Who is Hussain
Who is Hussain is a London-founded nonprofit organisation that introduces the life and values of Husayn ibn Ali through public awareness campaigns and community service.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Who is Hussain is a nonprofit organisation established in London in 2012 to increase public awareness of Husayn ibn Ali, also known as Imam Husayn or Hussain, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a central figure in Shia Islam. Rather than presenting itself primarily as a religious institution, the organisation uses public communications and practical service projects to connect Husayn’s legacy with values such as compassion, integrity, courage, dignity and resistance to oppression. The organisation’s name is framed as an invitation to learn about a historical figure who lived approximately fourteen centuries ago. Its stated vision is to see a world inspired by Husayn’s character and his concern for the people around him. Public-facing activity has included advertising on the London Underground, urban billboards, posters, leaflets and digital communications directing audiences to the organisation’s website. These materials seek to make Husayn’s story accessible to people regardless of faith or background. Husayn is particularly associated with the events of Karbala in 680 CE, when he and a small group of supporters opposed the Umayyad caliph Yazid. In the organisation’s interpretation, Husayn’s stand represents a principled response to injustice and a willingness to preserve moral integrity despite overwhelming odds. Who is Hussain also highlights less commonly discussed accounts of his compassion, including traditions concerning his care for vulnerable people. The organisation uses these themes as a basis for encouraging contemporary acts of service. Its practical programmes have centred on blood donation, food and care-package collections, support for homeless people, winter-coat collections and the distribution of drinking water. Water initiatives draw on the account that Husayn’s camp was denied access to water during the siege at Karbala. In early 2016, the organisation donated 30,000 bottles of water to the Red Cross during the Flint, Michigan water-contamination crisis. Volunteers also distributed water in Seattle and arranged related local activity in India, using the projects to communicate information about Husayn alongside immediate humanitarian assistance. From 2013 onward, Who is Hussain developed a representative model in which local ambassadors organised awareness activity and goodwill projects in their own cities while maintaining contact with a central London team. By December 2014, the organisation reported representatives in 68 cities across five continents, including London, Birmingham, Chicago, Ottawa, Sydney, Adelaide, Karachi, Stockholm, Cape Town and Christchurch. The network enabled the organisation to combine a consistent global message with locally selected service activities. In November 2014, Who is Hussain launched the #TeamGiveBack campaign. The initiative invited members of the public to explain how Husayn inspired them and encouraged donations to the Iraq Relief Fund. Representatives supported the campaign through blood drives, homeless outreach and care-package distribution. In 2020, the organisation worked with the Paani Project on well construction in Pakistan. These activities illustrate the organisation’s central operating model: public education about Husayn paired with concrete, nonviolent acts intended to benefit communities. Who is Hussain is therefore best understood as a values-led nonprofit awareness and service network rather than a conventional commercial product brand. Its reach depends on volunteers, local representatives, public campaigns and partnerships. No reliable public information in the supplied sources identifies a formal corporate parent, named executive leadership, commercial revenue, stock-market listing or a definitive current headquarters address beyond its London origin and base described in reference material.
History
Who is Hussain was founded in London in 2012 by a group seeking to introduce a wider public to Husayn ibn Ali and the ethical themes associated with his life. The organisation’s approach combines historical and religious storytelling with contemporary humanitarian work. Its central message is that Husayn’s example can be meaningful beyond the boundaries of one community or faith tradition, particularly through ideas of compassion, moral courage, service and opposition to oppression. The organisation’s communications have included posters on the London Underground, billboards in major urban areas, printed leaflets and online information. These materials direct audiences to the organisation’s website, where they can learn about Husayn, the battle of Karbala and the values that Who is Hussain seeks to associate with his legacy. Karbala, which took place in 680 CE, is presented as the defining example of Husayn’s principled stand against an unjust order. The organisation also uses narratives about his generosity and care for vulnerable people to show that his legacy includes everyday compassion as well as political and spiritual courage. A major part of the organisation’s identity is the conversion of remembrance into public service. Because accounts of Karbala describe Husayn’s camp being denied water, volunteers have used water provision as a recurring form of commemoration. Other activities have included blood donation drives, food collections, care packages for homeless people and winter clothing collections for elderly people. In early 2016, Who is Hussain donated 30,000 bottles of water to the Red Cross during the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Water was also distributed in Seattle and through local activity in India, with explanatory material about Husayn accompanying some initiatives. Beginning in 2013, the organisation expanded through local representatives. These representatives were responsible for arranging publicity and organising goodwill activities while liaising periodically with the central London team. By December 2014, Who is Hussain stated that it had 68 representatives across five continents. The reported network included cities in Europe, North America, Australia, Asia and Africa, allowing the organisation to operate as a decentralised international movement rather than a London-only campaign. In November 2014, Who is Hussain introduced #TeamGiveBack, a social-media-oriented campaign designed to invite personal reflections on Husayn’s influence and encourage charitable action. Activities connected with the campaign included blood donations and the distribution of care packages to homeless people, while the organisation encouraged contributions to the Iraq Relief Fund. In 2020, it partnered with Paani Project on the construction of wells in Pakistan, extending its water-related work from short-term distribution to infrastructure support. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the organisation’s legal structure, funding model, staff hierarchy, current representative count or current programme scale. It also does not identify named executives or a commercial parent. On the evidence available, Who is Hussain remains a nonprofit, volunteer-supported awareness and service organisation whose international presence is expressed through local representatives, public education and humanitarian projects.
