Understanding Islamic Charities

Philanthropy is a vital lens through which to examine the dynamics of the Muslim world. Islamic charities harness enormous material and human resources, as well as organizational capacity. Many in the West view Muslim philanthropic enterprises with considerable skepticism because of accusations of material support for, or condoning of, acts of violence against civilians. Drawing on CSIS's regional and functional expertise, Understanding Islamic Charities explores the variety of roles that Muslim philanthropies play in different countries, their interactions with national and international institutions, and the boundaries and connections between their philanthropic roles and their political impacts.

The tragedy and resulting tempest of September 11, 2001 forever changed the global scope and mechanics of nonprofit organizations in the US and around the world. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the nonprofit world changed forever and all nonprofits found themselves the focus of attention from the government, the media and the public at large. Muslim nonprofits found themselves under intense scrutiny with their operations being under a cloud of suspicion. Unfortunately, a number of large Muslim charities were closed administratively on the basis of what many in the Muslim and Arab community consider weak evidence or no evidence of wrongdoing and without due process. There is a need to educate the public on the concept of Muslim charity, on how Muslim charities operate and to offer a guide on how to operate a successful charity that is professional, open and transparent. Visualizing this need, Dr. Khalil Jassemm, one of the leading figures in the Muslim and Arab NGO sector with more than 15 years of experience, offers the reader a comprehensive guide for understanding Islamic charity and for running a successful nonprofit in the US. By taking the reader through an overview of the concept and significance of charity in Islam in a comparative context and the primary phases of founding, organization, management and practice, this book addresses important issues facing nonprofit organizations operating in the post-9/11 world. Charity work is not simple work. To many in the lay public, charity work is perceived as simply accepting donations and giving that money away. To professionals, it is about properly acquiring the donation, managing it, spending it, and publicizing the work. This book will be an invaluable nonprofit organizational and management reference tool, while also providing a comparative perspective on the act of Islamic charity. Regardless of mission type, this text will provide guidance for all nonprofits to becoming more professional and effective. Thought-provoking and groundbreaking, Islamic Perspective on Charity: A Comprehensive Guide for Running a Muslim Nonprofit in the US is essential reading for anyone interested in learning about the Islamic perspective on charity, how Muslim organizations operate in the US, and how to run a successful nonprofit. We hope for two outcomes from reading this book. We hope this book would make the general reader an informed donor that is aware of Muslim charities and their work, and we pray that this book would be a refresher course to professionals in this field to improve their knowledge and skills.

Islamic Charity Under Suspicion': such headlines have become familiar since the attacks on the United States on 9.11. The Charitable Crescent is a unique and original account of a hitherto little-known field of pivotal significance to our understanding of the Muslim world today: the relationship between politics and philanthropy in the workings of Islamic charities. Based on years of research, Jonathan Benthall and Jerome Bellion-Jourdan explain the long tradition of philanthropy in Muslim history and how it is constantly adapted to differing political contexts. The pervasive connections between charity and politics in the Middle East demonstrate how naïve it is to think of humanitarianism as a sphere distinct from politics. The Charitable Crescent covers all aspects of this topic that has become so relevant in today's world: who is entitled to benefit from Muslim alms? Can material relief aid be de-linked from political, or sometimes even violent, action? How can public trust (both Western and Islamic) in welfare delivery systems be won? Who is entitled to interpret Islamic doctrine? Is there one universal tradition of humanitarianism, or many traditions defined by cultural history? This book offers rich practical insights highly relevant to today's highly tense international climate, and also encourages the reader to challenge the common Western assumption that 'we' are the exclusive providers of aid to rescue a passive Third World. "Interesting, rewarding and timely - this is an important book" - 'Caroline Moorhead.'

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.

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.

Since 9/11, Islamic charities have been in the firing line. Some portray the entire sector as a conduit for terrorist financing. This book offers a radical perspective on the issue of aid and Islamic finance. It explores the social and political history of zakat and waqf, and challenges Western assumptions about the nature of humanitarianism

There has been a dramatic proliferation of Islamic charities recently. While most are legitimate, considerable evidence reveals that others have more questionable intentions, and that funds have been diverted to support terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda. The authors examine the contention through a detailed investigation of the charities involved, their financial intermediaries, and the terrorist organizations themselves. What they discover is that money from these charities has funded conflicts across the world, from the early days in Afghanistan, to subsequent terrorist activities in Asia, Africa, Palestine and, most recently, Europe and the United States.