to go until the holy month of Ramadan, the faith-inspired charity, Islamic Relief UK today begins its pre-Ramadan campaign, with appeals focusing on providing relief to vulnerable communities at home and abroad.
This year’s Ramadan campaign will be split into three strands, with the Pre-Ramadan stage of the campaign focusing on the beliefs of Muslim people and the beliefs that Islamic Relief holds dear. It uses the slogan: We Believe.
From 11 March – 11 April, the pre-Ramadan campaign will highlight the work that the Charity supported last year; it will reassure supporters and potential supporters that if they donate to Islamic Relief, their funds will reach people in need and will be spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. By donating to Islamic Relief, supporters have the opportunity to help people in up to 37 countries. Last year, the charity assisted 13.8 million people.
As part of the pre-Ramadan campaign, supporters will receive a poster with the message, We Believe, reminding us to continue to have faith and not to despair in these trying times. Islamic Relief UK encourages supporters who receive the direct mail and the poster to display it in their windows, or at their local mosque, as a sign of solidarity with those suffering around the world.
This year, Islamic Relief UK will also be hosting a variety of events during Ramadan. The award winning Cake Campaign, which was put on hold in 2020, will return in April 2021 along with a Ramadan quiz on the Islam Channel. There will be a virtual mosque on the website, where you can find a prayer timetable and some duas, and children’s resources and information on how to have an Eco-Ramadan. There will also be more new content on Islamic Relief UK’s new TikTok channel and a podcast launching later this month.
Ramadan is a time when Muslims are more charitable, often supporting their community through an obligatory religious levy, zakat*. In 2020, Islamic Relief helped over 13.8 million people worldwide, and this Ramadan will be an opportunity to show donors and supporters exactly why their donations are essential.
Islamic Relief UK’s Ramadan campaign will continue through the holy month, finishing in early June with a post-Ramadan campaign containing messages of thanks to those who have chosen to support the charity.
Zia Salik, the interim Director of Islamic Relief UK said:
“When we talk to our supporters about our international work, we normally ask them to imagine what it must be like to live in a developing country where there is poverty and poor health- we ask them to put themselves in the shoes of others; to feel their suffering. Over the last year, we really have lived some of the experiences of others. We too have suffered poor health and some of us have experienced increased poverty as we have lost jobs or businesses or been put on furlough. To a certain extent, we have suffered as others normally suffer.
“Of course we should worry about ourselves, but throughout all our own suffering, our faith teaches us not to forget to feel for others. We need to come together to feel as one. When someone else aches, we should ache too. We believe in Allah and we believe in responding as one to the suffering of our brothers and sisters.”
