Al-khoei Foundation

Organization's name: Al-khoei Foundation
Organization's acronym: ZAP
Former Name(s): ZAP
Headquarters address  
Address: Stone Hall. Chevening Road. London NW6 6TN
ZAP
ZAP
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Phone: 44 20 7372 4049
Fax: 44 20 7372 0694
Email: maha@alkhoei.org
Web site: www.Al-khoei.org
Organization type: Non-governmental organization
Languages:
  • English

Activities

Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:
Economic and Social:
  • Children
  • Extreme poverty
  • Human Rights
  • Humanitarian Affairs
  • Migration
  • Minority Rights
  • Refugees
  • Religion
  • Women
  • Women/gender Equality
  • Youth

Gender Issues and Advancement of Women:
  • Advocacy and outreach
  • Capacity building
  • Education and training of women
  • Human rights of women
  • Information and communication technologies
  • Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women
  • Men and boys
  • Millennium Development Goals
  • Policy advice
  • Research
  • Service provision
  • The girl child
  • Violence against women
  • Women and HIV/AIDS
  • Women and armed conflict
  • Women and health
  • Women and poverty
  • Women and the economy
  • Women and the environment
  • Women and the media
  • Women in power and decision-making

Population:
  • International migration

Public Administration:
  • Ethics, Transparency and Accountability
  • Governance and Public Administration

Social Development:
  • Aging
  • Conflict
  • Employment
  • Poverty
  • Social policy
  • Youth

Sustainable Development:
  • Capacity-building
  • Disaster management and vulnerability
  • Education
  • Health
  • Poverty
Geographic scope: International
Country of activity:
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • Thailand
  • France
  • Iraq
  • Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  • Pakistan
  • United States of America
  • Canada
  • India
Millennium Development Goals:
  • Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
  • Achieve universal primary education
  • Promote gender equality and empower women
  • Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:
Year established (YYYY): 1989
Year of registration (YYYY): 1998
Organizational structure: The Trustees - Secretary General - Head office is in London United kingdom Branches in Swansea, Manchester (UK), New York (USA), Monterial, Canada, Paris France, Bangkok, Pathalong Thialand, Qum, Mashad, Esfahan Iran, Najaf Iraq, Mumbai India, Islamabad Pakistan. Academic Schools : Al Sadiq & Al Zahra Schools London UK, Al Iman School New York USA, Al Huda School Monterial Canada , Al Zahra School Pathalong Thialand Islamic Seminary: Dar Al elm Qum, Dar al elm Mashehd Iran, Dar Al elm Bangkok Thialand, Al Zahra School Pathalong Thialand, Imam Khoei School Najaf Iraq, London Head office structure: Secratary General office - Finance Departments, Social Affairs office, Public Relation Office - Mosques - Cultural offices, Library,
Number and type of members: 90,000 members all over the world 20,000 member in the United Kingdom , 5,000 in France, 20,000 in Iran, 20,000 in Iraq, 10,000 in India, 10,000 in Pakistan, 5,000 in Thialand Members include: Men, Women, Elderly, Youth, Childern, Refugees, displaced people, War affected people. Our members are from different backgrounds, professions, race, cultures, speaking different languages. We are a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial and diverse community.
Funding structure:
  • Fees for education and training services
  • Donations and grants from domestic sources
  • Fundraising campaigns

Additional Information

Sustainable Development

Major group affiliation:
  • Children and youth
  • Women
Involvement in UN Partnerships: Yes
If yes, explain in detail: 2003: Represetatives from al-Khoei Foundation attended the 47th session on the commission on the status of Women and submitted a written statement expressing their concerns regarding violations of women’s human rights and the elimination of all forms of violence. Their main focus was addressing the rights of Muslim women as members of minority communities where they are victims of discrimination within these communities and their families, for example, domestic violence, health related matters (HIV/AIDS awareness amongst Muslim women and the rights to equal access to education especially in the rural context for the girl child). 2008: Representatives from al-Khoei Foundation attended the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW52), organising a parallel event on empowering Muslim women and submitting an oral statement. 2009: Representatives from al-Khoei Foundation attended the 53rd session on the Commission on the Status of Women on The Equal sharing of Responsibilities of Women and Men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS, where they organised a parallel event ‘The Role of Faith NGOs in HIV/AIDS Awareness' and submitted an Oral Statement. 2015 and 2018: Representatives from Al-Khoei Foundation once again attended both the 59th and 62nd sessions on the Commission on the Status of Women, where they organised side events entitled 'The Combined Role of Millennium Development Goals and Faith in Protecting Women in Armed Conflict' and ' Promoting and Implementing Women-owned, Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)' respectively, and submitted written statements. The Al-Khoei Foundation also frequently attends Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, and has organised side-events, submitted both oral and written statements since 2014 with a diverse range of topics including faith and gender violence', minority rights, shiaphobia but to name a few.
Affiliation with other organizations: We work with different Government Departments on Education, Health, Social development and Capacity Building and training for women and youth. We also work with local police and local government and other NGOs.
Publications: A Probe into the history of Ashura by Dr Ibrahim Ayati; Lessons from Islam by Sayyid Muhammad Suhufi; Islam and schools of economics, Trends of History in Quran by Baqir al-Sadr; Master and Mastership by Murtaza Mutahari; A Probe into the history of Hadith by Murtaza Al-Askari; Lessons from Qur'an by Muhsin Qara'ati; Qur'an Made Easy by Raza H. Rizwani; The Awaited saviour by Baqir al-Sadr & Murtaza Mutahari; Lectures on Ashura, Rationality of Islam by A Panel of Scholars.

