Islamic Charity

Another good letter to the editor (no link available):


Muslims are Most Charitable – Without Fanfare, Public Recognition
The Desert Advocate, North Valley, Phoenix 01-19-05


I would like to address the question raised in the Jan 5th Desert Advocate opinion letter, "Where is Muslim support for victims?

Having lived in the Muslim Middle East for 17 years, I can tell you that Muslims are the most charitable and open-handed of peoples. They typically give without fanfare, without need for "tax credit" or public recognition.

Qatar is one of the "wealthy Muslim nations" and early entered the top-ten list of tsunami relief donors. Citizens of other Arabian Gulf nations are demanding a facility by which they can contribute to this overwhelming international need. For more traditional needs, banks and companies in Muslim countries operate sizeable charity funds as an integral part of their business ethic. Some Muslims give to charity funds not known internationally or to organizations not having name recognition as "Muslim" charities, such as the Red Cross (/Red Crescent). Furthermore, Western charities do not number their donors with separate counts for Muslims vs. non-Muslims.

Aside from a Muslim preference for anonymity in giving, there are other reasons why the American public has not been informed on Muslim charitable activities. One is that few English-speaking journalists are conversant in languages spoken by the Muslim world, where most Muslim charitable giving takes place - not even in Arabic, or Urdu (Pakistan/Afghanistan/India) -- both among the top-ten world languages. Regarding Muslims in North America, major Muslim name charities have been shut down by our Government, using secret evidence laws, due to general suspicion of possible or alleged terrorist links.

Not long ago, I heard the question asked, "Where are the Muslim Mother Teresa's -- have you ever heard of even one?" My answer: They are everywhere across the Muslim world, where voluntary charity is a regular part of daily life -- both institutional efforts and individual arrangements. Unlike in the West, their donors tend to be local and their publicity is typically word-of-mouth. Few would contemplate Western-style advertising, nor would they demean their aid recipients by exposing them to publicity and separation from the rest of society.

I once lived in a Middle East Muslim neighborhood where several of its men took it upon themselves to flyer the mailboxes, organize a register of families with funds/service needs, collect on-going pledges and carry out distribution of funds/services, all in a low-key operation. Charity is a "pillar" of Islam taken seriously by Muslims.

~ Dr. Linda Thayer, New River, AZ.


Personal Note: The question was raised of the existence of Muslim "Mother Teresa's," whether they even exist. The answer, of course, is an emphatic "yes!" In fact, there was an article in a local paper (Today) about a Muslim woman here in Singapore who could be considered a "Mother Teresa"-type. However, as Dr. Thayer also pointed out, Muslims are also discouraged by the Qur'an from openly discussing our acts of charity ("If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do." 2:271). That a person should ask (in what was, probably, a condescending way) whether Dr. Thayer should have ever heard of any Muslim "Mother Teresa" is a strong indicator (to me) of that person's ignorance of Islam.

Then again, what else is new?