Charity under Threat?: Zakat Institutions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Abstract

This paper is a summary of two research papers published by the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. The research was conducted under the auspices of the Islamic Charities Project (ICP). The project works towards the removal of unjustified obstacles for bona fide Islamic charitable institutions by arguing for more nuanced interpretations of their role and activities. ICP is supported and funded by the Human Security Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and is currently co-ordinated by the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich in the framework of its Culture and Religion in Mediation Program (CARIM). Readers seeking more in-depth information and references to sources are directed to the original research papers: Schaeublin, E., (2009) “The West Bank Zakat Committees (1977 – 2009) in the Local Context”, CCDP Working Paper 5, Geneva: The Graduate Institute and Schaeublin, E., (2011) “Gaza Zakat Organizations (1973 – 2011) in the Local Context”, CCDP Working Paper 9, Geneva: The Graduate Institute. Both available for download at http://graduateinstitute.ch/ccdp/ccdp-research/projects/completed-projects/religion_