Islam and Social Policy.

• Author: Molloy, Rebecca
• Position: Book review

Islam and Social Policy. Edited by STEPHEN P. HEYNEMAN. Nashville: VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2004. Pp. 218. $24.95 (paper).

At a time when the world's eye seems squarely focused on all things "Middle East" and all things "Muslim," this collection of essays offers an overview of some of the most delicate issues faced by a wide range of Muslim communities. Each essay contained in the volume attempts to explain in the most basic terms how, in the context of Islamic religious principles, some major social concerns are formulated and organized. In five separate essays contributors to the volume elaborate on what they mean by "Islam" and "social policy" in their discussion of how women are treated under Islam as well as how charity, education, and general social welfare are promoted.

The target audience of the essays is quite evident from their language, as they were originally commissioned for use by staffs of development assistance agencies (e.g., the UN; the World Bank) that seek to provide help in Muslim countries in terms of social welfare, human rights, education, and gender equality. In simple expression, basic definition of terms and concepts, and uncomplicated structure, the volume lives up to its purpose to offer the layman or the novice reader a glimpse into the complicated system that is Islam, its legal theory and its practices. In addition, at the end of the book (pp. 207-11), the reader is offered a glossary of Arabic terms.

In his introduction the editor outlines the themes of the volume as he acquaints his readers with the language of the culture of Islam, the sources of its laws and practices, and its principles of reasoning. Heyneman expresses the hope that his audience will come away with a sense of the compelling Islamic principles of fairness and balance in the family unit, which are different from the Western emphasis on individual equality. In recognizing such principles, the editor hopes his readers will be convinced that there are widely utilized religious systems of social welfare that can be as effective as welfare organized by the state.

The first essay, Ahmad Dallal's "The Islamic institution of Waqf: An Historical Overview," examines the organization of charity in Islam. Dallal describes the Islamic system of awqaf by introducing the conditions for becoming a legitimate founder of a waqf, the role of an administrator, and the legitimate (and illegitimate) uses for waqf revenues--e.g., municipal public works...