How do International Muslim Charities in the UK Support Women in Conflict and Displacement: UK Mapping Results

This mapping examines how UK-based Muslim charities support women and girls affected by conflict, displacement and forced migration. While Muslim charities constitute a significant part of the UK humanitarian ecosystem and operate extensively across major displacement contexts, their contributions to gender-responsive humanitarian action remain under-recognised and under-documented within the international humanitarian sector. This mapping seeks to address this gap by outlining the scope, thematic focus and operational positioning of Muslim charities engaged in work relevant to displaced women.

The analysis draws on an interdisciplinary, desk-based review of publicly available organisational materials, including the UK Charity Commission records, organisational websites, annual and impact reports, and programme documentation. The study focuses on UK-registered Muslim charities operating in major displacement-affected contexts and analyses their engagement across five critically important thematic areas: organisational policies on women and gender, protection, education, economic empowerment and health. Given the rapidly evolving humanitarian landscape, the mapping concentrates on documentation produced between 2015 and 2025.

The mapping identifies 20 UK-based Muslim charities active across conflict and displacement settings in the Middle East, South Asia, East Africa, and refugee-hosting contexts. The findings indicate substantial multi-sector engagement with women and girls, often delivered through practical, needs-driven interventions rather than explicitly articulated gender policies. Only a limited number of organisations publish formal gender or safeguarding frameworks; most demonstrate implicit gender responsiveness embedded within programming for widows, female-headed households, adolescent girls and displaced mothers.

Overall, the mapping reveals significant gaps in public documentation, transparency and gender-disaggregated reporting, which limit the visibility and recognition of Muslim charities as meaningful humanitarian actors already assisting displaced women and having further potential for strengthening their resilience and protection. These structural gaps contribute to the wider disconnection between Islamic philanthropic actors and formal humanitarian systems. The report concludes that more systematic research, dialogue and engagement are required to better understand, document and integrate the contributions of Muslim charities in gender-responsive humanitarian action and to inform more inclusive approaches within the international humanitarian sector.