Islamic Charitable Giving in the UK: A ‘Radical’ Economic Alternative?

ABSTRACT

Muslim financial actions have faced increased scrutiny as financial links to ‘terrorism’ have risen in political rhetoric with anything labelled as ‘Islamic’ being perceived to be in requirement of study in terms of its relation to ‘fundamental British values’ (Kundnani, A., 2014. The Muslims Are Coming! Islamaphobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror. London: Verso.). Exploring Muslim charitable giving in the UK, it will be posited that much of Islamic charitable practices sustains a relationship with neoliberalism without being entirely reduced to it. The post-9/11 environment ‘has led to renewed scholarly interest in the relationship between the economy and Islam and more specifically the incorporation of Islamic value in daily economic life’ (Rethel, L., 2019. Corporate Islam, Global Capitalism and the Performance of Economic Moralities. New Political Economy, 24 (3), 350–364, 2). Islamic charitable practices potentially offer a resistance to the inegalitarian effects of neoliberalism whilst simultaneously being both a part, and a consequence of, neoliberal dominance. Moreover, Islamic charity in the UK acts as an expression of the Muslim community against a backdrop of security and surveillance. Thus, while potentially offering a ‘radical’ alternative to neoliberalism it is a non-violent and non-conflictual alternative.

KEYWORDS:

• Islam
• charity
• neoliberalism
• counter-terror
• radical

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the blind reviews for their constructive critique and suggestions and all remaining errors are my own. The author extends sincere gratitude to all those who participated in this research for their gift of sadaqah. Enormous gratitude to all those who participated in this research. Indebtedness is extended to all who have offered comment and critique on this piece. All remaining errors are entirely my own.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Samantha May is a lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen. Grants have included the Leverhulme Early Careers Fellowship and British Academy Small Grants. She teaches on areas concerning religion and politics.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the British Academy [grant number SG122527] and The Leverhulme Trust [grant number SG122527].