Islamic charities and Islamic humanism in troubled times
Islamic charities and Islamic humanism in troubled times

Author: Jonathan Benthall

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2016-05-01

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 1784997897

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Islamic charities and Islamic humanism in troubled times is the fruit of twenty years' reflection on Islamic charities, both in practical terms (including allegations of complicity with terrorism) and as a key to understanding the crisis in contemporary Islam. On one hand Islam is undervalued as a global moral and political force whose admirable qualities are exemplified in its strong tradition of humanitarianism. On the other, it suffers from a crisis of authority that cannot be blamed entirely on the history of colonialism and stigmatisation to which Muslims have undoubtedly been subjected - most recently, as a result of the 'war on terror'. This study offers an in-depth analysis of the current status of Islamic charities from a wide range of approaches - theological, historical, diplomatic, legal, sociological and ethnographic - and makes use of primary data from the United States, Britain, Israel-Palestine, Mali and Indonesia. The discussion is widened to explore the potential for a twenty-first century 'Islamic humanism', devised by Muslims in the light of the human sciences and consolidated in durable institutions throughout the Muslim world. With this in mind, contentious issues such as religious toleration and the meaning of jihad need to be addressed. The readership includes academics and students at all levels, professionals concerned with aid and development, and all who have an interest in the future of Islam.

Islamic Charities and Islamic Humanism in Troubled Times
Islamic Charities and Islamic Humanism in Troubled Times

Author: Jonathan Benthall

Publisher: Humanitarianism Key Debates an

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 9780719099724

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This book is the fruit of twenty years' reflection on Islamic charities, both practically and as a key to understand the crisis in contemporary Islam. On the one hand Islam is undervalued as a moral and political force whose admirable qualities are epitomised in its strong tradition of charitable giving. On the other hand, it suffers from a crisis of authority that cannot be blamed entirely on the history of colonialism and stigmatisation to which Muslims have undoubtedly been subjected - most recently, as a result of the "War on Terror". The book consists of seventeen previously published chapters, with a general introduction and new prefatory material for each chapter. Part one reviews the current situation of Islamic charities from many different viewpoints. Part two expands the coverage to explore the potential for a twenty-first century global "Islamic humanism" devised by Muslims. This means addressing contentious topics such as religious toleration.

Islamic Charity
Islamic Charity

Author: Samantha May

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-07-29

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1786999439

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Since 9/11 and the global War on Terror, practitioners of Islam in Europe and beyond have been scrutinised and surveyed under suspicion of disloyalty and as potential disrupters of national social cohesion. Seemingly benign, altruistic practices, such as charity, are viewed as potential threats to national security and have increasingly become subject to counter-terrorism policies. This work seeks to critically assess the assumptions behind the lesser-known financial War on Terror, through exploration of the effects of current policies on Muslim charitable practices in the UK. The consequences of current policies are multi-faceted – from the stigmatization and suspicion of Muslim charities and communities, individual loss of status and financial standing, to a decrease of living standards and/or loss of lives. Engaging with the everyday socio-political activities of Muslim individuals, this book gives voice to the motivations, apprehensions and challenges faced by Muslim charitable practitioners. A must read for anyone wanting to challenge policy assumptions behind increased surveillance of charities and individual donors, whilst outlining the repercussions of current policies on Muslim individuals and charities.

Care in a Time of Humanitarianism
Care in a Time of Humanitarianism

Author: Arzoo Osanloo

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2024-08-01

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 1805394932

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The vast majority of forced migrants & refugees seek shelter and respite in countries of the Global South, where humanitarian spaces and practices of care are no exceptions to international humanitarianism but rather part of a project founded on hybrid forms of care that include local and vernacular practices. Care in a Time of Humanitarianism presents complex histories of forced migration and humanitarianism in an accessible way. It applies a comparative approach to highlight the diverse cultural and religious traditions of care that are adopted across the Global South for the “distant others”.

