Being an avid Islamic Relief donor for years, when I noticed the salaries of the CEOs in the past couple of years, it just didn't sit well with me. Thank you for taking the time to do the research for us, I will probably cease my donations to Islamic Relief and choose a different avenue for donations, unless they clean up their act. Extremely disappointed that what I was suspecting is actually true to a degree.
May 2, 2022·edited May 2, 2022Liked by Ahmed Shaikh
Jazak Allahu Khayran for this article.
I see no religiously valid reason to give zakat to IRUSA. The same goals can be accomplished (and even more, as less $ are spent on admin) by donating to Islamic Relief Worldwide (the UK organization).
Interestingly, IRUSA admits as much in its answer to question 8 in its webpage: "https://irusa.org/admin-explained/" Basically, it says the only reason to give to IRUSA as opposed to Islamic Relief Worldwide is that US taxpayers can get a tax deduction.
Now, getting a tax deduction is nice, but that is not the purpose of giving zakat. And we should not be picking zakat recipient simply because we can get nice tax deductions. I'm guessing the best zakat is to give cash to one's poor neighbors. We certainly won't get tax deductions doing that!
Ahmed, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.
I searched exactly what you searched "Uplift Charity" and I did not get any IRUSA Ad links at all. I believe they showed up because you are signed in and Google probably tracked your history as you researched Islamic Relief. Try searching using incognito mode and see what comes up.
You mention that they spend on advertising - are you arguing that charities shouldn't ? How else will charities reach new or existing donors ?
Being an avid Islamic Relief donor for years, when I noticed the salaries of the CEOs in the past couple of years, it just didn't sit well with me. Thank you for taking the time to do the research for us, I will probably cease my donations to Islamic Relief and choose a different avenue for donations, unless they clean up their act. Extremely disappointed that what I was suspecting is actually true to a degree.
Jazak Allahu Khayran for this article.
I see no religiously valid reason to give zakat to IRUSA. The same goals can be accomplished (and even more, as less $ are spent on admin) by donating to Islamic Relief Worldwide (the UK organization).
Interestingly, IRUSA admits as much in its answer to question 8 in its webpage: "https://irusa.org/admin-explained/" Basically, it says the only reason to give to IRUSA as opposed to Islamic Relief Worldwide is that US taxpayers can get a tax deduction.
Now, getting a tax deduction is nice, but that is not the purpose of giving zakat. And we should not be picking zakat recipient simply because we can get nice tax deductions. I'm guessing the best zakat is to give cash to one's poor neighbors. We certainly won't get tax deductions doing that!
Very useful info. JAK. How about Panney Appeal USA?
AssalamuAlaikum Brother. Jazakallah khair for your efforts with this article. Question: Is this the same for Islamic Relief elsewhere, i.e. Canada?
Could you please provide an alternative to IRUSA that works with least expensive costs and in proper adherence with Islamic Jurisprudence?
Ahmed, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.
I searched exactly what you searched "Uplift Charity" and I did not get any IRUSA Ad links at all. I believe they showed up because you are signed in and Google probably tracked your history as you researched Islamic Relief. Try searching using incognito mode and see what comes up.
You mention that they spend on advertising - are you arguing that charities shouldn't ? How else will charities reach new or existing donors ?