Workshops
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Between 2005 and 2006, Islamic Relief, Oxfam and the British Red Cross initiated workshops in thirteen countries, involving more than a thousand organisations, and creating friendships and partnerships which are standing the test of time. These events were held because it seemed vital to give local NGOs the chance to voice their opinions and concerns. The mission was to create a neutral, non-threatening space for dialogue, and to find ways to integrate Muslim development organisations into the international dialogue.
What we created from the workshops was an unprecedented and highly specialised body of research, which highlighted the voices of local actors and got to the heart of concerns in countries from South Africa to Syria.
We found that the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks had deeply affected humanitarian and development projects - both Muslim and non-Muslim. Many Muslim organisations had been closed down and had had their funds sequestered. Even though many were found innocent of any wrongdoing, the intense media scrutiny and the time lapse caused by lengthy investigations have made it virtually impossible for many of them to get back on their feet.
Meanwhile, this general feeling of mistrust had a knock-on effect for international NGOs, who began to be seen as extensions of the military operations in their countries. It was becoming ever-clearer from our research that trust had been severely damaged on all sides.
Another big issue we found across many countries was that small organisations were struggling with organisational and governance capacity. The struggle for transparency and accountability was again alienating well-intentioned organisations from the humanitarian community, donors and governments.
We realised that many humanitarian organisations felt disconnected from the global humanitarian and development community. And we saw a unique opportunity to highlight their very specific concerns and questions to some international organisations and to the world in general.
