Eid Aid

Eid Aid is about supporting the common good through charitable donations from the Muslim Community which will be distributed as welfare support during the time of Eid.

Eid refers to the two festival holidays which happen in the Islamic year. One takes place at the end of Ramadan (a month of fasting), known as Eid ul Fitr; and the other after the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), called Eid ul Adha. They are joyous and celebratory occasions. Each of these Eid’s have an inherent charitable dimension to them, where Muslims are required to donate money or food to those in need prior to starting their festivities. 

Where the idea came from?

Large numbers of Muslims up and down the country are asking themselves the question: how can you truly experience joy when you know others living near you, regardless of their faith, are in dire need? This has given rise to a wide range of Muslim led outreach initiatives working on the basis that mercy is universal; charity begins at home; and the needy should be cared for. 

Eid is a time of joy for Muslims and we want to share the joy with others. Eid Aid is about mobilizing the Muslim community in the Liverpool city region to support the common good by helping local causes. These may be led directly by us or by others but to be clear the beneficiaries of Eid Aid will be universal and not confined to the Muslim community.

It is a little known fact that the Muslim community in the UK is exceedingly generous when it comes to charitable giving, despite large numbers living in relatively poor areas. According to reports in 2020, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan alone, Muslims in the UK donated approximately £150 million to charity. Eid Aid seeks to harness some of this potential as part of the commitment and contribution of British Muslims to wider society.

Why do we need Eid Aid now? 

The shocks to society and the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many people’s livelihoods and quality of life. Combined with the impact of rising food prices, living costs, fuel costs  there has been a drastic increase in poverty, resulting in people on the breadline. This is a concern to everyone, and we need to act now more than ever before, to provide much needed help and support to those who are most vulnerable and needy, regardless of their background, ethnicity, religion or race. At Eid Aid we hope to work with local partners from private, public, voluntary and faith sectors to help people in hardship and respond to welfare crises faced by communities across the Liverpool Region. 

Islam is a universal religion of compassion and kindness towards the whole of humanity, and we would like to engage with diverse communities which due to what is happening in the world, is constantly changing. With the recent influx of refugees and asylum seekers from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria, we hope to welcome and support them to help.  We believe that everyone should have the right to live a fulfilling life, free from the hardships of poverty. We hope to reach out and support the poorest, most vulnerable people, helping them to build stable, secure lives, providing both short and long term support where needed. 

Who is behind Eid Aid

Eid Aid is an initiative of Liverpool Region Mosque Network. It builds on our work around food poverty and welfare support, including during the pandemic. Most recently, in December 2021, we worked with LFC Foundation on Operation Xmas Magic to distribute food to vulnerable and needy groups in society. 

Working together with all faiths and none, we have seen how we are able to have a greater influence and impact in society, spreading love and support beyond our own communities, with the aim to build a movement to help bring social justice to all, creating a more compassionate, caring, unified society where people from all backgrounds feel they can freely reach out to us for support in times of hardship.

Eid Aid’s work will have a focus on food poverty but not be limited to this. Geographically, we will focus on Liverpool and the North West to ensure every penny of donations goes to the purposes for which it was intended.