Social Development

Affiliation with other organizations: Home Office - UK Government Department of Communities and Local Government - London - UK Government. Community Development Foundation - London - UK Government. Department for Children Schools and Families -London - UK Government. Brent Council - London - UK Local Government. College of North West London - London UK. Brent & Harrow Education Business Service - London UK.
Publications: Man and his destiny, Man and universe by Murtaza Mutahari; A text book of Ethics by Muhammad Mahdi ibnn Abi Zarr al-Naraqi; Children's guide to Islam by A Panel of Scholars; Bilal of Africa by Husayn Malika Ashtiyani; Then I was guided by Dr. Muhammad Tijani Samavi; Islam a code of Social Life; The idol Breaker by Mustafa Zamani.
Confirmation of the activities of the organization at the regional, national or international level: Al Khoei Foundation runs activities at the regional, National and International level. The Foundation Contributed to the following MDG in 5 geographical regions: Central America, North America, South East Asia, Middle East and Europe Goal 1. Achieve Universal Primary Education. Al Khoei Foundation has been involved in founding and setting-up: (a)al-Kawther University in Pakistan, (b) full-time Schools: 1. Al Sadiq & Al Zahra Schools – London –UK 2. Al Iman School – New York– USA 3. Al Huda School – Montreal– Canada 4. Al Zahra School Batalonk– Thailand (c) Part-time Schools 1. Al Salam School, London 2. Al Iman School, New York 3. Al Huda School, Montréal (d)Seminary: 1. Madentl Ilm,Qum, Iran 2. Dar Al Ilm School, Mashhed,Iran 3. Dar Al Ilm,Bangkok,Thailand 4. Al Zahra School Batalonk, Thailand (e). Academic Research Centres: Centre for Academic Shia Studies,London,UK (f) Congregational Spaces of worship, and Community Centres: IKIC London United Kingdom IKIC Swansea, UK Al Khoei Foundation, Manchester,UK IKIC New York, USA, www.Al-khoei.org IKIC Montreal, Canada Al Khoei Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan Al Khoei Foundation, Mumbai, India Dar Al Elm -Thailand Al Khoei Foundation, Paris, France On the local level, the Foundation runs a number of educational and social projects, aimed particularly for the youth, women, and the elderly; especially refugees, displaced people and war affected people. Intergovernmental work: On the national level our Foundation is a member of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, which is a government agency concerned with religious education in the United Kingdom. Our Foundation is also one of the four founding members of MINAB (Mosques and Imams National advisory Board), a British-based organisation that represents six hundred mosques nationwide in order to facilitate good standards and practise in UK mosques. The Foundation has also successfully run projects to empower women and youth funded by the CDF of the British government Youth Our Foundation also founded and established a seminal youth section which works towards capacity building and empowering young Men and Women by creating and developing programmes for training for youth , women and men to help them access the job market and help reduce poverty and contribute to the achievement of the MDG. The youth section in the Foundation at the present is delivering a program for Leadership training for youth funded by the Home office in the British government. On international level the Foundation is also involved in providing aids and assistance to less fortunate countries that have been afflicted by natural disasters such as earthquakes, Wars, and Famine. Al-Khoei Foundation has sent representative to attend the 52nd and 53rd session of the CSW in the UN, New York, where they organised parallel events and submitted written reports.

