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ISLAMIC RELIEF
Islamic Relief Scotland raises £85,000 at Glasgow Fundraiser
02/02/08


SHAAM perform for the guests

ISLAMIC Relief in Scotland has raised a staggering £85,000 to fund emergency aid to the people of Gaza.




Huge attendance

The competition was an unqualified success with many quality entries being received. Winners have now been chosen, and their story was reported in a Scottish local newspaper. Below is the story. To read the story direct at the newspapers website, please click here


 
 
  Gaza
“Let us not forget that so many of our fellow human beings in Gaza are without food, water, electricity, access to medicines and so many of life's basic essentials."
 

Helping the people of Gaza
The money raised will help provide vital clean water, food, warm clothing, and medicines to vulnerable Gazan families living under the current fuel blockade.

Habib Malik, chief fundraiser for Islamic Relief in Scotland spoke of his delight at the turnout and the amount of money donated by supporters.

“We had less than four weeks to organise the gala dinner so it is a real success to have so many hundreds of people come out in support of this cause.  Business people gave, as well as families, and individuals right down to children who donated their pocket money.

We are once again humbled by the generosity of our supporters, and by the good work of our volunteers without whom we could not have run such a successful event.  It also sends a very important message to the people of Gaza.  They feel the world has turned its back on their suffering but this will let them know that in Scotland, we care about their suffering and offer them our support and help.”




Scottish Politicians Support Gaza
Habib’s message was echoed by Scotland’s Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon who stressed the suffering of the Palestinian children in Gaza was unjustifiable.  She said:

“Let us not forget that so many of our fellow human beings in Gaza are without food, water, electricity, access to medicines and so many of life's basic essentials.  And to add to their misery, they have had to endure in the last few days, yet another Israeli assault.  I heard Prime Minister Olmert say this morning that Israel would not let up against the terrorists.  Our message to him tonight should be that Palestinian children are not terrorists - they are innocent civilians and they do not deserve to be blown to death.
 
“Tonight we are here to raise funds for the relief effort - to do what little we can to ease the suffering of Palestine.  But we are also here to do something else; to make our voice heard and to demand justice for Palestine.  It is time for a change of policy in the interests of peace, justice and freedom for Palestine."

Other politicians offering their support to the event included Mohammad Sarwar MP, Pauline McNeill MSP, Frank McAveety MSP, and Bashir Ahmad MSP.

Fundraiser shares his experiences of Gaza

Islamic Relief’s Zaid Al-Rawni also focused on the plight of Gazan children as he showed video footage of the suffering he witnessed first hand as part of an emergency aid team who visited Gaza recently.

Zaid said the situation is the worst he has encountered in his years of visiting war and disaster zones around the world; describing the atmosphere as one of ‘tense despair’ where people are enduring ‘sub-human’ living conditions.  He said:

“It’s damp and bitterly cold there at this time of year, but the homes have no heating or windows as they have been blasted out during bomb raids.  The first home we visited was that of an old lady looking after a 12-year-old disabled child, she hadn’t eaten for days in order to give him what little she had.”

High prices for goods

The latest crisis to hit Gaza has seen prices for commodities skyrocket due to the blockade.  The lack of power supplies and fuel has led to intense hardship including impacting on the water supplies and sanitation system.  This has left many streets on this densely populated strip of land running with sewage.  Food is also in short supply, and Gazans are having to endure the cold winter temperatures without access to heating.

Children suffering

The children in particular are experiencing immense turmoil and surveys show they are suffering from high levels of depression, anxiety, and insomnia with 90 percent of Palestinian children unable to believe that their parents can protect them. Zaid also said: “I asked one child what he thinks of when he hears the planes flying over Gaza and night and the sound of the bombs falling; he said I just wonder who won’t be at school tomorrow.”

Islamic Relief £5 million appeal

Islamic Relief launched a £5 million appeal for Gaza on January 22, which has reached the kind hearts and minds of both individuals and institutions who have been donating generously over recent weeks but the need is still huge and the appeal has not yet reached its target.

How to help

You can donate quickly and safely to any of Islamic Relief’s global aid and development projects by three methods; firstly by clicking here to donate online. Alternatively, you can call our UK-based call centre on 0800 520 0000 to speak to one of our fully-trained agents. You can also post your donation to Islamic Relief.

A little help goes a long way

Every little helps; remember that what is a small amount to you could possibly feed an entire family for a week, maybe even a month. There is no such thing as ‘too little’ so please reach into your pockets and give generously.
Registered Charity No.328158