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Volunteering, Charitable Work, and Muslims: Divine Inspiration, Parallel Networks, and Facts on the Ground

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Muslim Volunteering in the West

Part of the book series: New Directions in Islam ((NDI))

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Abstract

Muslims in Europe are variously engaged in charitable work, but there seems to be a strange contradiction in the ways this is currently perceived. Voluntary work and charity in Europe were historically connected to the church and based on principles from the Scripture about compassion and love for others. Along with the secularization, charity became an activity that is said to originate in an authentic inner self. Religiously inspired charitable work may at best be accepted as sincere, but in the case of Muslims there is suspicion of a double agenda. Religiously inspired voluntary work among Muslims is often depicted as an activity only for the benefit of the own community rather than outward compassion. However, this view ignores developments taking place among Muslims.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.movisie.nl/feiten-en-cijfers/feiten-cijfers-vrijwillige-inzet (accessed 20 December 2016).

  2. 2.

    Similar developments took place among Muslims of Moroccan background.

  3. 3.

    The website Productive Muslims provides interesting examples of how voluntary work is connected to ethical principles. http://productivemuslim.com/benefits-of-volunteering/ accessed 5-1-2019.

  4. 4.

    The quote is from a Hadith. Website accessed 5-1-2019.

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  1. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Thijl Sunier

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  1. Thijl Sunier
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  1. Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Mario Peucker

  2. University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Merve Reyhan Kayikci

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Sunier, T. (2020). Volunteering, Charitable Work, and Muslims: Divine Inspiration, Parallel Networks, and Facts on the Ground. In: Peucker, M., Kayikci, M. (eds) Muslim Volunteering in the West. New Directions in Islam. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26057-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26057-6_3

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