137

研究ノート

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency:
Case Study of a Transnational Muslim Civil Society
Organization, IHH in Palestine
Iyas Salim

Introduction
In recent years, the Islamic civil society has risen to global prominence asan active actor in the areas of humanitarianism and development. For NGOs
from Muslim societies that have barely been known internationally only ten
years ago, a considerable number of Muslim NGOs, currently demonstrate
a tremendous presence in the global arena of aid and development. Not
only have they proven the ability to generate resources in their own local
community and provide aid and social services for local societies, they
have also transferred humanitarianism and development programs acrossnational borders. The world is witnessing a new trend of Muslim societies
mobilizing local resources for self-funding and hence self-empowerment
towards meeting humanitarian emergencies and provision of social services
in the pursuit of ownership of development and social justice. The trend isgaining momentum across the Islamic world where Islamic religious andspiritual values influence societies across all societal segments in motivating
individuals and communities to bear a wide responsibility at home and abroad.
The momentum is translated as NGOs empowered by local communities’
donations reach out to Muslim and Non-Muslim communities beyond national
borders. In increasingly turbulent global conditions of man-made calamities
and natural disasters, Muslim NGOs are witnessing a role which is steadily
increasing as a global provider of humanitarian aid and development.
In Gaza, Palestine, humanitarian conditions reached a crisis level as
the Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza worsened in the years following 2006.
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip held a national election in 2006
in which the Islamic movement Hamas won a majority-seat in the Palestinian
Legislation Council. Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza strip and the U.S.

138

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

lead an international campaign of boycotting the newly elected government.
Subsequently, the Humanitarian situation deteriorated at all levels.
Development projects came to a complete halt where donor countries withdrow
their activates programs. Hence, the health sector suffered the most fromshortages of medical supplies, lack of equipment or absence of maintaining
existing ones. The alarming poverty rate meant vulnerable children facing
malnutrition and poor health. Desperate calls by international human rights
organizations and United Nations offices such as UNRWA, United Nations
Relief and Work Agency, warned of pending humanitarian disasters in Gaza.
On top of that, the war on Gaza at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009
plunged Gaza further into a humanitarian crisis. Siege remained imposed andthe entire population of Gaza was isolated from the outside world. The official
donor community followed political policies with no impact on changing reality
on the ground...
In May 2010, the Turkish-based NGO, IHH, The Foundation for
Human Rights, Freedom and Humanitarian Relief, organized a Flotillaof humanitarian boats with the participation of numerous global civilorganizations and a number of European and international parliament
members. Nationalities of participants in the Freedom Flotilla included
Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Australia, Germany, France,
1

America, Sweden, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt and many others. The Flotillasailed from Istanbul at the end of May, 2012 heading towards the port of Gaza
for the aim of delivering humanitarian needs to the people of Gaza, bringing
freedom and end to the seige. The incident took a sudden turn when the Israeli
military attacked the Flotilla in international waters killing nine Turkish
citizens. The incident became instant international news. The global civilsociety and human rights organizations rallied behind the Freedom Flotillaand condemned the military attack. Political and public repercussions followed
in immediately regionally and internationally. The government of Turkey tooka firm stand against Israel and severed bilateral relations to an all-time lowlevel. The Egyptian government under the deposed former dictator of Egypt,
Mubarak, was compelled to open the Rafah crossing, between Egypt and theGaza-Strip, to ease the border closure. Humanitarian conveys from Muslim
countries and Europe began to arrive, exerting pressure on pre-revolution
Egyptian government to allow them into Gaza to deliver humanitarianFrom Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

139

assistance.
This paper will demonstrate how Muslim NGOs respond to humanitarianand development needs across national borders by mobilizing local
communities through campaigns of awareness and funding. A crucial aspect
is realized with funding by local community, empowered by networking
and volunteers. Moreover, it is equally crucial to understand how civilsociety organizations extend humanitarian and development services andprograms beyond national borders. Field surveys in Turkey and Palestine
were conducted in October and November of 2011 as well as September 2012
aiming at exploring the civil society in Turkey and how humanitarian anddevelopment activities transformed beyond national borders, in this case,to Gaza, Palestine. The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms andHumanitarian Relief (IHH) is the case study. In the absence of an official
donor community in Gaza, civil society organizations from the Muslim World
appear to fill in the void left behind by donor governments in undertaking
the goals of humanitarian and development. The Muslim civil society is posed
to emerge as a new form of empowerment, enhanced by people-to-people
approach for the pursuit of ownership of development.

1. The Debate on Muslim Civil Society
1.1 Muslim Civil Society in General
The study of Muslim Civil Society organizations has attracted muchattention by different scholars in the last couple of decades. As more Muslim
NGOs are expanding their role in the realm of humanitarian and development
assistance, different scholars have touched upon the phenomenon. One schoolof thought, as Pipes pointed out, is that Muslim NGOs use humanitarian and2development assistance to mask political or militant agenda. Such a viewfound some resonance in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, the increasing
track record of Muslim NGOs throughout the world in response to wars anddisasters has outpaced inherent distrust of them, even though anti-Islamicbias remains in some corners.
One major view argues that all “humanitarians are political” in which
3

NGOs are influenced by their states. Humanitarian NGOs are out to4compete for the annual global budget of three billion dollars. Emphasizing

140

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

the political aspect, Benthall, an anthropologist and a contemporary scholar
on transnational Muslim NGOs, attempts to stress the political dimensionof charitable organizations by describing it as being part of the politics of5

global humanitarianism. In all, the possibility of politicizing the work ofhumanitarian NGOs remains a reality.
However, an all-encompassing judgment would not be fair to the activities
of many NGOs and the local communities supported by them. It is more of anorm for Western-based NGOs to receive substantial funding from perspective
governments while Islamic NGOs are generally more often funded by the
local community. These donations are part of the Islamic tradition of Zakat
and Sadaqa. Yet, a political overall objective would not be ruled out: there
exists a parameter of discrepancy in attaching political outlooks. It would
be an exaggeration to equate Western NGOs with Muslim ones on the basisof some imagined “parity” in terms of politicizing humanitarian aid. The
Benthal view that all humanitarian is polticized as explained earlier resonates
a truth in linking aid and politics; even in area of NGOs. However, a more
careful examination is necessary to scrutinize religious oriented NGOs moreobjectively.
Esposito, the well-known scholar on Islam, goes further by looking
at Islamic organizations from a micro level. Esposito argues that Islamic
ideologies provide a sense of meaning and purpose in which Muslims can6identify with in a genuine spirit of solidarity. Muslim civil associations andmovements have been able to respond to the needs of people with success.

