Why faith is indispensable to global development

For nearly two decades, I have worked at the intersection of development, health, and security. In roundtables with heads of state, emergency briefings, and donor forums, I have noticed a glaring pattern: faith-based actors are often excluded from global strategies.

- Alaa Murabit

When present at all, they are sidelined, treated as symbolic figures rather than as genuine partners. This isn’t just a blind spot. It's a strategic failure.

Global policymakers setting humanitarian and development agendas still view religious faith through outdated lenses: a quaint tradition, an obstacle to progress, or a security risk. But faith remains one of the most powerful, enduring organising forces in the world. And in many of the most fragile or underserved communities, religious leaders are the most trusted (and sometimes the only) source of authority and support. To reach the most marginalised people, transform lives at scale, and ensure women’s full participation in development, we cannot afford to ignore religion.

Authoritarian and extremist movements have long recognised what many in development still resist: faith communities can mobilise millions. Our reluctance to engage hasn't neutralised that power; it just allows others to define it.

I have never shied away from talking about my Muslim faith, which is often perceived as visible and political in ways others' are not. Ten years ago, I gave a TED talk entitled "What My Religion Really Says About Women", which has been viewed more than five million times. I think it resonates because it voices what many feel but rarely say: religious faith is deeply political. It shapes how communities define power, duty, justice, and gender. It can be twisted to justify harm, but it can also be reclaimed to facilitate healing.