Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) (657776-U) (200401019273), formerly known as Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, was founded by Dato' Dr Alijah Gordon on 24 November 1959. The main purpose of the Institute was to publish and promote Malaysian culture and assist Malaysian authors who were at the forefront of Malaysian writing to publish works on Malayan culture, history, religion and customs. In the 1970s MSRI ventured into its first humanitarian project sending several medical aid teams to the refugee camps in Lebanon and initiated the Sponsor-a-Palestinian-child Programme. Today, MSRI has grown to serve not only the local community but more than 20 different refugee communities from the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.

Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the poor, hungry, marginalized and politically under-represented people in the local communities and across the world. We actively seek to improve their standard of living and make a long-lasting impact with sustainable solutions, operating through grassroot projects and educational initiatives. Beyond helping the local communities, we also work with refugee and asylum-seeker communities whose country of origins are those within the Middle Eastern, Central Asian and African regions; which include Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

MSRI is registered with the Registrar of Companies under the Companies Act 1965. All cash donations to MSRI are LHDN tax deductible effective until 2026.