7

Further elaborating the role of Islamic faith, Yavuz stresses that value ofvoluntarism and sacrifice and serving the public interest are all part of the
8

Muslim faith and tradition. The contemporary growth of Muslim voluntaryorganizations offers the prospect for Muslim solidarity through concrete
activities. This also in turn ensures that religion remains relevant by“institutional modernization towards participatory politics,” as put by Mitsue
9and Sidiqqi. In this regard, Muslim NGOs have embarked on the challenge
10

to “galvanising their moral authority” to implement governance and public
accountability.

11

Accordingly, this emboldens the prospect that Muslim
12

humanitarian and development can be agents of transformation.”

Prominent Muslim scholars such as Qaradawi, Al Awa, Turabi and
13

Ghanouchi , emphasize the high Islamic value of charity found in Muslim

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

141

14

NGOs: civil work of humanitarian and development organizations. Renowned
scholar of the Muslim world, Qaradawi, argues that the worshiping of God
15

leads to cementing the ties of brotherhood among people. Social solidarity
16

extends to moral, material economic, civil, social and cultural fields of society.

He argues further that Islam considers the economy the servant of Islamic
17

values. The Islamic Scholar Turabi from Sudan argues that the “Quran
18

envisions Islamic society as an active society.” Turabi’s point is that an active
society means an active civil society with its various civil organizations indelivering services, programs and projects. Civil society organizations, claims
Mohammad Salim Al Awa from Egypt, are means from freeing the society
from the hold of the state. In other words, civil organizations can take on the
responsibility to deliver services to people who need them most with being
19

held hostage by government.

As seen from different studies and opinions above, the subject of Muslim
Civil Society has been discussed widely, however, not enough research has
dealt with the area where Muslim Civil Society functions as an agency
for humanitarian and development purposes across national borders. It is
important to study how societies, particularly in the Muslim World, employ
religious and spiritual values into grass-root funding and in turn transform
it to humanitarian and development purposes across national borders. The
case study of IHH offers an interesting perspective where the Turkish civicorganization implements both humanitarian and development programs
simultaneously in Palestine.
Moreover, there is a steadily emerging trend that humanitarian aid
can no longer be considered sufficient as a type of temporary response to
reduce suffering. Humanitarian aid needs to be extended to the realm of20

development. The tendency among the aid community is to include bothhumanitarian and development in undertaking responsibility.

21

From

the field research on the activities of IHH in the Gaza Strip, the range ofprograms conducted and implemented there show that activities and plansinclude both the humanitarian and development factors. However, official
international aid communities that extends development, in general, depends
22

on the official frame of state. Public resources employed by international
community legally need a state to deal with in order to spend public
23

money. In the case of Palestinian Occupied Territories, conflict is inevitably

142

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

perpetual in nature as Palestinian people struggle for independence andstatehood. Civil organizations possess the flexibility necessary in situations
where governments of aid communities would find it politically and legally
hindering in pursuing development goals. That carries important implicationsfor Muslim societies where they can play a pivotal role in solving problems
through relief and development goals.
1.2 Turkish Civil Society since the 1990s
A brief background of the Turkish civil society in the 1990s is necessary
to understand the social and political circumstances under which a Turkish
religious NGO IHH was established. In 1992, the growing role of civil society
24organizations in political life was a relatively new phenomenon in Turkey.

The Turkish state showed a tendency to confront and quash what it saw
25

as challenges to its authority in its traditional domains of power. On the
popular level, the people of Turkey have not rejected traditional and religious
values for the sake of achieving modernity. On the contrary, the Turkishsociety adopted spiritual and religious values and saw no contradictions with26

democracy or the pursuit of modern life. Thus, Islam has played a pivotal
role between state or authoritarianism and the rest of society that aspires for27

social justice in Turkey.

With the recent Islamic awakening ushering a new Muslim-oriented
Anatolian bourgeoisie in Turkey, there has come a new drive towards social
activism. New social movements have steadily risen to mobilize the populace
28

using Islamic concept and institutions. Such ascendency has changed the
dynamics of relations between the society and state, creating a vigorous
Islamic identify thriving towards social services and improvement of the lives
29of those marginalized and forgotten. The Kemalist state apparatus could notstop or destroy such a latent drive, emerging from the “bottom”, towards sociopolitical change in addition to the re-affirmation of the Islamic identity of the30

people of Turkey. At the end of the day, the state and the new Islamist actors
began finding ways of facilitating institutional reforms in attempting to find31

space for accommodating each other.

As the era of 1990s became invigorated by Islamist activists and civilsociety organizations, the National Outlook Movement emerged and wascomprised of various organizations from the civil society and political parties

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

143such as Milli Selamet (National Salvation), Refah Partisi (Welfare Party) andFazilet Partisi (Virtue parties), Milli Nizam Partisi (National Order Party),
unions, networks, groups and syndicates.

32

The movement sought to finda moral alternative based on Islam for the quest to resist the totalitarian33

and “homogenising policies of the Kemalist state.” But the state brought
the emerging trend to a halt with a military coup in February, 1997.

34

Nevertheless, the Islamic-based movement became a source of power for the
powerless and means to achieve social justice and political influence over35

society. For such a movement, Muslim values have played a pivotal role inshaping their social and political strategies and moral outlook.
In the years following the coup of 1997, the Turkish civil society andIslamic movements increased and widened their participation in publiclife. The Turkish state realized that the military have weakened Turkish
democracy by regular intervention and supervision.

36

The flourishing ofsociety participation created the necessary prelude to the emergence of the
Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, AKP, (The Justice and Development Party). With
the eventual winning of the election of 2002, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Ordogan, aware of grass-root movement in his country and its force in society,encouraged larger participation by the society and civil organizations. That
indeed triggered a flourishing and dynamic civic society movement. Civil
organizations such as IHH and Kimsu Yok Mu were transformed withinseveral years into global actors of Humanitarian Relief and Development.
1.3 A Brief History of IHH
When the Bosnian war broke out in 1992, it marked a turning point for
the Turkish society and the subsequent civic activism within the Turkish
37

society. Watching the Bosnian people going through the tragedy, agonies
and pains of war, the Turkish people poured their sympathy and supported
the Bosnians with whatever they could to help. The Foundation for Human
Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) did not exist at the time.
A group of young people, aged between twenty to thirty years old, decided tosend relief support to Bosnia. The volunteers saw how the Bosnian people
were suffering from injustice. It was at this particular time when the young
people thought of establishing, unofficially, an organization and called it, The
38

Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief (IHH).

