Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has told US supporters it is “not leaving” the country after its former affiliate organisation was expelled from its international network.
Earlier this month, the UK-registered and headquartered IRW’s international general assembly passed a resolution to expel the charity then known as Islamic Relief USA from its federation.
Its decision followed a long-running dispute between IRW and the US charity, which had filed a federal lawsuit against the international network.
The assembly’s vote meant the US charity no longer had permission from the network to use the Islamic Relief name and the ejected organisation has now rebranded to Islamic Development & Empowerment in America (IDEA).
In a statement on the name change, IRW said: “For the avoidance of any doubt among partners, donors and the public: this rebranded entity is operating outside the Islamic Relief federation.
“It is not part of the Islamic Relief brand, programmes or global delivery network.”
IRW added that it planned to continue operating in the US, despite its member’s expulsion, in some capacity.
“To the many supporters in the United States asking what this means for them: Islamic Relief is not leaving America,” it said.
“On behalf of the whole federation, Islamic Relief Worldwide remains fully committed to continuing the amazing journey it started in the 1990s when its founders established IRUSA.
“American supporters have reached out to ask how they can keep supporting this vital work. We are grateful, and are exploring how best to make that possible.”
‘We outgrew our name’
Explaining the rebrand on its website, the charity formerly known as Islamic Relief USA said: “We outgrew our name.
“For over 30 years the work has been carried by faith-driven service, and in that time it moved past emergency relief into sustainable development and long-term resilience.”
In a Q&A section of its website, IDEA added that its previous name was “consistently confused with UK-based Islamic Relief Worldwide by government regulators and institutional partners”.
In 2024 and 2025, prior to the federal lawsuit, US authorities called for the then-Islamic Relief USA’s tax-exempt status to be reviewed due to concerns over its affiliation with IRW.
The US charity also previously raised concerns over allegations that IRW was targeting US donors through its fundraising activities.
In 2025, IRW received £36.8m from its former US affiliate, which amounts to 13% of its total income.
