The Charitable Crescent: Politics of Aid in the Muslim World

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This is a unique and original survey of Middle Eastern and Muslim charity groups, their work, and their links to the political firmament within the Islamic world today. It explains the conflict between two trends: the tradition of philanthropy of Muslim societies on the one hand, and the demands of politics on the other. In the process the authors identify a number of issues: who is entitled to benefit from Muslim alms? What are the priorities? What should be the relations between charitable institutions and the state? What account must the organizers of charity give to the public? And who is entitled to interpret Islamic doctrine?Since 9/11, Islamic charities have been in the firing line. Some portray the entire sector as a conduit for terrorist financing. In this new updated edition of their groundbreaking work, Jerome Bellion-Jourdan and Jonathan Benthall provide a radical new perspective on the whole issue of aid and Islamic finance. They explore the social and political history of zakat and waqf, and in so doing challenge Western assumptions about the nature of humanitarianism. The authors outline the impact of the "War on Terror," and argue that obstacles set up against financial transfers in conflict zones can have the unintended result of driving terrorist financing further underground, as well as depriving victims of much needed assistance.Islamic charities will continue to play a pivotal role in world politics as they respond to crises in the Middle East, Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere. This thoughtful and meticulously researched book is the one indispensable guide to the issues surrounding this complicated and misunderstood phenomenon.