• Tampa’s first Muslim-led resettlement agency, Radiant Hands, is preparing to welcome refugees in September.
• The agency has undergone months of training to ensure a smooth transition for the refugees.
• Radiant Hands has helped Muslim immigrants with housing, food, and jobs since 2015.

Helping refugees make an easy transition in their new chosen home country, Tampa’s first Muslim-led resettlement agency is preparing to welcome refugees in September.

Under the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration, Radiant Hands is now a federal resettlement agency.

“We’re very excited in welcoming the escalation of the services and the expansion to increase the capacity of the resettlement in the state of Florida,” Radiant Hands Executive Director Ghadir Kassab told ABC Action News.

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As Tampa’s only Muslim resettlement organization, Radiant Hands has joined Lutheran Services, Church World Service, and Gulf Coast Jewish Family to provide service for refugees.

“These people have been displaced from their full country, and they’re coming into a place that they know nothing about. They don’t know anything about the people,” said Chaikirah Parker, founder of the African American Muslim Alliance of Tampa Bay.

“They don’t know anything about the culture and the land. And so being able to have a Muslim organization or an establishment that’s familiar with their heritage, it makes it feel a little bit more like home.”

Smooth Transition

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The agency, Radiant Hands, has undergone months of training under Islamic Relief USA and the International Rescue Committee to ensure a smooth transition for the refugees.

“By the end of September, there’s going to be 30 individuals. But for 2024, we’re working on 120 individuals, and the population is coming from all around the globe,” said Kassab.

Operating since 2015, Radiant Hands has helped Muslim immigrants with housing, food, and jobs.

The organization even operates a kitchen and tailor to give those immigrants a chance to make money from their skills.

“This is one place that people can call home. They can be able to be immersed in the culture and in the society,” said Parker.

It is the duty of Muslims to accept and protect refugees for as long as they seek protection.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.”