- 2020
Well-building partnership in Pakistan
[1]Who is Hussain worked with Paani Project to build wells in Pakistan.
- 2016
Water donated during Flint crisis
[1]Who is Hussain donated 30,000 bottles of water to the Red Cross during the Flint, Michigan water-contamination crisis.
- 2014
#TeamGiveBack launches
[1]Who is Hussain launched a campaign linking public reflections on Husayn with community service and donations to the Iraq Relief Fund.
- 2014
Global network reaches 68 representatives
[1]The organisation reported 68 representatives operating in cities across five continents by December.
- 2013
International representative model begins
[1]The organisation began appointing or developing local representatives to coordinate awareness and goodwill events in cities around the world.
- 2012
Organisation founded in London
[1]A London-based group established Who is Hussain to promote awareness of Husayn ibn Ali and his ethical legacy.
Products and positioning
A global, volunteer-led nonprofit movement that presents the life and legacy of Husayn ibn Ali through inclusive public education and practical community service.
Nonprofit communications · 2012
Public awareness and educational outreach
The organisation’s principal offering is public education about Husayn ibn Ali. It has used tube posters, billboards, leaflets and online communications to introduce audiences to his life, the events of Karbala and the values that Who is Hussain associates with his example. The outreach is designed for broad audiences and is framed as an invitation to learn rather than as a commercial product.
Community service
Humanitarian and community-service initiatives
Local representatives organise practical projects inspired by Husayn’s compassion, including blood donation drives, food collections, homeless-support packages, winter-coat collections and water distribution. Projects are generally delivered through volunteers and local partners, allowing the organisation’s international message to be adapted to local needs.
Public campaign · 2014
#TeamGiveBack
Launched in 2014, #TeamGiveBack used social media and local events to ask people how Husayn inspired them and to encourage them to give back to their communities. Activities included blood donations and care-package distribution, alongside encouragement to support the Iraq Relief Fund.
Humanitarian project · 2016
Water-access projects
Water provision is a recurring programme theme derived from the organisation’s commemoration of the deprivation of water at Karbala. Projects have included bottled-water donations and distribution, including activity in Flint, Seattle and India, as well as well construction in Pakistan through work with Paani Project.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Pakistan well-building project
Pakistan
Who is Hussain worked with Paani Project to build wells in Pakistan, extending its water-access work beyond short-term distribution.
Outcome. The supplied reference confirms the partnership but does not state the number of wells or beneficiaries.
- 2016Flint water donation
United States
Who is Hussain donated bottled water to the Red Cross during the water-contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Outcome. The organisation reported donating 30,000 bottles of water; further programme outcomes are not specified in the source material.
- 2014#TeamGiveBack
International
A social media and community-service campaign inviting people to describe Husayn’s influence and translate that inspiration into charitable action. Representative-led activities included blood drives and care-package distributions, while donations to the Iraq Relief Fund were encouraged.
Outcome. The campaign generated local service activities through the organisation’s international representative network; a quantified overall outcome is not provided.
Brand decisions
2020
Partner on well construction in PakistanOtherBackground
The organisation continued to use water access as a humanitarian expression of Husayn-inspired service.
Action taken
Who is Hussain worked with Paani Project to build wells in Pakistan.
Aftermath
The source confirms the partnership but does not provide quantified results.
2016
Provide emergency water support in FlintOtherBackground
The Flint water-contamination crisis created an immediate need for safe drinking water.
Action taken
Who is Hussain donated 30,000 bottles of water to the Red Cross.
Aftermath
The donation became one of the organisation’s cited examples of translating remembrance of Karbala into practical assistance.
2014
Launch #TeamGiveBackStrategyBackground
Who is Hussain wanted to connect awareness of Husayn’s legacy with personal participation and charitable action.
Action taken
The organisation launched a social-media campaign inviting public reflections and encouraging donations and local service projects.
Aftermath
Global representatives organised blood drives, homeless-support activities and care-package distributions.
2013
Adopt an international representative networkStrategyBackground
The organisation sought to extend its London-founded awareness and service model to cities outside the United Kingdom.
Action taken
Who is Hussain developed local representatives responsible for organising publicity and goodwill events while coordinating with the London team.
Aftermath
By December 2014, the organisation reported 68 representatives across five continents.
Sources2 sources
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