By: Kimberly Rodrigues
On the eve of Ramadan last week leading British Muslim Charities and philanthropists from across the country were invited to Downing Street to celebrate the hundreds of millions of pounds donated by British Muslims to support some of the most vulnerable communities in the UK and abroad.
The round table was chaired by the newly appointed Faith Minister, Baroness Scott. The Minister was keen to hear about the work the Muslim charities were doing across the country and the challenges they faced.
The Muslim Charities Forum, an umbrella organisation that represents all the largest Muslim charities in the UK, who attended the roundtable, highlighted that the British Muslim community in the UK donates over five hundred million each year to charity, of which one hundred and fifty million is donated just in the month of Ramadan.
Many of the guests highlighted the importance that over sixty percentage of the attendees of the roundtable were women including Muslims from different ethnic and theological backgrounds.
The strengthen in depth of Muslim women in leadership positions was highlighted in the round table by the attendance of the first Muslim women chief executives of both a national and international Muslim charity who attended this historic event.
The Minister of Faith expressed gratitude towards British Muslims and Charities for their commendable efforts in the UK and overseas. The Minister has also taken steps to explore ways in which the Government can provide support to address several challenges faced by these communities.
These challenges include high banking costs, inadequate support for faith-based mental health services, and strategies for collaboration between faith-based charities, philanthropists, and the Government to aid their levelling up plans.
