Muslim Humanitarian Initiative

Along with others in the humanitarian, development, and aid ecosystem, American Muslim civil society organizations are witnessing profound transformations in their sector. While some of these stem from new domestic and international political realities, many are caused by polarizing forces that inhibit collaboration, fuel mistrust, and exacerbate social anxieties. American Muslim non-profit actors, donors, and those working with them are now forced to respond to this new cultural environment, while navigating an unstable regulatory terrain.

Building on a previous ACGIS effort focused on Islam & Humanitarianism, the Muslim Humanitarian Initiative (MHI) explores the new challenges, risks, and opportunities facing those operating in Muslim aid, development, and philanthropic contexts. It does so first by exploring the current context from a practitioner-centered perspective and understanding how first-hand, direct field experience can translate into deeper insight for the sector at large. It also draws upon academic and policy research relevant not just to Muslim aid issues, but to the fields of philanthropy, non-profit practice, and development at large. Taken together the project seeks the following:

1. To explore, contextualize, and assess new risks facing stakeholders operating in Muslim contexts and in doing so, create a preliminary inventory of risk mitigation frameworks for the sector. 
   
   
2. To create learning hubs and incubation labs in the areas of strategic governance, innovative charitable finance, narrative strategy.
   
   
3. To provide a neutral platform for knowledge exchange, dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving among stakeholders, sector actors, and scholars to address the space's shared challenges.

The program accomplishes these goals through periodic publications, in-person and virtual convenings, and public engagement activities. Its inaugural report, New Risks, New Solutions: Building Collective Resilience for Muslim Non-Profits, Donors, and Partners can be found below. For more information on the project or to get involved, contact ACGIS Senior Research Fellow Abbas Barzegar (abarzega@gmu.edu).