DETROIT – Life for Relief and Development held a fundraiser for the refugees of the armed conflict in Fallujah, Iraq on Saturday, March 8, at the Islamic Center of Detroit.

About 150 people attended the event and donated more than $17,000. The organization had raised $7,000 for the same cause after Friday prayer at the Salam Mosque in Dearborn the previous day.

The conflict in Anbar Province started at the end of last year after clashes between the Iraqi army and Islamist militants, who captured Fallujah, the capital of the province. 

A U.N. report stated in January that 140,000 people fled their homes in Anbar, adding that the refugee crisis as the worst since the peak of sectarian violence from 2006 to 2008.

“Life” is a non-profit Islamic humanitarian organization. It was founded in 1992 by Arab American professionals in response to the humanitarian crisis that ensued in Iraq after the first Gulf War.

Mohammed Alomari, the president of “Life,” stressed the severity of the crisis in Anbar.  He said 80 percent of the people of Fallujah have left their homes due to the “bad situation” and military battles in the city. 

He explained that Iraqis cannot use their government-sponsored food aid cards outside their cities, which adds to the refugees’ suffering. 

Alomari said “Life” has started a national campaign in the United States to raise money for its offices in Erbil Province in northern Iraq, which became a temporary home for thousands of refugees from Fallujah.  

“Life” president highlighted the contributions of the organization. He said over 22 years, the charity donated more than $300 million to people in need around the world, including Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ghana and the United States.