Radical Islam disguised as charity holds events in Catalonia without hindrance.
Islamic Relief promotes its ideology through events in Reus and Lleida. It is an illegal organisation in Egypt and the UAE due to links with terrorism.
Reus call-up poster
National Police
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The management of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has repeatedly denied any links to illicit activities or terrorism. However, security reports at various times have pointed to possible connections with radical groups.
The accusations against Islamic Relief come mainly from anti-Islamist governments such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates: they consider the organisation to be linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that they have classified as terrorist.
These countries have banned Islamic Relief and placed it on their blacklists, alleging that it finances extremist groups. Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany have investigated the organisation but have never presented conclusive evidence.
The leader of Islamic Relief and the Yazidi genocide
In November 2020, Hany El Banna, founder of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), referred to the Yazidis as «devil worshippers» in a conference. The Yazidis are a religious minority in Iraq, Syria and Turkey persecuted by ISIS and other Islamic radicals.
Banna later apologised, stating that his words had been «an unfortunate choice» and that he intended to promote tolerance and support for Yazidis and other groups affected by jihadism.
This incident occurred at a time when Islamic Relief was already under scrutiny in Germany and the United Kingdom over other controversies related to antisemitic comments and support for groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood by members of its leadership.
The German government announced in 2020 that it was ceasing to fund the NGO because of its links to the Sunni Islamist organisation the Muslim Brotherhood and the antisemitic comments made by members of IRW's board of directors.
For example, the board member and director of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), Heshmat Khalifa, resigned from the board after posts on his social media came to light in which he referred to Jews as «monkeys» and pigs' offspring.".
The acts of‘Islamic Relief in Catalonia
During February 2025, Islamic Relief organised pre-Ramadan parties in various Catalan cities such as Reus, Lleida and Girona.
These activities aim to combine solidarity with deep spiritual preparation for Muslim believers before the start of Ramadan.
Lleida call-out poster
Catalan funding to Islamic Relief
According to an article published in La Gaceta on 26 February 2025, the Esplugues de Llobregat Town Council, governed by the PSC, has awarded grants totalling €29,000 to the NGO Islamic Relief over the past three years.
The grants were allocated across different annual calls: €10,000 in both 2022 and 2023, and €9,000 in 2021. The aim of these grants was to support cooperation and development projects promoted by the NGO.
In Catalonia, Islamic Relief is becoming increasingly established, and there is concern that it may be spreading a radical vision of Islam disguised as humanitarian work.
These initiatives have sparked political debate, with parties such as VOX expressing concern about the NGO's possible influence in the spread of radical Islamism in Catalonia.
The same method as the Muslim Brothers
The Muslim Brotherhood they used the charity and social action as one of its main strategies to expand its influence and gain popular support, especially among the most disadvantaged classes. This approach is based on the idea that the The transformation of society must begin from the bottom up., helping those most in need through Islamic services that are alternative to those of the State.
Islamic Relief's activities follow the same pattern: they arrive where the state does not, in order to supplant it and gain support and political influence. They target the the most disadvantaged by offering them humanitarian aid, education, healthcare and financial support in the name of Islamic solidarity.
Through this charitable network, they not only meet basic needs but also promote their ideology and reinforce community ties based on political Islam.
The same method as the Muslim Brothers
Islamic Relief volunteers in Valencia helping those affected by the DANA
Volunteers from Islamic Relief assisted with the clean-up of affected areas, including the parish of San Jorge Mártir in Paiporta.
These charitable actions aim not only to help the victims but also to raise their profile, clean up the image of the religious organisation and provide reasons to continue receiving numerous grants from Western public authorities.
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