Gulf Charities and Islamic Philanthropy in the Age of Terror and Beyond

Description

Gulf Charities and Islamic Philanthropy in the “Age of Terror” and Beyond is the first book to be published on the charities of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf, covering their work both domestic and International. From a diversity of viewpoints and with numerous case studies from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, the book addresses:

• The Historical roots of Islamic philanthropy
• ‘Gulf charities’ relations with “Western” relief and development institutions
• The Impact of violent extremism on the sector
• The obstacles faced by bona fide Islamic charities in control zones
• The prospects for a less politicized Islamic charity sector when the so-called war on terror eventually loses its salience.

Editors Biography

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).