Muslim Countries Send Huge Shipments of Aid to Kosovo Refugees

By Delinda C. Hanley

Some of the largest and earliest donors of aid to Kosovo refugees were Muslim countries of the Middle East, although this has received little coverage in the U.S. press either then or since compared to coverage of aid shipments from Israel and European countries. Here are some items gleaned from English-language newspapers published in the Middle East, where it is considered bad taste to discuss one’s charitable giving.

Tiny Qatar sent 45 tons of aid by air to Kosovo, with three more planes scheduled to leave, the Saudi Gazette of Jeddah reported May 1. Earlier Qatar sent four ships loaded with 92 tons of aid, and 250 aid workers, doctors and other personnel. The Qatar charitable society said it had collected $2.7 million in aid for refugees by the beginning of May.

Saudi Arabia “was the first country to offer aid by sending in two relief planes with over 120 tons [of tents, dates, blankets and carpets] last December,” Saudi chargé d’affaires in Albania Saleh Abdul Latif Santithini told the Saudi Gazette. The Kingdom was one of the leading countries offering humanitarian assistance and a major organizer and supervisor of other countries’ aid organizations.

A Saudi C-130 Hercules relief aid plane flies aid daily from either Jeddah or Riyadh to the Albanian capital of Tirana, where Saudi Embassy and airforce personnel unload it in the 50 minutes allotted at the NATO-controlled airport. The Saudi field hospital in Tirana, which opened May 24, is one of the biggest hospitals to be established. The Kingdom is setting up 10 more health centers across Albania and Macedonia with surgical, pediatric and gynecology wards.

A telethon on the Saudi satellite channel Iqra telethon raised almost $19 million on April 16 from viewers all over the world. The Islamic Relief Organization based in Jeddah, which helped organize the telethon, said it had sent some $12 million of aid to the Kosovo refugees by April 17.

Saudi teenagers formed the “Wa’islamah Group,” which the Arab News proudly calls the “Wonder Girls.” They met with the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and organized a dynamic fund-raising drive among Saudi young people. Requesting a list of items urgently needed in Macedonia, the girls phoned and traveled all over Jeddah asking for donations. They’ve also produced a video depicting the Kosovo suffering and sell a T-shirt with their group’s logo to benefit the refugees. They’ve raised over $1,575,000 and hope to visit Kosovo themselves.

A Kuwait telethon raised $7 million in one day to help Balkan Muslims, according to the Khaleej Times. The Kuwait Red Crescent Society and Kuwait Finance House, an Islamic banking institution, organized the drive. Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah personally donated $1 million at the beginning of April.

Jordan’s new Queen Rania visited Stenkovac refugee camp near the Macedonian capital, Skopje, on April 8 bringing aid with her from Jordan.

An Egyptian plane delivered 28 tons of medicines and food April 25.

Even before that, Pakistan dispatched a 35-ton shipment, including blankets, tents and medicine, on April 2.

The first European-bound flight of the new Palestine Airlines went from Gaza to Albania on April 27, carrying a Palestinian Red Crescent Team and a ton of medicines and toys. A Saudi Gazette article described the 12-member Palestinian medical team as multilingual (between them they speak Macedonian, French, English, Serbo-Croat, Russian, Bulgarian and, of course, Arabic). Members include a psychiatrist, five medical specialists, a pediatrician, a general practitioner and nurses.

The United Arab Emirates was one of the first countries to respond to the crisis. Early on, its armed forces and civilians set up one of the largest and best refugee camps at Kukes where some 10,000 Kosovar refugees (see p. 7) receive three meals a day, hot water, and baby diapers, and can receive treatment at a well-equipped and fully staffed UAE field hospital. Children can attend school classes and play soccer on a playing field, which also is part of the UAE camp.

One UAE citizen personally donated $1,825,000 on behalf of his three brothers. Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, wife of president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, and chairwoman of the UAE Women’s Federation, made aid to Kosovo her personal crusade, constantly urging her compatriots to give. The UAE renovated an old Albanian airport so it could take planes carrying up to 13 tons of supplies. The UAE also has offered to join the peacekeeping force to be stationed in Kosovo.

Turkish aircraft joined in the NATO air strikes and Turkish ground forces were made available to participate either in military action or the peacekeeping mission. Turkey also joined other NATO countries in accepting Kosovar refugees. Public fund-raising campaigns for refugee aid were held all over Turkey, where the public closely identifies with the Muslims of Kosovo and Albania, many of whom have Turkish ethnic ties.

Delinda Curtiss Handley is the news editor of the Washington Report.