Hany Abdel Gawad El-Banna OBE[1] (born 9 December 1950)[2] is the co-founder of Islamic Relief, the largest Western-based international Muslim relief and development NGO, established in 1984 in Birmingham, UK.
El-Banna is a Chairman of Muslim Charities Forum (MCF)[3] The organisation has been the subject of controversy in the United Kingdom. It was stripped of £250,000 in funding from the British government for its alleged ties to extremist organisations, and has been described in the British media as "an umbrella group for a number of leading Islamic charities, some of which allegedly have links to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and other organisations designated as terrorist by some Western organisations but which designation they dispute."[4] [5]
Some of its members are also members of the Union of Good, an umbrella organisation consisting of over 50 Islamic charities and funds. It has also been named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of the Treasury,[6] but which designation the organisation disputes.
According to The Guardian, MCF and its members “fiercely deny any links to terrorism."[7]
In 2014, the Charity Commission announced a change in policy to allow the public naming of charities which were under investigation by the regulator.[8] The announcement was met with concerns of damaging the reputations of charities before any conclusions were reached.[9] Speaking on behalf of the Muslim Charities Forum, El-Banna stated that they welcomed further scrutiny and transparency, whilst also warning of the possible alternative outcomes, writing:
We call for the immediate repeal of this policy. This could damage the reputation of charities that have not committed any wrongdoing, bringing their activities under intense media scrutiny and creating public uncertainty before due process. We are also concerned that disclosing an investigation may damage relationships with donors and partners critical to our work for our beneficiaries in the UK and around the world.
El-Banna was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2004 New Year Honours.[10] [11] In January 2013, he was nominated for the Muslim in the Community award at the British Muslim Awards.[12]
He was a Founding Partner and Board of Trustees member and President of the Centre for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA) but no longer appears to be associated with CIFA.[13]