144

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

The Turkish Civil organization, IHH, describes itself as a humanitarian NGO
driven by Muslim values.
The young group went to Bosnia at that time and provided supportand relief. They delivered what Turkish people gave them to convey to the
Bosnian people in time of need and war. IHH adopted a grass-root approachthroughout the Turkish society in its funding activities empowered by local
network of volunteers and sympathisers. During their stay in Bosnia, they
had the chance to meet with, then, the Bosnian president, Mr. Ali Babizec.
The Bosnian president had an advice for the young volunteers. He told themto return back to Turkey to start working on a much larger scale. He advised
them that it was the responsibility of the Turkish people to unify the Muslim
Umma (community) and help support many Muslims suffering from wars and39

poverty.

They returned back to Turkey and realized that many parts of the Muslim
World were suffering from wars such as in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Africa, andPalestine and so on. They established IHH officially in 1995, “The Foundationof Human Rights, Freedom and Humanitarian Relief”. It was first establishedin Germany because Turkish laws at the time did not allow sending relief
and aid outside of Turkey. The head office was established in Germany witha branch office in Istanbul. After Turkish laws changed and allowed relief
and aid to be sent outside, IHH closed its office in Germany and establishedinstead the head Quarters in Istanbul. By Ramadan of 2012, IHH activities
40

reached to more than 130 countries and regions around the world.

2. The Emergence and Development of IHH
2.1 Motivation of Members and Volunteers
Many interviews were conducted with IHH staff and volunteers seeking
answers on what motivates employees of IHH in working hard and exertingtime and energy for many causes across the globe. Employees do share astrong sense of commitment to the humanitarian goals that IHH implements.
Certainly Islamic values and spiritual motivation play a decisive role inthe motivation of the organization. IHH defines itself as a humane NGO
attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the needy and protect human rights
in seeking social justice and freedom. At the same time, members would stressFrom Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

145

the fact that Islamic values carry strong sense of moral and spiritual bearingson their work. Everyone who was interviewed expresses the sentiment that
his/her work is not only about being paid or for the job, but rather, the seeking
41of the spiritual and the temporal. The motivation, connected to the hereafter
life, reward in life after death, is a powerful incentive and possesses a
profound influence. As the Quran clearly indicates, “Never will you attain thegood [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love.
And whatever you spend - indeed, Allah is knowing of it.”42

A young woman, educated abroad and well-travelled, has working for
the Research and Publication Department of IHH for the past five years.
She described her job at IHH as the following, “when I work here and in the
43

process of helping people, I feel, actually, I am helping myself.” She said
that she did not like money; and as she put it, “I am running after people’s
44

happiness.” She stressed that there was a spiritual side that influences hercommitment to work which is “thawab (reward).” The concept and value ofThawab reward in this life and afterlife is something that Muslims normallyseek and thrive for. God gives “Thawab,” for every action a person participatesin or commits to no matter how trivial this action is. The Quranic injunction
45

says, “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it.” During her work,
the IHH staff member does travel abroad on assignments. She often travels
to other countries to deliver assistance and aid particularly during the timesof Ramadan and Eid Al Adha. On such occasions, she makes it a point ofvisiting local NGOs for the purpose of networking and comparing notes, as she
elaborated.
In an interesting study of the link between religion and helping others,
the scholar Einolf concluded that religion and spirituality were most important46

motivational factors among the pro-social respondents.

One staff who is responsible for recruiting volunteers from universities,
talked about how it all began at IHH. She said that she worked for a privatecompany in the past. She intended to change her job few years back when
she decided to wear the Hijab. She faced pressure from her company andeventually decided to quite the job. Working for IHH, according to her, makes
her feel there is a goal in life and that her work connects the idea of this life47

and the afterlife.“Financial gain alone is not enough,” she confirmed. In
Islam, the notion of “Ikhalf,” bestowing of Allah, empower the motivation of

146

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

believers to carry out good actions and deeds. Ikhlaf in Islam combines the48“two goods”, the good of this life and the good of the afterlife. It is when aperson gives charity or participates in charity work, such a person would feelthe “blessings” filling his/her life; be it family or money, health, serenity, inner
peace, harmony, uprightness. It is about seeking to live a meaningful and good49

life. The Quran points out, “Whoever does righteousness, whether male orfemale, while he is a believer -We will surely cause him to live a good life, andwe will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best50of what they used to do.”Another staff member talked about her motivation in working for IHH,
saying that there are many humanitarian problems in the world and shewants to do something about it. This (IHH) is the place that wants to dosomething about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and also to create
public awareness inside Turkey and internationally. For example, the Mavi
Marmara (Gaza Freedom Flotilla) tragedy contributed immensely to people’s
awareness everywhere. With a canny political suave despite her young age,the female employee, explained that government can not do everything
and that diplomacy alone can not solve problems either. “I feel I am partof the solution”, she said, adding that she, “trusts NGO work rather thangovernment.” “I think NGOs will be the most important players in the twenty
first century and that NGOs change public opinion and public opinion in turn51

change government policy”, she asserted.

Another explained that Turkey has changed much in the past ten years.
The public is more aware of important issues. He referred to the current
Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu, as one of the most influential
figures in contemporary Turkey. Mr. Davutoglu frequently delivered lecturesand conducted seminars in the past on Islamic civil society, women NGOs
and on his approach to Foreign policies. Asked about values which areimportant to him? He said that Islamic values play important motivationand that Islamic values make people believe in Justice and equality foreveryone. Such motivation plays a powerful role in the daily life of Muslims.
Prophet Mohammad once said, “There is a “Sadaqa”, charity or donation, tobe given for every joint of the human body; and for every day on which thesun rises; there is a reward of a “Sadaqa” (i.e. charitable gift) for the one who
52

establishes justice among people.” The staff member also draws from history

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

147

the institution of Waqf as a heritage since Ottoman times and how deeply
engrained in Turkish society for its role in realizing social justice in the past.
He explained that IHH was an institutionalized from of a traditional charity
53

in Turkey.