Advancement of Women

Publications: Al-Khoei Foundation Giving a voice to women 2005/2006 Bonat Al Mustaqabal (Future builders) 2005/2006 Al-Khoei Foundation Empowering Muslim Women 2007/2008
Statements or documents submitted
to the Commission on the Status of Women:
ORAL INTERVENTION OF AL-KHOEI FOUNDATION TO THE 59TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN (CSW) MARCH 2015 - NEW YORK The Al-Khoei Foundation congratulates the Millennium Development Goals’ achievements and success, specifically the third goal for empowering women. Today, we see a positive shift in international understanding when it comes to Violence against Women, FGM and child marriage. However, we believe that greater results could have been achieved if the following points were addressed: • The accountability mechanisms are weak, allowing room for under resourced and ill prepared organisations to deal with the issue of women lightly. • Resources were not distributed equally to women primarily due to the fact that the indicators are not heavily dependent on gender but rather on statistics indirectly related to gender. • The Millennium Development Goals does not work with men to address and remove any stereotypes they may have towards women. When addressing gender issues both sexes need to be consulted. • Finally, the Millennium Development Goals have not considered violence against women as their priority. Violence against women is considered a crisis in almost every region of the globe including Europe, America, the Middle East and Africa. Despite Resolution 1325, which the UN adopted, not enough has been mentioned about women in conflict areas. The Al-Khoei Foundation would like to take this opportunity to highlight the rights of women and children in post conflict zones. This includes promoting equality and empowering women in war torn regions where internally displaced women and children are forced to survive in refugee camps. It is an unfortunate reality that the number of refugees and the internally displaced is growing at an uncontrollable rate and none of the third Millennium Development Goal indicators actually measure women’s development and disposition in such insecure environments. Through grass root projects, the Al-Khoei Foundation believes that addressing the issue of women and children in war torn areas is extremely crucial in eliminating poverty and achieving sustainable development in those regions. The Foundation has seen the effects of internally displaced women and children in Iraq. Due to constant political insecurity and terrorism women and children have been greatly affected. Children have been denied their rights to primary and secondary education, whilst women have lost security of having a home and a stable financial income. Women have found it harder to get into the job market and to earn a basic living, depriving them from having access to clean water sanitation and healthcare. The Al-Khoei Foundation believes that conflict and violence have been barriers to achieving the millennium development goals for women and girls. This should be taken on board for post MDG.
Statements or documents submitted
to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women:
WRITTEN SUBMISSION OF AL-KHOEI FOUNDATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN, 47TH SESSION, NEW YORK, MARCH 2003 Al- Khoei Foundation would like to express its concerns regarding violations of women’s human rights and the elimination of all forms of violence. The specific subject matter we would like to address is the rights of Muslim women both as members of minority communities who are victims of discrimination in various spheres and within Muslim communities and, further, the rights of women in relation to family, for example, domestic violence, health related matters (HIV/AIDS awareness amongst Muslim women and the rights to equal access to education especially in the rural context for the girl child). Afghanistan Since the Taliban were removed from power in November, 2001, there have been a number of positive developments regarding the status and welfare of women in Afghanistan. These have included women and children gaining greater freedom to participate in public life. However, with regard to healthcare, employment and access to education, such developments remain generally confined to the capital, Kabul. One of the main areas of concern continues to be the personal security and safety of women, which are adversely affected by the current situation. Outside Kabul, an element of lawlessness is apparent according to sources. Such a climate has affected women in gender-specific ways. Although the Declaration of Essential Rights of Afghanistan guarantees protection and rights to women, the question of women’s basic security remains. We welcome the interim administration’s public endorsement of the rights of women to obtain an education and employment. Representation of women in all areas is essential to ensuring respect for women's rights, especially during the post-conflict reconstruction phase. Domestic Violence Physical, verbal, sexual and psychological abuse is forbidden in Islam and Al-Khoei Foundation strongly condemns all forms of domestic violence and threats. In this context, we are very concerned at the prevalence of honour killings – which specifically target women only - and their justification on religious grounds. We urge all Member States, particularly those that have already signed and / or ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), to implement the proper procedures that will address the need to protect women from this practise. The Civil Rights of Women Post-September 11, 2001 Muslim women have been targets of physical, verbal and psychological abuse in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This has also included discrimination in employment. In this context, we are concerned at the rise of Islamophobia and its manifestations in violence against Muslim women and the recent noticeable rise in the influence of extreme right-wing and neo-Nazi organizations. Women as Refugees and Displaced Persons Women remain particularly vulnerable as refugees and displaced persons, both in the context of conflict and migration (forced or otherwise). In refugee camps, the question of sanitation, the right to privacy and to dignity of the individual is paramount. We urge the relevant agencies and governments to prioritise their efforts in addressing these concerns. We are also highly concerned at the persistence of trafficking of women, especially in relation to refugee and displaced women and girls, a matter that should be urgently addressed by the international community, relevant inter-governmental agencies and governments. Submitted by Sayyed Nadeem Kazmi On behalf of Al-Khoei Foundation London, UK January 2003