While their contributions haven’t been spotlighted much in the mainstream media, Arabs and Muslims around the world have quietly coordinated numerous efforts to help the country of Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that hit on January 12.

Four-year-old Haitian boy Pierre-Stephane drinks some water as he waits for his treatment from B-FAST (Belgian First Aid and Support Team) at a makeshift hospital in a suburb of Port-au-Prince January 20, 2010. A new earthquake shook the devastated Haitian capital on Wednesday morning, creating panic among survivors of last week’s devastating quake camped out in the streets but apparently causing no new destruction. The powerful 6.1 magnitude aftershock at daybreak sent shrieking Haitians running away from buildings and walls in the shattered city fearing a repeat of the magnitude 7 earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people eight days ago.                          REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

The aid was expected to come at a critical time as an estimated 1.5 million people remain homeless in the country.
Among Arab countries expected to send immediate donations were Jordan, Lebanon, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Morocco.

Preliminary estimates for Arab countries indicated that Bahrain, Kuwait and Morocco all planned to donate $1 million each totals by various sources, with Kuwait’s donation coming through its Red Crescent Society, a Muslim humanitarian relief organization. Jordan sent a Royal Air Force plane carrying a mobile field hospital and six tons of food, medicine and clothing, while the Lebanon Daily Star reported that medical and media teams along with 35 tons of supplies were expected to be sent from Beirut on Tuesday, January 19. Qatar was also expected to mobilize a 26-man rescue team while sending 50 tons of aid according to Arabianbusiness.com.

Despite recent financial troubles in the area, the United Arab Emirates is also well-represented. A Red Crescent authority team from the UAE was expected to land in the neighboring Dominican Republic on January 19 with $500,000 worth of food supplies, adding to two earlier planes full of supplies that were dispatched. An additional 50 tons of emergency supplies were also scheduled to arrive from the UAE’s Khalifa Bin Zayed Charity Foundation.

And while Iran is not considered an Arab country, the Islamic Republic’s initial contribution of 30 tons of supplies was a welcome gift.

U.S. Muslim, Arab Christian charities answer the call

Leading the way among U.S. Muslim charity organizations were Islamic Relief USA, based in Virginia, and Southfield-based Muslim charity Life for Relief and Development (Life) in partnership with the Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Charity (MBRMC).

Islamic Relief, in cooperation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, originally announced a $1 million fund to help deliver supplies, but upped the amount to $2.5 as the need in Haiti began to increase.

Islamic Relief USA ranks among the top 2.25 percent of charities in the country according to Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the U.S, after winning a prestigious four-star award for the sixth consecutive year.

Life and MBRMC’s first phase of their earthquake response sent $1.25 million in food, water, medicines, medical supplies, clothing and other emergency supplies to Haiti along with a relief team from the Southfield office to oversee their distribution.

“Part of our charter is to assist the poor around the world regardless of race or religion; that is in our mission and being a faith-based organization, charity is an important part of our faith,” said Mohammed Alomari, Chief Operating Officer of Life.

“We hope that we will be able to send additional assistance in stage two and whatever people can afford to donate will be urgently needed,” he said.

The Zakat Foundation in Illinois also planned to send $50,000 and 50 volunteers while local mosques such as the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights and the Islamic Center of America were also busy collecting donations for Haiti.

The I.M.A.M. organization of Dearborn also sent a press release offering thoughts and prayers to victims while urging donations to the Imamia Medics International organization out of New Jersey, which also plans to help.

Arab Christian organizations have also offered generous support, as local churches have collected funds to give to Christian Relief Services, which planned to donate $25 million total, and International Orthodox Christian Charities, which planned to give $170,000.

Also locally, Ed Deeb of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, said “We are working with Russ Russell of Forgotten Harvest and WJR Radio and are urging our members to help us by providing food, beverages, water, and medical supplies and other things that are needed.” The MFBA is also partnering with Cross International Foundation.

Palestine’s special gift

Perhaps the most noteworthy contribution from the Arab and Muslim worlds in the wake of the Haiti disaster was provided by the Palestinian Red Cross, as even citizens of the occupied territory of Gaza chipped in, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency and the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.

While the area’s citizens are still struggling to survive due to bombings and attacks from 2008-2009’s Operation Cast Lead, monetary donations to the Red Cross were given. Despite the difficulty of getting items in and out of the heavily blockaded area, food, water, and toiletries were also collected along with gifts of toys and sweets from local children.

“People may be astonished at our ability to collect donations from our people (in Gaza); we tell them that this is a humanitarian campaign and our people love life and peace,” said Jamal Al-Khudary, head of the Committee to Break the Siege, to Ha’aretz.

“We are here today supporting the victims of Haiti; we feel for them the most because we were exposed to our own earthquake during Israel’s war on Gaza.”