Description
From a diversity of viewpoints, the book addresses: the historical roots of Islamic philanthropy in religious traditions and geopolitical movements; the interactions of the Gulf charities with "Western" relief and development institutions - now under pressure owing to budgetary constraints; numerous case studies from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia; the impact of violent extremism on the sector, with the legal repercussions that have followed - especially in the USA; the recent history of attempts to alleviate the obstacles faced by bona fide Islamic charities, whose absence from major conflict zones now leaves a vacuum for extremist groups to penetrate; the prospects for a less politicized Islamic charity sector when the so-called "war on terror" eventually loses its salience.
About the Author
Robert Lacey (MA Cantab) is the author of The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'ud (1981) and Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia (2009). A frequent visitor to the kingdom, he writes, broadcasts, and lectures regularly on the subject of Saudi Arabia, with special reference to issues of terrorism and terrorist financing.
Jonathan Benthall, a graduate of Cambridge University, is an honorary research fellow in the Department of Anthropology, University College London. He was Director of the Royal Anthropological Institute for 26 years and Founder Editor of Anthropology Today. He has also served as Chair of the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC) in Oxford. His publications include Disasters, Relief and the Media (1993, new edition 2010) The Charitable Crescent: Politics of aid in the Muslim world (co-authored with Jerome Bellion-Jourdan, 2003, new paperback edition 2009), and Returning to Religion: Why a secular age is haunted by faith (2008).
Book Information
ISBN 9783940924322
Author Robert Lacey
Format Hardback
Page Count 411
Imprint Gerlach Press
Publisher Gerlach Press
Weight(grams) 772g