Islamic Charity: How Charitable Giving Became Seen as a Threat to National Security
Ebook
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.
A damning assessment of the current global policy assumptions behind increased War on Terror-led surveillance on Muslim charities and communities, and its repercussions on individuals, communities and charitable giving.
A critique of counter-terror narratives and schemes such as Prevent
Explanations of the motivations behind Islamic charity from Muslim practitioners
Combines religious, political and economic practices of the 'everyday' into frameworks of performativity and belonging
The act of charitable giving in Islam - zakat - is a crucial aspect of Muslim religious life and the resulting international Muslim aid networks (and their political influence) are significantly understudied
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The Importance of the 'Everyday': Theories and Methods
2. The (Il)Logic of Financial Counter-Terrorism Strategies: from the United States to the Global
3. 'You Cannot Separate Islam from Charitable Work'
4. 'They Keep Asking for Evidence. We Have None. Absolutely None'
5. 'No-one Starves in Britain'
6. 'Actively Awaiting the Return'
7. 'Diamonds are Made from that Pressure'
Conclusion
References
Index
This is the first book-length study of Muslim charities in Britain, a sector whose collective annual income exceeds £400 million per year and growing.
As a political scientist, Samantha May provides an incisive rebuttal of unjustified attacks on the sector, and documents not only the services it provides, both domestically and abroad, but also its underestimated contribution to social cohesion in Britain.
- Title: Islamic Charity: How Charitable Giving Became Seen as a Threat to National Security
- Author: Samantha May
- Publisher: Zed Books
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781786999412, 9781786999450, 1786999455, 1786999412
- Resource ID: LLS:9781786999412
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-17T14:54:25Z
Samantha May is a lecturer in the department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen, UK.