Date: March 27, 2021

Venue: Online (via Zoom)

Symposium Conveners: Dr. Katherine Bullock (University of Toronto Mississauga), Dr Nevin Reda (University of Toronto)

Hosted by: The Centre for Religion and Its Contexts at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto

Social services, social work, volunteerism, and charity are often synonyms used to explore the concept and practice of Muslim philanthropy in Western countries. The Islamic concept of charity is broader than a traditional Western concept of charity as giving money voluntarily to assist someone in need. As the Prophet Muhammad said, “Even a smile is charity.” Zakat and waqf were two premier Muslim philanthropic institutions in the pre-colonial era.

Scholarship on Muslims in the West tend to focus on identity related issues or compatibility concerns. There is very little scholarship exploring Muslim philanthropy in a Western context. And yet charity is considered by many to be an essential aspect of Muslim praxis. One form of Muslim charity, known as zakat, is a pillar of Islam and mentioned frequently in the Qur’an alongside prayer as an important obligation for a believer.

This symposium addresses a simple, yet underexplored, question: How is Muslim philanthropy developing in a secular liberal democracy such as Canada? The symposium will be a pioneering event bringing together a few scholars from a variety of disciplines and practitioners working in the non-profit/charitable sector.

This symposium will consider the following topics:

• The history and evolution of charitable organizations in Canada
• Muslim involvement in refugee resettlement in Canada
• Muslim volunteerism and civic engagement in Canada
• Muslim participation in wider anti-poverty and social justice movements
• Muslim social work and social services in Canada
• Muslim charitable giving in the Canadian context
• The establishment of waqf institutions in Canada
• The impact of the regulatory environment of Canadian charity law on Muslim charities in Canada, especially post 9/11
• The adaptations in the fiqh of zakat in Canada

More information on Emmanuel College’s Website.