Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times

Amira Mittermaier

Published by University of California Press 2019

Giving to God

Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times

Amira Mittermaier

https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520972056

Overview
Contents

About this book

Giving to God examines the everyday practices of Islamic giving in post-revolutionary Egypt. From foods prepared in Sufi soup kitchens, to meals distributed by pious volunteers in slums, to almsgiving, these acts are ultimately about giving to God by giving to the poor. Surprisingly, many who practice such giving say that they do not care about the poor, instead framing their actions within a unique non-compassionate ethics of giving. At first, this form of giving may appear deeply selfish, but further consideration reveals that it avoids many of the problems associated with the idea of “charity.” Using the Egyptian uprising in 2011 and its call for social justice as a backdrop, this beautifully crafted ethnography suggests that “giving a man a fish” might ultimately be more revolutionary than “teaching a man to fish.”

Author / Editor information

Mittermaier Amira :

Amira Mittermaier is Associate Professor of Religion and Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Dreams That Matter: Egyptian Landscapes of the Imagination.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Note on Transliteration Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
During the Revolution
1. Revolutions Don’t Stop Charity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
Giving
2. Divine Minimum Wage Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
3. Caravan to Paradise Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	74
Receiving
4. Performances of Poverty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
5. All Thanks Belong to God Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	129
After the Revolution
6. Tomorrow Is Better Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Postscript Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221

Language: English
Publisher: University of California Press
Pages
- Main content: 248

eBook

Published: February 26, 2019
ISBN: 9780520972056