September 2018 - Alliance magazine

Unlocking the huge untapped potential of Muslim giving

Welcome to the September 2018 issue of Alliance magazine.

There is general agreement that we don’t know as much as we’d like to know about Muslim philanthropy, a phenomenon broadly defined as giving ‘of any kind, which involves self-identifying Muslim individuals, institutions, communities, and societies as key agents’. This lack of knowledge is remarkable given that Muslims comprise almost a quarter of the world’s population, and give around $1 trillion per year according to some estimates.

In the new issue of Alliance magazine, out on 4 September 2018, guest editors, Tariq Cheema and Yunus Sola, argue that the potential of Muslims to contribute to the well-being of humanity would be greatly enhanced if their philanthropy was more accountable, strategic, professional, and better directed.

That view is re-enforced by leading philanthropists, philanthropy practitioners and thinkers – from South Africa to Saudi Arabia and from the US to the Qatar – who share their insights into the potential of Muslim inspired giving as well as calling attention to a host of challenges. Judging by these contributions, it is clear that Muslim philanthropy can shape humanity for the better but, as with the wider philanthropic sector, there are huge opportunities but also some distance to travel.

Elsewhere in this issue, Alliance talks to German philanthropist, Ise Bosch and her close colleague Justus Eisfeld. Read their non-binary vision of philanthropy. Meanwhile, the institutional philanthropy lobby in Europe is gearing up ahead of elections to the European Parliament in 2019. But what exactly do foundations want from their law-makers? Find out here.

Alliance is your philanthropy media bringing you the latest news, opinion and analysis of philanthropy worldwide. Thank you for helping us sustain our non-profit mission and our independent spirit. Help us do more and better by joining the Alliance!

Charles Keidan
Editor, Alliance
@charleskeidan
@alliancemag

Special feature

Muslim philanthropy at the crossroads

4 September 2018
Tariq Cheema

The successful melding of new models of giving with practices embedded in Islamic tradition has the potential to reap rewards for society on a global scale Today, there are an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims, constituting 23 per cent of the world’s population. They live across all the continents and contribute substantially to the world economy. They are also significant players in the social sector, whether it’s through developing non-profits that address human welfare and social …

Special feature

The untapped potential of Muslim giving

4 September 2018
Yunus Sola

A bold future beckons for the worldwide impact of Muslim philanthropy if the Islamic community has the determination to answer some urgent questions Almost a quarter of the world’s population are giving money, charity, alms and undertaking huge philanthropy inspired by their Muslim faith. Some estimates put the value of this giving at around $1 trillion a year, though exact figures are impossible to know. Yet if Muslim giving is so generous in spirit and …

Charles Keidan

Editorial

Muslim philanthropy comes of age

Unlocking a huge untapped potential for giving There is general agreement that we don’t know as much as we’d like to know about Muslim philanthropy, a phenomenon broadly defined as giving ‘of any kind, which involves self-identifying Muslim individuals, institutions, communities, and societies as key agents’. This lack of knowledge is remarkable given that Muslims comprise almost a quarter of the world’s population, and give around $1 trillion per year according to some estimates. It’s also a huge missed opportunity in the view of our guest editors, Tariq Cheema and Yunus Sola. They argue that the potential of Muslims to …