Experts, academics and humanitarian leaders gather to explore how Islamic philanthropy and humanitarian policy can address the urgent needs of displaced women.
Experts, academics and humanitarian leaders gather to explore how Islamic philanthropy can be integrated into humanitarian policy to address the urgent needs of displaced women.
On 8–9 September, the University of Birmingham and Indiana University co-hosted an international symposium titled ‘Gender, Displacement, and Islamic Philanthropy: Advancing Humanitarian Innovation’.
The symposium addressed how integrating Islamic philanthropy into policy and humanitarian discourse and strategy can improve humanitarian work, particularly for displaced women. It brought together leading scholars, policymakers, and humanitarian practitioners from organisations including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), International Committee of the Red Cross, Islamic Relief, Qatar Charity, and Muslim Aid.
This symposium is a milestone in advancing inclusive frameworks that bridge humanitarian practice and Islamic philanthropy to improve outcomes for women.
The event was convened by the Making Aid Work for Displaced Women project, led by Dr Sandra Pertek at the University of Birmingham, and the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI), led by Dr Shariq Siddiqui at Indiana University.
Dr Pertek said: “With over half of the world’s forcibly displaced people residing in Muslim-majority countries it makes sense to examine how Islamic giving traditions, such as zakat (obligatory charity), sadaqah (voluntary charity), and waqf (endowment), can be integrated into humanitarian policy to address the urgent needs of displaced people, especially women, who are disproportionately affected by violence, exclusion, and exploitation.
“Displaced women face unique vulnerabilities that require both gender-sensitive and faith-sensitive responses. This symposium is a milestone in advancing inclusive frameworks that bridge humanitarian practice and Islamic philanthropy to improve outcomes for women.”
The two-day event, which took place at the Edgbaston Park Hotel, featured keynote speeches, expert panels, research presentations, and interactive workshops which aimed to bridge mainstream humanitarian approaches with Islamic philanthropic frameworks to better support displaced women facing crises worldwide.
"By harnessing Islamic social finance, we can help ensure women and families in crisis have access to education, healthcare, and opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity and resilience.”
Dr Aisha Al-Ayafi, Director of Humanitarian Affairs Department, OIC General Secretariat said: “Empowering displaced women is a humanitarian and moral imperative. By harnessing Islamic social finance, we can help ensure women and families in crisis have access to education, healthcare, and opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity and resilience.”
“By integrating Islamic philanthropy into humanitarian strategies, we can create more inclusive and effective solutions that honour faith, empower displaced women, and foster global collaboration for lasting change,” said Said Sheik-Abdi, Head of IOM’s Islamic Philanthropy Unit.
Building on the symposium’s success, follow-up launch of policy dialogues roundtable workshops will be held in Geneva on 28 October 2025 and Doha on 20 January 2026, where policy brief and key outcomes from the symposium will be presented.
The aim of the roundtable workshops is to launch a policy dialogue aimed at strengthening the role of Muslim humanitarian organisations in shaping global aid systems, with women and families at the centre of the response. They will also focus on developing a practical guidance document and faith-based framework that sets minimum standards for how Islamic giving can better support displaced women.
The longer-term goal is to initiate high profile global conversation to coordinate and mobilise humanitarian efforts to deliver more effective and inclusive outcomes for women affected by displacement.
For more information, please contact the University of Birmingham press office or call +44 (0) 121 414 2772.
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the School of Government and School of Social Policy and Society
Dr Sandra Pertek is a Research Fellow in the School of Government, University of Birmingham