A female employee talked about her part in volunteering for IHH when
she was only seven years old when the Bosnian war took place. Now, she has
been working for IHH for several years. She did not want to work for thegovernment because it would prevent her from wearing the Hijab in addition
to the belief that NGO work can help people more. Other staff members
expressed similar sentiment on the desire to help others in distress. “Here we54

are not only working but helping others”, they said. The concept of helping
others is deeply influenced by the Tawhid, Unity of God, which is the essenceof Islam. Tawhid is translated into solidarity and transnational activities andassistance across Muslim societies. As one Muslim scholar elaborates, “faith in
the unity of God and the unity of His creation helps to unify Islamic societies
55

despite their great social, cultural and economic diversity.” The worshipingof God leads to cementing the ties of brotherhood among people and that is56

the goal of Islam in economy, explains the great Muslim scholar Qaradawi.

People don’t become immersed into winning bread of the day alone but it isabout a larger meaning of life. An IHH employee said that NGOs have theability to move fast, even faster than governments sometimes, and they can
57

respond to different crisis in the world.

2.2 Characteristics and Methodology of IHH’s Activities
IHH exerts much effort in expanding the network of volunteers inside
Turkish society. The volunteers assist IHH in its two vital objectives;awareness and fund raising. According to the External Affairs Officer at IHH,
awareness and funding are two concepts that always proceed parallel. There
are more than sixty thousand registered volunteers throughout Turkey who
cooperate with IHH. Volunteers could come from different walks of life suchas merchants, university students, professionals and so on. Normally, thevolunteers in cities and localities form associations where a local businessman
or a teacher becomes the head the organization. Currently, there are about
twenty five cities throughout Turkey that have such local associations. At
the outset of the Somali famine news in summer of 2011, IHH mobilized148

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

those associations to collect donations and support to help the Somali people
overcome the desperate situation resulting from the famine. The city of Bursa
alone donated one Million USD. The same goes to other causes when IHH asks
those local associations to start a campaign for orphans in Gaza for example.
Volunteerism
In Ankara, the capital of Turkey, IHH has an affiliated association
working in the city of Ankara. The Ankara office enjoys a large number ofvolunteers working in the city. Presently, there are more than one thousand
volunteers and it is increasing. The volunteers range consists of professionals,
traders, businesspeople, students, etc. The volunteers express a willingness
to participate in projects of IHH as they read and hear about various projects
being implemented in many parts of the world. That is why IHH relies muchon the support of local communities. Ankara office helps in the promotion ofawareness campaigns with the participation of local volunteers in holding
public symposiums and lectures, invite prominent figures, awarenesscampaign and so on. The promotion campaign normally consists of distributing
books, procures, leaflets. That is followed by seeking funding from society
members.
The Palestine issue enjoys a wide support in the Turkish public
consciousness. After the tragedy of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the sympathy
for IHH activities ran very high among Turkish people. Turkish media
covered the event of Gaza Flotilla and Mavi Marmara ship extensively overmany days in the summer of 2010. Headlines like, “Israel Destroys and IHH
builds,” flashed out in major newspapers at the aftermath of the Gaza Flotillaincident. IHH officials expressed their confidence in the Turkish people andthe potential support for Palestinian people needs. If construction material
is allowed into Gaza, one IHH staff said, IHH and Turkish society would beready to begin the reconstruction of Gaza.
In a visit to a business area in central Istanbul, a number of local
community members expressed the willingness to support humanitarian
initiatives and projects conducted outside Turkey. Some talked about IHH
as an organization that had been well known to their community since theBosnian war twenty years ago. A local business man talked about how IHH
was entrusted and capable of delivering donated money to the right people

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

149

and areas in distress. Another businessman described the people working for
IHH and said he was encouraged by their wholeheartedness and dedication in
the cause of humanitarian and relief work. IHH provides regular reports andfeedback to the local community from the destination of delivery of relief suchas the latest from Pakistani flooding of summer 2011. IHH was able to sendback detailed reports that seem to count much in terms of trust and reliability
for the local community. In many occasions, IHH takes private donors to thetargeted areas of humanitarian and development activities in different partsof the world. For example, during latest month of Ramadan of 2012, a groupof seven volunteers, mostly businesspeople, visited Gaza to deliver Ramadan
Zakat. The purpose is observations and experience from firsthand of thehumanitarian and development activities they have been supporting in theform charity and Zakat. In addition, it is considered a unique opportunity,
given the special spirituality that the holy month of Ramadan evokes, toassess future charity projects and cooperation.
One local owner of a small business said that he donates with Zakat
money and Sadaqa on a regular base according to religious practices. He
explains that God bestows upon people His bounty and goodness and thatmoney is like a trust and it should reach the right places of those who need it.
Money is a responsibility, he added. The businessman elaborated that IHH isa good chance to help him in giving his Zakat and in turn his money is blessed.
He said that he knew IHH for a long time and described those who work at
IHH as honest, committed and trusted people.
Another group of local business people described how Turkish society isquite receptive to those who are in distress and in desperate need for relief andhelp. They said there are many traders and business people who are always
willing to pay their Zakat and Sadaqa. They added that their help would not
only go to Gaza but also it would reach Jewish people if they happen to live
under siege and need help.
One businessman said that he noticed a wide participation by all spectrumof Turkish society for Palestine. He said that Turkish society with various
political parties agrees in helping and supporting Palestine and that is the
public sentiment in Turkey. And that is why IHH receives large support froma wide range of varying segments of society.
As civil society activists put it, there is no guarantee for NGO income but

150

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

Turkish people have the feelings of sympathy, mercy and love. When people
here saw the tragedy of floods in Pakistan, they tried to help. In the past twomonths (summer of 2011), when people saw the famine and hunger in Somalia,
Turkish people were moved by the scenes and tried to give whatever they
could to the people in Somalia. As long as there is Zakat and Sadaqa, people
continue their support for charity or civil society causes. It certainly helps
when official recognition is awarded to IHH. Government official recognitionof activities of an NGO boosts its standing in public. The Turkish Ministry of
Waqf awarded IHH the prize of distinguished projects in 2005. IHH received
another award in 2006 from the Turkish Parliament and was designated withthe best project prize for a mobile hospital project in Kirkuk, Iraq in addition
58

for the project of “Sewing Training for Women” in Somalia.

