Islamic charities and Islamic humanism in troubled times

In 2016 the United Nations Global Humanitarian Summit was held in Turkey; a subtle acknowledgement of the great humanitarian needs of the Middle East and the Islamic world to which Turkey represents a historical point of reference. The book under review is the third in the series “Humanitarianism”, a series which sets at its goal an interdisciplinary treatment of the subject of humanitarian relief initiatives in the context of their rationale, impacts, and socio-cultural dimensions. It is the product of a twenty year reflection on the crisis in contemporary Muslim world, especially the Islamic charities as an instrument of practical humanitarian relief, albeit improperly tainted with the conspiracy theory of complicity with terror. But for Mirjam de Brujin and Rijk van Dijk 2009 study of the concept of gift in Christianity (Pentecostalism) and Islam, a comparative study of charities in Islam and Christianity is all but lacking. The current volume is a good filler in this regard, aside from it poignantly comparing and contrasting the histories of toleration in both faiths (Chapter 10).