Publication

This paper looks at the rise and decline of Saudi overseas humanitarian charities, with special reference to the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO or IIROSA). Founded in 1975, IIROSA grew as a vehicle for a distinctively Saudi version of Islamic humanitarianism. The kingdom’s pan-Islamic policy played a major role in the Soviet–Afghan war of the 1980s, including support for the mujahidin. By the mid- 1990s, IIROSA was the world’s largest Islamic charity. However, IIROSA’s activities decreased, and were eventually stripped of religious content, following developments including the dismissal of the organization’s secretary general in 1996, 9/11 and Saudi Arabian policy changes.