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Islamic charity in the state of Kuwait: between regulation, local understanding, and practice

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thesis
posted on 2023-06-10, 05:24 authored by Soha Alterkait
This thesis explores how Kuwaitis express their Kuwaitiness (social/cultural identity) through charitable activities in Kuwait, in respect of Kuwaiti society’s transformation into a renowned centre for charitable works, focusing on a range of individuals and organisations active in Kuwait’s charitable domain. The thesis is based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with people from a range of backgrounds in Kuwait. Contemporary charity in Kuwait involves innovative and sustainable projects, both local and international. In recent years, Kuwait has become very prominent as a charitable nation. Kuwaiti citizens are actively involved in many different forms of charity, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, the key charitable month in most Muslim countries. While Kuwait is a wealthy country and has taken a global charitable position, it nevertheless faces considerable social and economic inequality, such as stateless people in the country and low income levels among migrant workers. This is a result of the population demographic that Kuwait has, as well as being the outcome of certain historical incidents that Kuwait has experienced. Among the most prominent and influential of these were the Iraqi invasion of 1990 and 11 September 2001. These historical incidents affected charity in Kuwait in a variety of ways. This thesis argues that charity has become a central part of Kuwaiti identity. The diversity of charitable engagements in Kuwait – by young people, individuals, collectives, and organisations – together express ‘Kuwaitiness’ and combine dimensions of giving that scholars have previously seen as opposed, such as giving to God, and giving as a means of socio-economic/moral development. This research contributes to scholarship on charity within and beyond the Muslim world by investigating local practice and religious understanding of the contemporary role of Islamic charity within the State of Kuwait. There are seven chapters: the Introduction (1) describes the place of charity in Kuwaiti society, together with a review of key literature relating to charitable activity and the details of the study’s methodology. Context (2) outlines the situation in Kuwait in respect to charitable behaviour and activity. Then there are five empirical chapters detailing different aspects of Kuwaiti charitable activity. The first of these (3) gives an overview of charity in Kuwait during the holy month of Ramadan. Then there are four more chapters focusing on charitable activities by different players engaged in charity in Kuwait: young people (4), individuals (5), NGOs (6), and the government (7). The thesis concludes with the Conclusion (8), which discusses the key themes explored in the thesis.

History

File Version

  • Published version

Pages

219.0

Department affiliated with

  • International Development Theses

Qualification level

  • doctoral

Qualification name

  • phd

Language

  • eng

Institution

University of Sussex

Full text available

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2022-12-15