Islam and Development

Exploring the Invisible Aid Economy

Edited by Matthew Clarke, Deakin University, Australia and David Tittensor, Deakin University, Australia

9781409470809.JKT_template

· Islam and DevelopmentThe study of Islam since the advent of 9/11 has made a significant resurgence. However, much of the work produced since then has tended to focus on the movements that not only provide aid to their fellow Muslims, but also have political and at times violent agendas. This tendency has led to a dearth of research on the wider Muslim aid and development scene.

Focusing on the role and impact of Islam and Islamic FBOs, an arena that has come to be regarded by some as the 'invisible aid economy', Islam and Development considers Islamic theology and its application to development and how Islamic teaching is actualized in case studies of Muslim FBOs. It brings together contributions from the disciplines of theology, sociology, politics and economics, aiming both to raise awareness and to function as a corrective step within the development studies literature.

· Contents: Introduction: the invisible aid sector, David Tittensor and Matthew Clarke. Part I Islam in Development: Zakat and poverty in Islam, Jan A. Ali; The changing nature of Islamic mission: the cases of Tablighi Jama’at and the Gülen Movement, David Tittensor; Islamic international aid flows for poverty alleviation, Matthew Clarke; Development by Muslims, with Muslims and among Muslims: prospects and challenges for Christian aid agencies, Peter Riddell; Riba-free finance and zakat-induced economic aid: the political economy of two developmental initiatives in the Muslim world, Ameer Ali. Part II Islam in Practice: Applying Islamic finance principles to microfinance, Aimatul Yumna; Mobile phones and religion: the case of women micro-entrepreneurs in a religious community in Indonesia, Misita Anwar and Graeme Johanson; Religion and post-disaster development, Ismet Fanany and Rebecca Fanany; Piety, gender relations and Muslim women’s empowerment: the case of Islamic NGOs in Bangladesh, Mohammed Musfequs Salehin. Conclusion: invisible aid: Islam, Muslim NGOs and development, Matthew Clarke, Gerhard Hoffstaedter and David Tittensor; Index.

http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409470809