The lack of knowledge on how Muslims feel about the world is also a lackof knowledge on Islam’s stand and position in our world affairs at present time.
The fact that members of a community watches a calamity somewhere outside
own national borders and donate funds to alleviate the suffering tells muchon how Muslims see the world. Compassion and empathy are two compelling
factors. The fact that funding is carried out in parallel when natural disasters
occur or when wars erupt is a more or less of a response by Muslims reacting
in alleviating suffering and easing of pain. It is a value that Islam advocatesand instils the sense of responsibility on individuals as being responsible inown community, the larger Umma of Islam and humanity at large. That thisuniverse belongs to an all- encompassing creator that makes every individual
connected to a centrally unified concept. The concept of Tawhid, Unity of God,
invites people to relate to one another and therefore urges us to give and do
the utmost when others fall into trouble and disasters. The Urgency of such
responsibility can be a powerful and continuous reminder of what is it that aperson should and must do for a fellow human being.
Taking shared human values to a deeper level can translate into a moreinter-connected global community. Civil society organizations are capableof being closely in touch with the individual donors and the full circle ofTawhid, unity, finds its route conveniently and meaningfully more so between
donor and recipient. In the meanwhile, official policies of states function in adifferent realm but can not be compared to the depth that civil organizations
envisage at community levels. Public opinion and sentiment of people areFrom Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

151

becoming increasingly influential in impacting world affairs. And it is at
this exciting moment of history that we are witnessing an invigorating
phenomenon of people empowering other people. People-to-people development
is being tested and harnessed by local civil society organization and expanding
it transitionally.
The Significance of Waqf
The Waqf institution enjoys a long history in Turkey. During theera of Ottomans, it was the Waqf that took care of schools and hospitals
including social services. In Islam, Waqf functioned as an endowment or trust
established by individuals for a certain aim of benefiting society. For example,
women always participated actively in Waqf activities. Ottoman colleges
were prominent in the past as Waqf funded and sustained such educational
institution. According to a Turkish intellectual in Istanbul, the establishmentof nation-state in Modern Turkey meant the beginning of the “execution” ofcivic society in Turkey. Immediately after the Republic was established at
the beginning of the twentieth century, most of the foundations belonging to
Waqf were sold and acquired by the state. The state established the so called
Directorate of the Waqf and controlled all the funding and money going into
the Waqf. Once the state put its hands on that, the Waqf lost its essence
and goal in society. However in recent years, the freedom of civic society has
improved drastically. The positive atmosphere of change in policy and legal
status prompted the establishment of more than fifty private universities in
Turkey during the last ten years alone. Currently, there are about a hundredand sixty five universities in Turkey. According to the director of external
relations of IHH, she stressed the fact that Waqf is still a strong tradition in
Turkish Society.
IHH follows a strategy of combining awareness activities and raisingfunds. IHH aims at educating the Turkish public on various problems andcrisis around the world by tapping on its huge human resource of volunteers
across Turkey. Rising awareness to potential donors and charity givers
combined with people’s strong religious values and spirituality translates
into a formidable potential of financing and funding humanitarian anddevelopment projects across national borders.

152

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

3. Transnational Activities of IHH
3.1 The Activities of IHH in GazaThe civilian population of Gaza was living under severe restrictions on
movement of people and goods. Hospitals in Gaza suffered from electricity
black outs and threatened the lives of babies who relied on electricity-powered
incubators. One of the first things international NGOs and IHH did was tosupply Gaza hospitals with big electric generators needed for surgery rooms,
ICU units, baby incubators and other medical emergencies. Donor agencies ofWestern countries had already left Gaza after Palestinian elections of 2006.
The Palestinian Authority was politically incapacitated because it reliedheavily on Western funding. Egypt’s Mubarak acted directly on intensfying
the siege by closing the Rafah border crossing. The deteriorating humanconditions prompted Palestinian and international civil society organizations
to voice out condemnation against the death of children in Gaza and demandaction.
In May 2010, IHH and global civil society organizations embarked
on delivering immediate humanitarian assistance to Gaza on boats of
the Freedom Flotilla. The incident of the military attack and subsequentconsequences caused changes on the daily life of people in Gaza. The
tightening of the closure of Rafah crossing eased. Before the Flotilla tragedy,
Rafah crossing used to close for weeks and days on. After May 31st, 2010,
Rafah crossing opened six days a week. NGOs from Turkey and other
Muslim and non-Muslim countries, started to increase humanitarian anddevelopmental activities in Gaza particularly after the 2008-2009 war on
Gaza. IHH established a permanent Office in Gaza. More Turkish NGOs alsoeither opened offices in Gaza, like Yildirim, or established relations with local
counterparts such as Kismu Yok Mu. The government-based organization, theTurkish Red Crescent has an office in Gaza. Malaysian and European NGOs
from Muslim communities, such as the Malaysian Al Aqsa NGO, Muslims
Hands from Britain, decided to establish representative offices in Gaza. These
organizations became crucial providers of both humanitarian and development
cooperation.
For IHH to distribute its humanitarian programs and development

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

153

projects, the networking with local NGOs and municipalities became an
essential part of its mechanism and daily activities. The Management of
IHH in Gaza exerts efforts in establishing strong working relations witha number of NGOs operating in different fields; from relief programs in
marginalized neighbourhoods to health related purposes. Municipalities arealways considered potential partners in implementing development projects.
Indeed, IHH is regularly approached by municipalities where proposal andapplications submitted in the hope for cooperation.
3.2 Humanitarian work
IHH implements a number of humanitarian programs in Gaza Strip. One
important program is the sponsoring of more than eleven thousand orphans.
Additionally, that extends to offering support of paying university fees toorphans who attend university. In the health area, IHH supplies hosptials
with emergency medical supplies in addition to treating injured Palestinians
in Turkish hosptials. Medical equipment is procured upon calls of emergency
despite the difficulty of border control. However, health-related equipment iscomparatively easier to be allowed into Gaza. There is a program aiming at
helping poor families especially those who lost their homes during the war
on Gaza of late 2008 and early 2009. A financial amount of two thousand
Euros was donated to each family of the two thousand recipients. Moreover,during Islamic occasions such as Ramadan and El Adha, IHH carries special
programs where IHH staff and Turkish volunteers visit Gaza to donate Zakat
Money.
Because the orphan sponsorship is considered a big program, IHH officein Gaza designated a special section to administer work between Istanbul andGaza. The person in charge of the section is a Turkish woman who is married
to a Palestinian and speaks fluent Arabic. Applicants, normally mothersof orphan children, apply for sponsorship in person. The Turkish employee
enters the personal details of each applicant on a computer. The data reaches
the headquarters of IHH in Istanbul live on line through the use of software.
During a visit one morning to the orphan section of IHH office, many womenthat day arrived from the town of Rafah, south of Gaza. Some of them havea large family consisting of six or seven children. IHH normally sponsors allorphan children belonging to one family. IHH is planning to construct an154

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

orphan village at an expected cost of seven hundred an fifty thousand dollars.
The goal of the project will enhance all necessary requirements for orphan
children in terms of education, health and daily needs.
During Ramadan and Eid Al-Adha (Haj season), IHH cooperate with themunicipalities in distributing food baskets and meat in addition to holding
Ramadan tents to host group Iftar (breaking the fast) for poor people. Such
activities are part of IHH seasonal programs. The budget of Ramadan
program of 2011 in Gaza was forty thousand dollars. According to sources in
the Gaza office, two thousand and three hundred food baskets were delivered
to poor families in addition to arranging two thousand and seven hundred andfifty Iftar meals throughout the Gaza Strip in Ramadan of 2012. Some cash
donations, given through a local Bank, were given to those who are in acute
59

need.

