LONDON: Islamic philanthropy raised a record $46 million for nearly 2 million refugees and internally displaced people across 23 countries in 2023, according to a report by the UN agency for refugees, the UNHCR, released this week.
The rise represented a 20 percent growth from the previous year’s contributions, Monday’s report added.
Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen emerged as the primary beneficiaries of these donations, made through zakat and sadaqah, also known as obligatory and voluntary donations in Islam.
Notably, Lebanon was recognized for hosting the highest refugee population per capita globally.
Syria’s ongoing crisis has uprooted over 12 million people from their homes. Meanwhile, Yemen continues to endure a severe humanitarian crisis.
The UNHCR disclosed that its received funding in 2023 covered less than half of its worldwide budgetary needs, underscoring the vital importance of such donations.
“This month is traditionally characterized by moments of joy, of gratitude, of family, of communal gatherings around the Ramadan table. Yet, escalating and brutal violence around the world has deprived countless families of moments like these,” Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, said.
“I think of the millions of Sudanese refugees who have been forced to experience Ramadan away from home … of those displaced in Yemen, the enduring plight of Syrian, Afghan, Rohingya, and other refugees,” he added.
