Role of religious philanthropy in reducing poverty

Muhamad Ali, Jakarta

A conference on Islamic philanthropy involving participants from Indonesia and other Muslim countries was held in Cairo last week to seek common ground and alternative programs to improve socioeconomic conditions in Muslim societies, the majority of which are still mired in poverty.

Attempts to reduce poverty seem to have overlooked the potential resources of civil society.

Most religious organizations, including the Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muhammadiyah, have since the early 1900s become part of civil society. They feel the need to improve civil life, largely independent of state intervention, by strengthening the value of voluntarism, which manifests itself in philanthropy.

Because of a lack of resources and political will on the part of government, it becomes increasingly important that religious people can take responsibility for their personal uplift and for the betterment of their community. Effective religious philanthropy is instrumental in creating and maintaining public confidence in philanthropic traditions -- voluntary association, giving and action.

Generosity and civic involvement are clearly shared by all religions. In the Islamic tradition, for example, it is more blessed to give than to receive. We also hear stories about how giving something small makes a difference.

Islam, as with other religions, preaches voluntarism in the sense of being caring, sharing with others or offering money to those in distress. In Islam, there are concepts such as zakat and sadaqa. In zakat it is obligatory for a person to give a portion of his income in charity. In sadaqa the scope is wide, even those who have nothing tangible to give can offer sadaqa in the shape of a glass of water to the thirsty, or simply a smile and a kind word. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, "The example of Muslims in the matter of mutual love and affection is that of a body. When one of its organs is affected with disease, all other organs suffer from fever and sleeplessness in sympathy".

Islamic philanthropy is in itself a form of social capital. There is a connection between religion and social capital because, as we see, houses of worship have built and sustained more social capital -- and social capital of more varied form than any other type of institution.

Mosques, in particular, have provided a vibrant institutional base for civic good works and a training ground for civic entrepreneurs. Much stock of social capital is religious or religiously affiliated, whether measured by association membership, philanthropy or volunteering. Many mosques run a variety of programs for members, from self-help groups to job training courses to singles' clubs. Islamic institutions often become a prime forum for informal social capital-building.

Islamic faith provides a moral foundation for civic regeneration. Faith gives meaning to community service and good will, forging a spiritual connection between individual impulses and great public issues. Islam helps people to internalize an orientation to the public good. Because faith has such power to transform lives, faith-based programs can enjoy success.

We are aware that religion can exacerbate divisions but it can also heal them. Religious exhortations can increase tensions, but also reduce them. We also recognize that religion is both disintegrative and integrative. Religious impulses can be self- righteous, divisive and even violent.

The challenge is to find ways for religious leaders and institutions to fit safely and comfortably into a society made up of a virtual alphabet soup of traditions.

Therefore, the principles that guide religious involvement in civic renewal must recognize that such efforts hold both potential and peril. The challenge is to nurture religious work grounded in love, not hate; in unity, not division. Here we should endorse a number of principles, including strengthening congregations as civic institutions, encouraging religious collaboration to mediate the culture war between "modernists" and "traditionalists", and encouraging interfaith collaboration on social issues.

Religious institutions should show rededication to the mission of reaching across congregations, denominations and religions to promote a larger sense of community -- that is, to rebuilding the stock of bridging social capital. If houses of worship explicitly emphasize social capital as much as they do spirituality, they will further both missions.

Given that religion is entangled with many public issues, there is a role for religious institutions to play in helping community to overcome the poverty, backwardness, incivility, distrust, animosity and sometimes even violence that these issues have engendered. Religious institutions can help people find ways of working through these problems with mutual respect and good will.

For building social capital through faith-based groups we should increase funds for faith-based organizations, foster collaboration between faith communities and secular service and advocacy groups, promote values in secular organizations and put more than money in the collection plate.

Religious institutions can create the initiative to reduce poverty and overcome divisions by strengthening existing faith- based efforts and promoting new networks of cooperation. We need to endorse such collaborative efforts and urge that government agencies, foundations, businesses and individuals take a closer look at the feasibility of supporting faith-based collaboration locally, nationally and internationally.

The writer is a lecturer at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN), Jakarta. He can be reached at Muhali74@hotmail.com