Welcome to the Giving Thought Podcast, a bi-weekly exploration of trends in global philanthropy and civil society from the Charities Aid Foundation’s in-house think-tank, Giving Thought.
In each episode your host Rhodri Davies (formerly with co-host Adam Pickering) explores a big issue, theme or trend and analyses what it means for philanthropy and civil society around the world.
Be sure to check the show notes for each podcast and find blogs, reports and videos from Giving Thought and do get in touch if you have questions or suggestions at givingthought@cafonline.org.
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In this episode we talk to Iqbal Nasim, CEO of the National
Zakat Foundation, about Islamic giving and using technology to
transform the way Zakat works. Including:
What is Zakat and how does it fit within Islamic teaching?
What does Islamic teaching say about how Zakat is to be given?
(i.e. are there specific causes, should it be anonymous etc?)
Is Zakat the primary focus of giving for most Muslims, or do
many give in other ways too?
What is Sadaqa, and how does it relate to Zakat?
Does most Zakat from Muslims in the UK go to international
causes? Why, then, did NZF decide to focus on distributing Zakat in
the UK?
How much Zakat goes to individuals and how much to
organisations (charities, NGOs etc?) How does this reflect Islamic
teaching?
How is Zakat viewed by givers and recipients- is it seen as a
gift made through charity or a payment made as a requirement of
justice?
Is there any stigma to being a recipient of Zakat?
What responsibilities are there as a digital platform towards
those giving and receiving zakat? Should you aim to be a neutral
intermediary, or do you have to take a more active role in
informing donors, assessing recipients etc?
Disintermediation through technology brings benefits in terms
of allowing more direct connection between giver and receiver, but
it may also bring challenges- e.g. in individual crowdfunding there
are growing concerns we are seeing biases and old-fashioned
distinctions between the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor emerge.
Are there similar challenges when it comes to zakat? How can they
be mitigated?
Does the focus on giving to individuals make it harder to
address issues at a more systemic level? (i.e. because you can’t
fund campaigning or advocacy for larger-scale change)
There is a lot of interest in the wider world of philanthropy
(particularly in an international development context) in tapping
into Zakat as a potential new source of funding for existing
causes, or aligning it with the SDGs etc. Is this feasible, or does
it misunderstand what Zakat is and the motivations behind it?
This is the podcast from CAF’s think tank Giving Thought, where we look at big issues, themes and news stories that relate to philanthropy and the work of civil society.
Our host, Rhodri Davies, leads you through a wide range of fascinating topics, and also speaks to great guests who bring their own insight and expertise on civil society issues.