Islam, Charity and Activism

Throughout the Middle East, Islamic charities and social welfare organizations play a major role in addressing the socioeconomic needs of Muslim societies, independently of the state. Through case studies of Islamic medical clinics in Egypt, the Islamic Center Charity Society in Jordan, and the Islah Women's Charitable Society in Yemen, Janine A. Clark examines the structure and dynamics of moderate Islamic institutions and their social and political impact. Questioning the widespread assumption that such organizations as charities, schools, and medical clinics serve mainly the poorer classes, Clark argues that because of the operational needs of the institutions themselves and the programmatic agendas of the moderate Islamist movement of which they are a part, in fact these organizations are run by and for the middle class. Rather than the vertical recruitment or mobilization of the poor that they are often presumed to promote, Islamic social institutions play an important role in strengthening social networks that bind middle class doctors, directors, donors, volunteers, patients, and clients together. Ties of trust, solidarity, and teamwork develop along these horizontal lines, indirectly leading to the development of new social networks and, potentially, the diffusion of new ideas.