British Muslims and the Development of the Waqf Sector for Socio-economic Regeneration

Muslims, representing 3% of the UK population, are the poorest and the most marginalised community facing involuntary exclusion from social, political and economical spheres. The public sector thus far has failed to equalise opportunities for British Muslims to fully realize their aspirations and fulfil their potential, largely due to policy failures in viewing them as a 'faith-based social group' and publically accepting and celebrating their identity. An emphasis by New Labour on partnership with the independent UK third sector, a thriving social economy, as an alternative to better deliver public services; is hoped to be the catalyst by which waqf based social economy can be realized within British society, that is introspective in formulating faith-centric policies to improve the presently poor socio-economic condition of Britain's Muslims community.

The development of a 'contextualised' national waqf strategy, a framework for which has been presented in this study, would create a commitment for social engagement by equipping individuals to be socially and politically aware and thus, better tackle the issues of social exclusion; in particular problems of education and employment which are seen as a key backbone of developing a stable, cohesive and prosperous society. It is only through empowering Britain's Muslim community with policy formulation across faith dimension, can these problems at grass-roots level be tackled effectively. The motivational model for Muslims which is rooted in the Islamic value system forms the crux of this social economy that binds self-interest to social interests thus creating a nexus between the welfare of this life to the afterlife (falah). This establishes a just and ethical social order that is human-centric and socially-aware thus, endogenously inspiring individuals to raise the socio-economic condition of the society as a whole. This powerful tool predisposes Muslims to become 'sociotropic' individuals who embody a sense of responsibility and concern towards the society within which they reside.

About the Author:

Hameed Yaqoob Choudhury MEng, MA