On Wednesday 9th July Islamic Relief’s UK Head Office in London was honoured by a visit from HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. As an advocate of humanitarian action and inter-religious dialogue, the prince gave a talk about some of the issues facing the global community today.

Invited guests included the ambassador for the Republic of Yemen, Dr Abdullah Mutahar Asaeede. There were also representatives from national Muslim organisations, MPs, and NGOs including CAFOD and Save the Children.

Prince El Hassan began by emphasising the importance of Zakat (charity) as a pillar of Islam, representing ‘the shared consciousness of the Ummah (Muslim people) in altruism – in giving’.

The Prince stressed the importance of creating a network of international and inter-faith organisations to maximise the impact of development work. “We have to make our work known, not in terms of publicity, but in terms of greater cooperation,” he said.

He praised Islamic Relief for its contribution, mentioning that news of IR first reached him through the recommendation of a Catholic priest, Father Michael.

Prince El Hassan concluded, “I would like to express my deepest gratitude for everything you have done, and will continue to do in the future, in the service of the public realm.”