Generally, the visits by IHH staff and volunteers to various regions andcommunities aim at accomplishing not only the delivery of assistance but also
an opportunity to assess needs and raise awareness to the local communities
back in Turkey. When Turkish volunteers visited Gaza, they experienced
something that normally Gazans do by being forced to suddenly cancel travelplans due to the closure of Rafah crossing. It happened after the incidentof August 6th. 2012, when gunmen killed sixteen Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
60

Peninsula. The Turkish delegation intended to stay for two weeks but ended
up spending an additional week. But, the experience left an impact on thegroup in experiencing, even at one time, something that Palestinians in Gaza
have living for years.
3.3 Development Assistance Work
Development is an integral part of the goals and activities of IHH. In
Gaza, Palestine, IHH has been implementing development projects as soon as
they established an office in city of Gaza. Their development projects include
the construction of a hospital in the town of Beit-Hanoun, north of Gaza, at
a cost of six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Another project involved
dispatching highly skilled Turkish medical trainers to train Palestinian
medical doctors in areas such surgeries and other medical areas. The
dissemination of medical skills are contributing significantly to the training ofPalestinian doctors and minimized the cost of sending patients for treatment

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

155

outside Gaza. In Education, IHH contributed to the rebuilding of university
laboratories, especially IT and engineering Labs at the Islamic University
in Gaza. In increasing employment prospects for university graduates, IHH
established the Ottoman Centre in Gaza city with cooperation of a local NGO
for the purpose of offering computer training and IT skills to enhance thepotential in the job market. In the area of incoming generating for women,
few centres were established across the Gaza fashion design, sawing andembroidery for income generating. A housing project for the poor was initiatedafter the war in February 2009 to rebuild houses destroyed during the war.
Local government councils and municipalities became partners with IHH in
implementing various infrastructure projects such water networking, digging
wells for drinking water, solid waste equipment, and human resource training.
IHH has contributed to cementing the networking between local
government and their counterpart in Turkey. The Town of Jabaliya, north ofGaza, has already signed a Twinning Agreement with the city of Umraniye
in Istanbul area. Jabaliay has gained a new membership with the Federationof Turkish Municipalities as the first Arab municipality to obtain such amembership in the history of the said Federation. Also, the Palestinian town
is now a member of the Turkish Organization of the Federation of Cities andlocal Regions. Local municipalities are on regular communication with IHH
for conducting projects and cooperation. The needs of local government sector
are immense. According to IHH in Gaza, the organization does provide someequipment like wheel loaders, trucks but when IHH face too project proposals,
and it shares information with the Turkish official assistance agency TICA,
Turkish International Cooperation Agency. According to IHH interview in
September 2012, TICA is planning to open up a branch office in Gaza.
Aiming at supporting women in employment and income generating, thevocational training centres offer skills in setting up self-income generatingsmall business. For the centre in Rafah town is active and enrolment isnormally full, learning sewing, fashion design and embroidery. Training
courses are offered with reduced fees. Duration of training courses vary fromtwo months to six months. Some students who show signs of improvements
and progress re-enrol again to expand on skills. Some of the more common
projects are mushroom cultivation, raising rabbits, aquaculture ponds, sheep
rising, farming, etc.

156

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

Both offices of IHH in Istanbul and Gaza pointed out to the readiness towork on the reconstruction of Gaza. However, the embargo on construction
material doesn’t allow such a sizable undertaking to take place current
situation. IHH is also willing to cooperate with other Turkish NGOs for thereconstruction of Gaza. Officials express confidence in the support and fundingof the people for implementing further development in Gaza. But, the siege
is an obstacle. Turkish NGOs in Gaza maintain contacts with each other and
TICA in sharing information on ongoing humanitarian and development
projects in Gaza.
On the political aspect, Palestinian people are aware of aid and politics as
the West Bank and Gaza Strip are considered an area of intense humanitarianand development activities. At the basic level, most people realize the link
between politics and aid; whether it is from government or civil society.
During a field survey in September of 2012, many Palestinian individuals andintellectuals expressed the notion that international and regional players,both government and civil society, pay special conisation and interest toPalestine for different reasons. When asked about the role of Turkish civilsociety and in particular IHH, Palestinian opinion leaders and social activists
realize that at any rate politics can not be ruled completely from aid even
NGO assistance. However, in the case of IHH, Turkey as a country and society
enjoys widespread consent on the supposedly political implications. Certainly,
many would argue, that Turkey is aiming at an assertive and prominent rolein the region. One way of gaining legitimacy to a regional role is the solidarity
and support of Palestinian people. “Palestine is the door to the heart andminds of Muslims,” as one community leader put it. Turkish government
would not directly instruct NGOs what to do in Palestine, but it facilitates andencourages the work of Turkish NGOs in Palestine. Without a doubt, Turkey
enjoys a positive advantage among Palestinans. That is why Turkish NGOs,
like IHH, finds itself welcomed and encouraged officially and publicly.

