The Paradox of Religious Charity
I selected the Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI) as a charity to discuss the ideology of the perfect gift. It was interesting to analyse the concept and meaning of charity which is a pre-given ideology of a religion—Islam. I agree with Carrier (1990) where he mentions that the ideology of the perfect gift is somewhat influenced by industrial capitalism. But I also believe that political situations have been influential in making unconditional giving as that of charity being enmeshed in issues of identity and power-authority. For instance in India, zakat or charities which are spread across the country are increasingly in conflict with each other for recognition among themselves as well as by the Indian State. The ZFI which is a registered charity dwells in imagery and brands. It is difficult to overlook the aspect of recognition which the ZFI overtly seeks. I would argue that there is a covert paradox in the zakat system in India brought in by the administrative and economic conditions of the country. On the one hand the ZFI is making an effort to portray the selfless and pure nature of the donations but on the other hand it also agrees to the corruption in the distribution practices of the donations. One could read this newspaper article: http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01122002/0112200250.htm
For more information one could as well visit the ZFI website for brand pictures: www.zakatfoundationofindia.org
I looked at its counterpart in the United Kingdom which is called the National Zakat Foundation (NZF). It sort of dwells on similar issues of identity and recognition. It has an extensive media and social media coverage. The NZF blog mentions success stories of Muslims who have been “helped” by the NZF. The tax deduction policy on charities is unavailable for charities in the UK unlike in India.
Overall, it could be argued that even though it is difficult for charities to adhere to the ideology of the perfect gift but they still are important in some ways. Especially in the case of a developing country like India where Muslims are a marginalised section of the society—charities like the ZFI are fundamental development initiatives.
