Over the last two decades there has been a growing interest in the role of faith in development and in particular the role of Muslim faith based development organisations (FBOs). Despite the growth in the number of these organisations there has been little analysis of how Islamic teachings relating to the poor and needy have influenced their operational strategy.

Charitable giving is a central theme in Islam and Muslim FBOs facilitate the collection of funds from Muslim donors and their distribution to the poor in other areas of the world. Traditionally their work has focused on emergency relief work and short term projects aimed at meeting the basic needs of those living in poverty. There has been very little involvement in long term development projects that aim to empower the poor and even less focus on advocacy work on issues of social justice. The absence of work of this kind can be partially explained by a lack of awareness as to how Islamic teachings can provide guidance for long term development.

Office
http://policy.islamic-relief.com

Citation
Khan, A. Tahmazov, I & Arqub, M. (2009). Translating Faith into Development. Islamic Relief Worldwide, Birmingham, [Online] Available: http://policy.islamic-relief.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Translating-Faith-Into-Development.pdf