1 Islamic charities, Faith Based Organizations and the international aid system
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Jonathan Benthall
Abstract
This chapter outlines the historical background of the growth of Islamic charities over the last few decades, and of Faith Based Organizations in general. It also discusses the humanitarian consequences of the clampdown on Islamic charities post 9/11, and questions the academic standard of some counter-terrorist studies that have authorized this clampdown. It calls for sympathetic steps to ease the way for those Islamic charities that accept the principles of regulation and monitoring. It argues that high values and ideals are better expressed by actions than by mere dialogue. Islamic Relief Worldwide showed what can be done when it was appointed to represent all the major British relief agencies on television to launch a joint appeal for the Kashmir earthquake in 2005. Failure to recognize the potential of Islamic charities means losing a significant opportunity to defuse the purported "clash of civilizations".
Abstract
This chapter outlines the historical background of the growth of Islamic charities over the last few decades, and of Faith Based Organizations in general. It also discusses the humanitarian consequences of the clampdown on Islamic charities post 9/11, and questions the academic standard of some counter-terrorist studies that have authorized this clampdown. It calls for sympathetic steps to ease the way for those Islamic charities that accept the principles of regulation and monitoring. It argues that high values and ideals are better expressed by actions than by mere dialogue. Islamic Relief Worldwide showed what can be done when it was appointed to represent all the major British relief agencies on television to launch a joint appeal for the Kashmir earthquake in 2005. Failure to recognize the potential of Islamic charities means losing a significant opportunity to defuse the purported "clash of civilizations".
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i 1
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- A note on omissions and transliteration xi
- Introduction 1
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Part I Islamic charities
- 1 Islamic charities, Faith Based Organizations and the international aid system 27
- 2 Islamic aid in a North Malian enclave 38
- 3 Have Islamic aid agencies a privileged relationship in majority Muslim areas? 46
- 4 The Palestinian zakat committees 1993–2007 and their contested interpretations 57
- 5 The Islamic Charities Project (formerly Montreux Initiative) 81
- 6 An unholy tangle 99
- 7 The Tariq Ramadan visa case 108
- 8 Islamic philanthropy in Indonesia 112
- 9 Puripetal force in the charitable field 115
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Part II Islamic humanism
- 10 Confessional cousins and the rest 137
- 11 Religious persecution and conflict in the twenty-first century 151
- 12 What makes Islam unique? 157
- 13 Tariq Ramadan 164
- 14 Mona Siddiqui 171
- 15 Akbar Ahmed 176
- 16 Yusuf al-Qaradawi 180
- 17 Religion and violence 185
- Afterword 192
- References 195
- Index 210
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i 1
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- A note on omissions and transliteration xi
- Introduction 1
-
Part I Islamic charities
- 1 Islamic charities, Faith Based Organizations and the international aid system 27
- 2 Islamic aid in a North Malian enclave 38
- 3 Have Islamic aid agencies a privileged relationship in majority Muslim areas? 46
- 4 The Palestinian zakat committees 1993–2007 and their contested interpretations 57
- 5 The Islamic Charities Project (formerly Montreux Initiative) 81
- 6 An unholy tangle 99
- 7 The Tariq Ramadan visa case 108
- 8 Islamic philanthropy in Indonesia 112
- 9 Puripetal force in the charitable field 115
-
Part II Islamic humanism
- 10 Confessional cousins and the rest 137
- 11 Religious persecution and conflict in the twenty-first century 151
- 12 What makes Islam unique? 157
- 13 Tariq Ramadan 164
- 14 Mona Siddiqui 171
- 15 Akbar Ahmed 176
- 16 Yusuf al-Qaradawi 180
- 17 Religion and violence 185
- Afterword 192
- References 195
- Index 210
