Executive Director of the British “Action for Humanity” Foundation, Othman Muqbil, said that the interaction of British society with the Palestinian issue was very great, and this was reflected in the size of the demonstrations that took place throughout the country denouncing the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
He added – in exclusive statements to Manhattan Tribune Net – that the number of non-Muslim Britons who participated in these demonstrations was between 80 and 90% of the participants, and that 76% of Britons supported the Palestinian cause, which put political pressure on party officials and voting rates in Parliament.
He also stressed that the main obstacle to relief aid for this besieged sector is the opening of the crossings and the entry of supplies, and not the amount of money or the availability of goods because they are piled up outside the sector and are not allowed to enter.
And the details of the statements..
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How much charity work is there in Britain?
The culture of charitable work has been rooted in British society for hundreds of years, as there are about 170,000 charitable institutions, including about 3,000 Islamic institutions, and the volume of charitable work funds in general is about 45 billion pounds sterling. These institutions work to cover the government budget deficit and meet needs in Britain and around the world.
Britain has a very smart system with regard to the tax system, as this money is directed directly to charitable work instead of going to fill the deficit in the government budget. Donations to charitable organizations are not deducted from the accounts of their payers, as they are the right of the state, which in turn directs them all to charitable work.
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Do laws in Britain encourage charitable work?
I have 25 years of experience in charitable work, and I say with confidence that Britain is one of the very developed countries with regard to charitable work, and its laws are fair and equal, which encourages the prosperity of this field, and the freedom to establish charitable institutions is open to all.
The matter here depends on adhering to the laws in force in the country, like any other work. Charitable work has its own laws that those who work in this field must adhere to, and not deviate from these frameworks. There is no doubt that “terrorism” laws and laws related to money transfer sometimes affect the growth of this sector.
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What funding sources do you rely on?
We rely on two aspects for our financing:
- aFor the first localIt comes from the community, which is direct donations through the activities and events that we carry out, and these donations come from Muslims – which is the majority – or from others. There is also the state itself, which gives charities direct funds instead of deducting them in the form of taxes.
- The second side It depends on the partnerships we establish with other institutions.
For example, we are now working in Gaza on the ground, and we have our own team that is carrying out its role there until today, but there are some charitable institutions that want to support the sector with relief aid, but they cannot reach there, so we are performing this role for them, and we currently have partnerships with many Institutions.
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Speaking of Gaza…what is the extent of British society’s reaction to the aggression against it?
The interaction of the masses in Britain – Muslims and non-Muslims – with the Palestinian issue was very large, and was reflected in the marches that we have witnessed in British cities in general since the first week of the war on Gaza. The number of Muslims in these cities may be 10 to 15%, while the number of non-Muslims exceeds them. Sometimes between 80 and 90%.
This reflects the level of support for the Palestinian cause and (awareness of) the injustice to which the Palestinians are exposed. We appreciate that these people share with us their love for justice and peace, especially in the Arab region and in the issue of Palestine in particular.
A poll conducted by an opinion poll showed that 76% of Britons support the Palestinian cause, and believe that what is happening in this war is a great injustice to the Palestinian people.
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Has this support been reflected in the amount of aid received by Islamic institutions?
There is no doubt that this support was reflected in the volume of donations, and I believe that there is a fair amount of donations from non-Muslim individuals, as many non-Islamic institutions also work for the benefit of Palestine and receive significant aid from non-Muslims. I think it also received significant aid to Palestine.
It was also reflected in the positions of politicians in the recent period, due to the pressure of these masses and their influence in the upcoming elections, which led to a change in the political opinions of some of them, and this was evident in the vote within Parliament on the ceasefire in Gaza.
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Are there any obstacles to this aid reaching Gaza?
The most important obstacle now is how to bring relief supplies into the Gaza Strip, especially from the Rafah crossing. Many British and other institutions have aid stored outside the Strip and cannot enter, and what entered during the last truce period was the United Nations, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and the Red Crescent. Palestinian.
As for our organization, and by virtue of our presence on the ground in Gaza for a long time, we depend on what is available in the local market, which facilitates our ability to deliver aid to the residents of the Strip, and this market brings goods – mostly – from the West Bank and Jerusalem, and these areas are now closed, What is already present in the sector may only be enough for two or three days.
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What are your plans for humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip after the killing of thousands, the destruction of infrastructure, and the prolonged siege?
We plan to work in the sector on two issues:
- The first is immediateThe fire must first be stopped permanently in order to provide the urgent relief required, in terms of food, clean water, medical tools and fuel, so that the population can continue to live.
It is also necessary to end the siege and open the crossings unconditionally. Before the war, about 500 trucks entered the Gaza Strip daily, and at the time of the truce, only 50 trucks entered it daily, and of course during the days of war nothing enters it, and you can imagine the extent of the suffering that the Strip is experiencing. With this reality.
- The second issue is futureAfter this aggression, Gaza needs reconstruction, and our projects in the Strip were primarily a long-term strategy, represented in rebuilding schools and providing farmers with water wells or drinking water desalination projects. We will return to all of these projects when the opportunity is available after the ceasefire.
