Ramadan is well known as the month where Muslims around the world spend their days fasting. This year, Muslims fasted for a staggering 16 hours each day. What many people don’t know is that besides fasting, Ramadan is also known for the amount of charity Muslims perform at home and around the world.

Task Force GLM (TFGLM) is the humanitarian arm of Green Lane Masjid. It is made up of volunteers from the professional sector, who work closely with NGO charity partners, Islamic Relief UK and One Ummah, to oversee the distribution of aid, at home and abroad.

This Ramadan, supported by the local Muslim community, they raised just over £1,000,000 – a record for TFGLM!

In one TV fundraiser on Islam Channel, over £140,000 was raised and pledged for TFGLM’s bread factory and malnutrition projects, in Syria and Yemen respectively.

The bread factory provides bread twice a day for over 28,000 individuals. That’s over 11 tonnes of flour baked daily! Bread is a staple food for the Syrians and an essential part of their diet.

For the malnutrition project, thousands of malnourished children are given life-saving nutritional food known as ‘Plumpy-Nut’. This is a form of fortified peanut butter-like paste, to support rapid weight gain. It is a vital meal for malnourished children who are on the brink of death. The paste is used for children who need high calorific intake, but are unable to absorb normal food due to their critical condition.

The team made two overseas deployments over Ramadan. One deployment involved them flying out to refugee camps along the border with Syria, where they personally helped to cook hot meals for the fasting refugees while campaigning for aid. Food parcels containing a month’s supply of food were handed out to over 200 families.

“The smiles on the faces of the children while we served them hot food was golden!”, exclaimed Liakat Younis, Project Manager for TFGLM. “They had heard we were coming and gathered to meet us. We handed out tons of sweets that day and every day while we were there!”

Humayun Saleem, Head of Fundraising commented,

“To be able help these people who live in isolated areas and in dire conditions, is a God-given blessing. It is incredibly heart-warming and fulfilling to share the spirit of giving in Ramadan with them, and to reassure them that the help of God is ever near.”

Ramadan 2022 also saw two radio appeals on Unity FM, a local Birmingham radio station with UK wide coverage. The first appeal raised almost £30,000 for the Syria bread factory. The second appeal raised almost £20,000 for children in Yemen to buy the aforementioned Plumpy-Nut paste.

Over the past year, there has also been a conscious effort by the Task Force to focus on UK projects too. In July 2021, following Eid al-Adha, through our local Qurbani project, the team distributed more than 100 kilograms of fresh meat to Zakat-eligible Muslims and non-Muslim Food Bank users. Dozens of families received fresh meat as part of the Eid celebrations!

Kamran Hussain, Chief Executive of Green Lane Masjid said:

“Our Task Force is one of the flagship projects of Green Lane Masjid. This year they have gone above and beyond in serving the local community in the UK, as well as international recipients. Many people were desperate and suffering in a period where people’s needs had been compounded by the aftermath of Covid. Having a team of dedicated volunteers, who have been using their experience from their day jobs and industry to establish key projects, has been a God-send!”

Ramadan has shown, and continues to show the generosity of the Muslim community.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that Allah/God says:

“Spend in charity, O son of Adam, and I will spend on you.”

Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre

Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre is a leading UK mosque situated in the heart of Birmingham serving the community since 1979. Operating from its award-winning grade II listed Victorian building, GLMCC fulfils its mission of inspiring, educating and serving through its educational college, outreach work, welfare services, international humanitarian wing, as well as its fully functional mosque, which is attended by thousands every week.

For more information about our work and services visit: www.greenlanemasjid.org

Or access our annual report at: 2020 Annual Report