Islamic philanthropy and rural poverty alleviation: the case of Mtwara region
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Date
2010
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
This is a exploration study done in Muslim community in southern coastal of Tanzania.
deliberately selected because represent the home to a wide contrast on income between the
rich and the poor and being areas of large Muslim communities. Muslim communities seem
to be one of the extreme contrasts in regards to rich -poor dichotomy. There are members
that are considerably rich living in the midst of their brethren Muslims who form the bulk
of the deprived members of the Tanzania's society despite the insistence in their Islamic
precepts for both equitable distribution of wealth such as obligatory giving, and
philanthropic institutions like Zakat, Sadaka and Waqf. The study starts from viewing
conceptual relationship deduced from two inextricable pillars of fundamental articles of
faith and that of action i.e five pillars of Islam as the way of considering the ideology how
it serves the interest of benefactors as well as being the sources of moral imperatives. It is
found that areas populated by Muslim majorities are likely to be most backward, with least
developed physical and social infrastructures and deteriorating indicators of wealth. Unlike
Christian communities, the rudimentary Islamic philanthropic institutions in Tanzania
operate at primitive interpersonal level or at best perform a few developmental activities in
urban areas. This has left vacuum among the vast rural community generating a
disenchanted society unhappy with itself and very angry against the others. The study
through light whether Muslim community could accept philanthropic best practices that
resemble to the current and contemporary situation of the present era. The study findings
suggest that values created by modern society have generated avenues for the emergence of
large number of faqir and meskeen who are not taken care by the institution like family or
Mosque.
Description
MA.- Dissertation in Rural Development
Keywords
Islamic philanthropy, Poverty alleviation, Mtwara region