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Abstract

Background: Despite its relatively small native population, Qatar's impressive number of charitable and social organizations makes it unique. In response to the initiatives of Qatar Foundation, Qatar is constantly expanding its role in promoting philanthropy, social responsibility,and volunteerism as part of contributing to civil governance on both local and global levels, inspired by the Islamic model of social justice exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Objectives: 1. Support the claim that Qatar can serve as a possible Islamic model for social justice. 2. Show the strong connection between Qatar's leading role in promoting social justice and its strong support for interfaith dialogue and religious understanding and cooperation. Methods: Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, this research examines Qatar's philanthropic initiatives through government, nonprofit, and both national and international charitable organizations such as Qatar Red Crescent Society, Social Development Center (SDC), Qatar Charitable Society (QCS), and Reach out to Asia (ROTA). Results: Qatar's aim has been to promote economic prosperity and stability among its citizens and also has been a key aid provider on a global level as part of its commitment to the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC). Qatar's commitment to religous understanding and cooperation is an essential means to promote social justice. Qatar's religious diversity enriched by its large expatriate community has helped it become a hub for interfaith dialogue, as shown by its public funding of sixteen Christian churches and its Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), which hosts an annual conference and publishes a scholarly journal entitled 'Religions-Adyan'. The theme of its first numbered issue was, "Charity and Compassion: Interreligious Perspectives". Conclusion: Qatar is playing a key role in the pursuit of social justice on local, regional, and global levels while staying true to its Islamic character and thereby serving as a potential Islamic model.

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/content/papers/10.5339/qfarf.2012.AHP15
2012-10-01
2024-03-28
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http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/papers/10.5339/qfarf.2012.AHP15
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