Islam and Refugees

This paper analyses the experience of Islamic Relief in working with and for refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).  Although much relief work is carried out by faith-based organisations worldwide, and although religious identity is often an important factor in understanding communities, little work hasbeen done to examine the work of faith-based organisations in the field of refugee assistance.  This paper attempts to fill part of that gap by examining the work of Islamic Relief as a faith-based organisation providing assistance to refugees and IDPs in multiple and diverse contexts. The investigation concludes that in many cases Islamic Relief has an advantage over secular, Western and non-Muslim faith-based organisations in working with Muslim communities.  However, in certain contexts, being identified as a ‘Muslim organisation’ may also complicate the experience of gaining entry into communities, especially with regard to local authorities and other international NGOs. 

This investigation also explores Islamic notions of migration and the provision of assistance to refugees. The issue of forced migration has a particular resonance within Islam, especially in view of the fact that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was himself a refugee who fled Mecca with his followers in order to escape persecution in 622.  This event, known as the Hijra, actually marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.  The refugees who fled Mecca at that time are given an honoured place in the Qur’an and are known as Muhajirun.  Furthermore, those people who gave them a good reception are also highly respected and are known as the Ansar, or supporters, of the Prophet and his followers. It should also be mentioned that Muslims fleeing religious persecution in Mecca were advised by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to travel to Abyssinia where they sought and received sanctuary from the Christian ruler Negus. The story of the Hijra itself and its centrality in terms of the foundations of the faith indicates the importance given to the concept of the protection of refugees and the provision of asylum in Islam.

Islamic law or Shariah affirms the practice of providing sanctuary to persecuted persons and the sacredness of some places, such as the Kaaba in Mecca. Anyone who sought refuge in a mosque or in the home of a companion of the Prophet Muhammad was safe and secure. However, asylum according to Shariah law is not confined to sacred places – it is also granted in homes and communal places designated to be under the protection of Islam. Asylum should be provided without discriminating between free persons and those who are enslaved, rich and poor, men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims.