Integrating Gender Sensitivity into Faith-Based Humanitarianism

In recent decades, gender mainstreaming has become a prevalent practice in
international organizations to promote social justice. However, little is known about
gender integration efforts in Muslim humanitarian faith-based organizations (FBOs).
Drawing on the intersection of gender and faith humanitarianism, an insider’s
professional experience, and a review of key academic and gray literature, I critically
reflect on the gender integration process for one of the world’s largest UK-based Muslim
humanitarian agencies - Islamic Relief Worldwide. I explore a dual pragmatic and
value-based case for gender integration, including the development of a faith-informed
gender policy, and its practical application. This case study suggests that humanitarian
FBOs are arguably well positioned in local communities to address gender inequalities
by leveraging their shared faith values and contextual understanding while building
multi-stakeholder consensus. However, they navigate significant challenges due to their
geographical breadth, cross-cultural, and religious diversity, strategically selecting the
gender issues they address. The allocation of adequate resources in a gender-sensitive
manner, beyond a women-centred approach, to transform gender relations, remains a
key barrier to advancing organizational commitments to gender justice.