Conclusion
The contemporary rise of the civil society in Turkey is experiencing
a steady momentum invigorated by Islamic-based values which are partof tradition and daily life of the Turkish people. Economic development ofFrom Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

157

Turkey and a new climate of political freedom induced a sustained change
of ushering a dynamic Turkish civil society today. Spiritual values are asource of sustainable resource for Humanitarian and Development goals.
Religious values and norms play a crucial role in motivating individuals andcommunities to perform charity and pay donations. For local community
donors, acts of charity bring meaning and a sense of self-fulfilment in thislife and hereafter. The Islamic concept of Tawhid, Unity of God, is central toconnecting local communities with their fellow Muslims and Non-Muslims
through humanitarian activities and development projects. Members of local
communities rely on civil organizations like IHH to transfer the donations
and implement programs on their behalf to Muslims and Non-Muslims. IHH
organization considers itself as a humanitarian organization based on Islamicvalues and it enjoys a network of volunteers nation-wide within Turkey.
Politics is said to be pervasively present in the humanitarian anddevelopment activities. As we have seen in the body of the paper, scholars
argued about the inseparable link between politics and “the humanitarian”.
However, we tend to over look the human and emotional factor on the groundwhere the individual donor, motivated by different reasons, and the impact
felt on the recipient. This particular phenomenon stands obvious in the realmof Islamic funding and the appeal is solely made to the individual and his/her sole decision to donate and support the funding. Funding for Westernbased NGOs are different where financial flow is more systemized and follow
official structure. The goal eventually might end up similar to the Islamic
funding in terms of delivery of programs and projects or even surpass theirIslamic counterparts due to better managerial expertise. But, the expression
and flow of energy behind the direct funding from Zakat and charity generatea dimension of deeper ownership and solidarity between distant communities
and that reflects on the nature of connecting diverse communities acrossnational borders. It is more of reaching a pinnacle point of empathy andmeaningfulness between the donor and the recipient when the individual
donors seeks only a prayer or gratitude on the part of a recipient. As said
earlier, politics is involved but there is more to it at the grass-root of donorrecipient level which seems overly overlooked when examining Muslim Civil
Society organizations acting presently at global level.
Since the current international system still relies mainly on the organ of

158

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

state sovereignty, despite a prevalent weakening of the concept of state in thepast two decades due to globalization, the role of civil organizations becomesthe more relevant and practical. Civil organizations in Muslim societies could
demonstrate flexibility and creative approaches such as the case of IHH in
Gaza Strip, Palestine. But, at the same time, further work remains neededin order to address challenges facing such organizations to respond more
professionally and institutionally at a global level. It is at this point that ourworld today is witnessing an emerging new phenomenon of people empoweringother people. People-to-people humanitarian and development objectives arebeing tested and harnessed by local civil society organizations and acting
transitionally.

Endnotes
1 IHH, Palestine Our Route Humanitarian Aid Our Load Flotilla Campaign-Summery Report.
Istanbul: IHH,16.
2 Hakan Yavuz, “Cleansing Islam from the Public Sphere.” Journal of International Affairs, 2000:
21. 4.
3 Jonathan Benthall, and Jermoe Bellion-Jourdan, The Charitable Crescent: Politics of Aid in the
Muslim World (New York: L.B. Tauris & Co.Ltd, 2003), 156.
4 Ibid., 156.
5 Jonathan Benthall, and Jermoe Bellion-Jourdan, The Charitable Crescent: Politics of Aid in the
Muslim World, 4-5.
6 John Esposito, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? (New York : Oxford University Press, 1992),
208.
7 Ibid., 208.
8 Hakan Yavuz, The emergence of a new Turkey: Democracy and the AK Parti (Utah: The
University of Utah Press, 2006), 343.
9 Nakamura Mitsue, Sharon Siddique, and Omar Farouk Bajunid, Islam and Civil Society inSoutheast Asia, (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2001), 5.
10 Gerard Clarke, Gerard. “Agents of Transformation? Donors, faith-based organisations andinternational development.” Third World Quarterly, 2007: 77-96, 90.
11 Ibid., 9.
12 Michalle Browers, Decomcracy and Civil Society in Arab Political Thought (New York, Syracuse
University Press, 2006), 2.
13 Yusuf Qaradawi, The Principles of Charity Work in Islam: in Light of the Scripts and Sharia
Goals (Cairo, Dar Al Shuruq, 2008); Al Awa, Mohammad Salim Al Awa, The Political Systemof the Islamic State (Cairo: Dar Al SHurouq, 2012); Rachid Ghanouchi, Public Feedoms in theIslamic State (Cairo: Dar Al shurouq, 2012); Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, and Shamis Ashur A.
The Making of an Islamic Political Leader: Conversations with Hasan Al-Turabi (Boulder, Co:

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

159

Westview Press, 1998.) Turabi and Ghanouchi are two prminenet figures in both scholarship andpolitics.
14 Yusuf Qaradawi, The Principles of Charity Work in Islam: in Light of the Scripts and Sharia
Goals (Cairo, Dar Al Shuruq, 2008),151., Browers, Decomcracy and Civil Society in Arab PoliticalThought, 141.
15 Qaradawi, The Principles of Charity in Islam, 240.
16 Ibid., 151.
17 Ibid., 240.
18 Browers, Democracy and Civl Society in Arab Political Thought, 141.
19 Ibid., 154.
20 Macrae, Joanna. “New Issues in Refugee Research.” UNHCR. 12 1999. http://www.unhcr.org/cgibin/texis/vtx/home/opendocPDFViewer.html?docid=3ae6a0cc0&query=Joanna Macrae (accessed
October 21, 2012), 31.
21 Ibid., 24.
22 Ibid., 18.
23 Ibid., 18.
24 Yavus, The emergence of a new Turkey: Democracy and the AK Parti, 342.
25 Ibid., 342.
26 Ibid., 335.
27 Hakan Yavus, “Cleansing Islam from the Public Sphere.” Journal of International Affairs, 2000,
21.
28 Hakan Yavus and John Esposito. Turkish Islam And The Secular State: The Gullen Movement (New York: Syracuse University Press) 2003, 32.
29 Ibid., 32.
30 Berna Turam, Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement ( Stanford: Stanford
University Press) 2007, 25.
31 Ibid., 25.
32 Hakan Yavuz, “Cleansing Islam from the Public Sphere.” Journal of International Affairs, 2000,
21.
33 Ibid., 21.
34 Ibid., 21.
35 Ibid., 21.
36 Interview by author, Istanbul, October 2011.
37 H. Ortuch, Interview by the author, Istanbul, October 2011.
38 H. Jemil, Interview by the author, Instanbul, October 2011.
39 Ibid.
40 IHH. A History of Success, 1995-201,.( Istanbul: IHH, 2012), 5.
41 Ayub, Interview by author, Istanbul, October, 2011.
42 Quran 3: 92.
43 Amina, Interview by author, Istanbul, October, 2011.
44 Ibid.
45 Quran 99: 7.
46 Christopher Einolf, “The Link Between Religion and Helping Others: The Role of Values, Ideas
and Language.” Sociology of Religion, 2011: 435-455, 451.
47 Fatima, Inteview by Author, Octiber, 201.
48 Qaradawi, The Principles of Charity in Islam, 46.