Muslim Faith-Based Organizations and Social Welfare in Africa
Muslim Faith-Based Organizations and Social Welfare in Africa

Author: Holger Weiss

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 3030383083

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This book addresses the discourses, agendas and actions of Muslim faith-based organizations and activists to empower Muslim communities in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. The individual chapters discuss how traditional Muslim welfare and charity institutions, zakat (obligatory or mandatory almsgiving), sadaqa (voluntary almsgiving and donations) and waqf (pious endowments), are used to improve social welfare, focusing on instrumentalization and institutionalization in the collection and distribution of zakat. The book includes case studies from West Africa (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal), the Horn of Africa (Somalia) and East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), highlighting the role and interplay of local, national and international Sunni, Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslim faith-based organizations and NGOs. Chapters "Muslim NGOs, Zakat and the Provision of Social Welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Introduction" and "Discourses on Zakat and Its Implementation in Contemporary Ghana" are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

The Islamic Welfare State
The Islamic Welfare State

Author: Christopher Candland

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2024-06-30

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 1009268414

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The Islamic Welfare State explains the relationship between government legitimacy, everyday security, and lived Islam in Pakistan—a major Muslim-majority country. Its humanitarian spirit makes Islam a compelling, community-strengthening faith that motivates people to provide essential services to the needy, to foster moral sentiments that build social solidarity, and to thereby challenge the legitimacy of government with its focus on 'protecting Islam' and 'national security' rather than enhancing the lives of ordinary people. The book surveys four kinds of Islamic charities—traditional, professional, partisan, and state. The focus is on ground realities, on the activities of welfare workers and beneficiaries, mostly patients and students from low-income families. The attention to the different political sentiments that different kinds of charity foster allows us to better understand politics and political change in Pakistan and across the Muslim world.

British Islam and English Law
British Islam and English Law

Author: Patrick S. Nash

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-01-27

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 1108638953

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British Islam and English Law presents a novel argument about the nature and place of groups in society. The encounter with Islam has led English law to tread a line between two theoretical models, liberal individualism and multiculturalism, competing for dominance over the law of organised religion. This philosophical rivalry has generated a set of seemingly intractable conflicts between individual and community, religion and state, nation and culture. This book resurrects the long-buried theory of classical pluralism to address and resolve these tensions. Applying this to five understudied institutions that give structure and form to British Islam – banks, charities, schools, elections, clans – it outlines and justifies the reforms that would optimise the relationship between law and religion. Unflinching and unorthodox, this book places law and theory in context, employs innovative methods such as nudge theory and applied history, and provides detailed answers to hard questions about British Islam.

Muslim Environmentalisms
Muslim Environmentalisms

Author: Anna M. Gade

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2019-08-20

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0231549210

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How might understandings of environmentalism and the environmental humanities shift by incorporating Islamic perspectives? In this book, Anna M. Gade explores the religious and cultural foundations of Islamic environmentalisms. She blends textual and ethnographic study to offer a comprehensive and interdisciplinary account of the legal, ethical, social, and empirical principles underlying Muslim commitments to the earth. Muslim Environmentalisms shows how diverse Muslim communities and schools of thought have addressed ecological questions for the sake of this world and the world to come. Gade draws on a rich spectrum of materials―scripture, jurisprudence, science, art, and social and political engagement―as well as fieldwork in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The book brings together case studies in disaster management, educational programs, international development, conservation projects, religious ritual and performance, and Islamic law to rethink key theories. Gade shows that the Islamic tradition leads us to see the environment as an ethical idea, moving beyond the established frameworks of both nature and crisis. Muslim Environmentalisms models novel approaches to the study of religion and environment from a humanistic perspective, reinterpreting issues at the intersection of numerous academic disciplines to propose a postcolonial and global understanding of environment in terms of consequential relations.

Philanthropy in the Muslim World
Philanthropy in the Muslim World

Author: Shariq A. Siddiqui

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2023-06-01

Total Pages: 423

ISBN-13: 1035306573

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Philanthropy plays an essential role in Muslim practice around the world. Using a new framing, Philanthropy in the Muslim World contributes to the literature by adding Muslim-majority countries that have not been previously included in cross national philanthropy volumes as well as countries that have important Muslim minority communities.