In the early hours of Monday morning, an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck south east Turkiye and northern Syria. Families were shaken from their sleep only to awaken to a nightmare. 

In the space of just two minutes, entire cities were brought down, multi-story buildings flattened and heartbreakingly, thousands of families were unable to escape before their homes were brought down upon them. 

A further two earthquakes, of similar magnitude, and thousands of aftershocks continue to rock the region, bringing down even more buildings and destroying infrastructure.

The death toll has passed 40,000. The window for finding survivors is rapidly closing. Since the earthquake hit, rescue workers have been in a race against time, battling against mountains of rubble, freezing temperatures and dangerous aftershocks, to try and reach the injured still buried beneath.

Our prayers are with all those affected and we stand in solidarity with our fellow Scouts in Turkiye and Syria, their families and the communities in the areas affected. 

The UK Muslim Scout Fellowship hope to be able to support the rescue and relief efforts by urging the Scouting community and our network of supporters to come together to help alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters in humanity.

Our deputy manager, Salaheddin Aboulgasem, who many of you know, is on the ground in Turkiye right now, helping with the distribution of aid. 

Islamic Relief's local teams in Turkiye and Syria mobilised as soon as the disaster struck and have been working around the clock, in both Turkiye and Syria, to deliver life-saving medicine to hospitals that have been overwhelmed by the influx of people needing treatment as well as providing emergency food, shelter, blankets and clothing to survivors. 

One of the most painful observations has been that amongst the priority requests coming from these regions, one of the most urgent requests is for more body bags to transport the dead.

The need and the suffering is immense - every effort can and will make a difference. So please support our fundraising appeal. 

Even if you have already donated, dig deep, and donate again, and again, and again - as many times as you would want people to support you if you were in their position. 

Please also share this link far and wide with your own contacts. 

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it.”

Thank you for your support!

Keep the people of Turkiye and Syria in your prayers.