160

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

49 Ibid., 47.
50 Quran 16:97.
51 Interview by author, October, 2011.
52 Bukhari, hadith No. 870, http://sunnah.quran.com/view/urn/25340.
53 N. Dal, Intervciew by author, October, 2011.
54 Interview by author, October, 2011.
55 Browers, Democracy and Civl Society in Arab Political Thought, 151.
56 Yusuf Qaradawi, Features of Muslim Society (Cairo: Dar Al Shuruq, 2001), 240.
57 H. Jemil, Interview by author, October, 2011.
58 H. Jemil, Interview by the author, Instanbul, October 2011.
59 M.Kaya, Interview by autohr, August, 2012.
60 Online, Al Ahram. Egyptian Army lays siege to Rafah on Gaza Border. 8 6, 2012. http://english.
ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/49687/Egypt/Politics-/RafahSinai-border-will-be-closed-afterblast-MENA.aspx (accessed 8 6, 2012); gencies, Harriet Sherwood and. Egypt-Israel border attack
leaves over a dozen dead Warning of deteriorating security situation in Sinai after gunmen kill
Egyptian border guards and hijack armoured vehicles. 8 6, 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/
world/2012/aug/05/attack-across-egypt-israel-border (accessed 8 6, 2012).

Bibliography:
Quran
Agencies, Harriet Sherwood and. Egypt-Israel border attack leaves over a dozen dead Warning ofdeteriorating security situation in Sinai after gunmen kill Egyptian border guards and hijack
armoured vehicles. 8 6, 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/05/attack-across-egyptisrael-border (accessed 8 6, 2012).
Al Awa, Mohammad Salim. The Political System of the Islamic State. Cairo: Dar Al SHurouq, 2012.
Benthall, Jonathan, and Jermoe Bellion-Jourdan. The Charitable Crescent: Politics of Aid in the
Muslim World. New York: L.B. Tauris & Co.Ltd, 2003.
Browers, Michelle L. Democracy and Civl Society in Arab Political Thought:Transcultural
Possibilities. New York: Syracuse University Press, 2006.
Christopher, John B. The Islamic Tradition. New York: Harper & Row, 1972.
Clarke, Gerard. “Agents of Transformation? Donors, faith-based organisations and international
development.” Third World Quarterly, 2007: 77-96.
Einolf, Christopher. “The Link Between Religion and Helping Others: The Role of Values, Ideas andLanguage.” Sociology of Religion, 2011: 435-455.
Esposito, John. The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? New York : Oxford University Press, 1992.
Ghanouchi, Rachid. Public Feedoms in the Islamic State. Cairo: Dar Al shurouq, 2012.
Hamdi, Mohamed Elhachmi, and Shamis Ashur A. The Making of an Islamic Political Leader:
Conversations with Hasan Al-Turabi. Boulder, Co: Westview Press, 1998.
IHH. A History of Success, 1995-2011. Istanbul: IHH, 2012.
—. Palestine Our Route Humanitarian Aid Our Load Flotilla Campaign-Summery Report. Istanbul:
IHH.
Interview with Jonathan Benthall, “Islamic Charity Organizations Are a Powerful Force forIntegration”. http://en.qantara.de/Islamic-Charity-Organizations-Are-a-powerful-force-forIntegration/8338c8407ip471/ (accessed 8 22, 2011).

From Humanitarian to Development Assistance Agency

161

Macrae, Joanna. “New Issues in Refugee Research.” UNHCR. 12 1999. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendocPDFViewer.html?docid=3ae6a0cc0&query=Joanna Macrae (accessed
October 21, 2012).
Mitsue, Nakamura, Sharon Siddique, and Omar Farouk Bajunid. Islam and Civil Society inSoutheast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2001.
Online, Al Ahram. Egyptian Army lays siege to Rafah on Gaza Border. 8 6, 2012. http://english.
ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/49687/Egypt/Politics-/RafahSinai-border-will-be-closed-afterblast-MENA.aspx (accessed 8 6, 2012).
Qaradawi, Usuf. Min Fiqhu Al Daula fi Al Islam: Its Place, characteristics, nature, its position on
Democracy, pluralism, the woman and non-Mulsims. Cairo: Dar Al Shuruq, 2006.
Qaradawi, Yusuf. Features of Muslim Society. Cairo: Dar Al Shuruq, 2001.
—. The Prinicples of Charity Work in Islam: In light of Scripts and Sharia Goals. Cairo: Dar Al
Shuruq, 2008.
Salvatore, Armadno. Armando Salvatore on Egypt, Facebook and the Public Sphere. 3 11, 2011.
http://theoryculturesociety.blogspot.jp/2011/03/armando-salvatore-on-egypt-facebook-and.html(accessed 4 12, 2012).
Turam, Berna. Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement. Stanford: Stanford
University Press, 2007.
Yavuz, Hakan. “Cleansing Islam from the Public Sphere.” Journal of International Affairs, 2000: 21.
—. The emergence of a new Turkey: Democracy and the AK Parti. Utah: The University of Utah
Press, 2006.
Yavuz, Hakan, and John Esposito. Turkish Islam And The Secular State: The Gullen Movement.
New York: Syracuse University Press, 2003.

162

同志社グローバル・スタディーズ

第3号

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the civil society movements in
the Muslim world across-national borders have attempted to achieve not only
the goal of humanitarian assistance but also of sustainable development of thesociety. An attempt is made on the analysis of the extent to which they basetheir activities on Islamic values and norms and Muslim networks by which
they reach out to a wide segment of the society for the sake of securing local
funding.
A case study of a Turkish civil society organization, IHH (The Foundationof Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief) will be madein this study. As IHH has its headquarter in Istanbul, a branch office inAnkara, Turkey and a branch office in Gaza, Palestine, the author’s field work
both in Turkey and Gaza will be utilized for the above-mentioned analysis.
Some results of the field research indicates that the IHH was one of uniqueorganizations that has increased its support for the Palestinian people during
critical periods since the 2006 Palestine Legislation Council election while theinternational aid community neglected its assistance to Gaza and to a certain
extent the West Bank for political reasons. The study will shed light on thecivil society debate in the Muslim world by demonstrating the extent to whicha faith-based civil society activism can function as a development assistanceagent beyond humanitarian assistance actors.