Description
Book SynopsisFaith and the State offers a comprehensive historical development of Islamic philanthropy--zakat (almsgiving), sedekah (donation) and waqf (religious endowment)-- from the time of the Islamic monarchs, through the period of Dutch colonialism and up to contemporary Indonesia. It shows a rivalry between faith and the state: between efforts to involve the state in managing philanthropic activities and efforts to keep them under control of Muslim civil society. Philanthropy is an indication of the strength of civil society. When the state was weak, philanthropy developed powerfully and was used to challenge the state. When the state was strong, Muslim civil society tended to weaken but still found ways to use philanthropic practices in the public sphere to promote social change.
Trade Review"Faith and the State presents an exceptional historical review and a detailed analysis of Islamic philanthropic practices in Indonesia and thus an excellent starting point for anyone with an interest in the topic of philanthropy in Muslim societies, and particularly in the specific relationship between Islamic philanthropic practices, faith, and the state in South-East Asia. The focus on the institutionalization and legal regulation of the simple act of giving provides valuable insights in both state-civil society relations and socio-political and religious ideologies at stake." – Dayana Parvanova, University of Vienna, Austria, in ASEAS - Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies 6.2 (2013) "This book is a valuable contribution to the literature on Islamic social-political history and should become an important part of studies of Indonesian Islam. It has presented very rich information about the dynamics of encounters between the state and civil society in Indonesian Islam." – Hilman Latief, in Pacific Affairs 88.1 (2015), p. 231-233.
