Asian Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Citizen Engagement

Youth in Action: Exploring Emerging Forms of Civic Engagement and Digital Philanthropy among Millennial and Generation Z Muslims

2025-11-17T06:26:02+07:00

The proliferation of digital technology presents unique opportunities and challenges for the civic and philanthropic engagement of Muslim Millennials and Generation Z. This study aims to map the emerging forms of their digital participation, with a focus on the negotiation between the logic of digital platforms and Islamic socio-religious values. Employing a qualitative library research method, this paper systematically analyzes scholarly literature to explore how religious principles such as ukhuwah (solidarity) and ummah (community) are adapted within digital spaces. Findings indicate that Muslim youth are not passive consumers of technology; rather, they actively create hybrid practices, such as #SedekahOnline campaigns, faith-based crowdfunding, and virtual volunteering, that integrate digital efficiency with spiritual obligations like zakat and sadaqah. Religious values serve as a key motivator for digital philanthropy. However, challenges remain, including limited digital literacy, the commodification of religion, and infrastructural inequality. The study concludes that fostering meaningful digital participation requires social engineering that interconnects technology, critical digital education, and Islamic ethics. By centering cultural-religious dimensions in the analysis, this research addresses a gap in existing literature and provides a more contextualized understanding of youth engagement in the digital age.

Zakat and Waqf in the Era of Capitalism: Reconstructing the Paradigm of Economic Justice within the Modern Financial System

2025-11-26T14:31:38+07:00

Islamic philanthropic instruments such as zakat and waqf face a profound paradox within the global capitalist system. While embodying ideals of substantive economic justice and community empowerment, in practice they often become subsumed by the dominant economic logic, limiting their transformative potential. This study aims to reconstruct the paradigm of economic justice by critically examining strategic pathways to integrate Islamic philanthropy into modern financial architecture. Employing a qualitative library research approach through in-depth literature study and thematic analysis, the research reveals that the fundamental incompatibility between Islamic philanthropy and capitalism is philosophical and axiological, concerning the very purpose of economic activity. However, this tension can be bridged through innovative models such as stock waqf and productive sukuk, which merge Islamic solidarity ethics with market efficiency. Meaningful integration ultimately requires paradigmatic transformation within the financial system itself, placing principles of distributive justice (al-’adl) and public welfare (maslahah) at its core. Thus, Islamic philanthropy can evolve from traditional charity into an ethical counterbalancing force within global capitalism, offering a viable pathway toward a more inclusive and equitable economic paradigm.

Transformational Philanthropy Model: A Strategy for Sustainable Community Development in Indonesia

2025-11-16T19:22:37+07:00

This study identifies three core pillars for advancing sustainable community development in Indonesia: reinforcing local socio-institutional foundations, critically understanding patterns of socio-economic inequality, and systematically integrating collective cultural values such as gotong royong (mutual cooperation). The research is motivated by the recognized limitations of traditional, charity-based philanthropy, which often perpetuates dependency and fails to address the structural roots of poverty. Through a systematic qualitative review and thematic analysis of scholarly literature, the study aims to develop a contextualized transformational philanthropy model. This model is designed to shift the paradigm from passive aid distribution to active community empowerment, positioning local actors as central agents in their own development trajectory. The concluding argument emphasizes that the success of this transformational approach depends on a synergistic balance, merging modern managerial efficiency with deep-rooted local wisdom, aligning religious ethical principles with professional institutional governance, and leveraging digital innovation to foster broad, inclusive participation. Ultimately, the model presents a strategic pathway for philanthropy to contribute meaningfully to long-term, equitable, and resilient community development in the Indonesian context.

Weighed Altruism: The Construction of Identity and Hidden Motivations in the World of Elite Philanthropy

2025-11-26T14:32:43+07:00

This study aims to deconstruct the concept of “weighed altruism”, a form of negotiated generosity in elite philanthropy where moral claims, strategic interests, and power dynamics are perpetually balanced. Employing a qualitative critical literature review, it synthesizes scholarly discourse, media narratives, and theoretical frameworks from the past two decades, utilizing thematic analysis and theoretical triangulation to examine the performative, motivational, and representational layers of philanthropic practice. The analysis reveals that philanthropic acts by elites are rarely disinterested; they serve as instruments for moral legitimization, corporate reputation management, network expansion, and power consolidation, while simultaneously reproducing structural inequalities, depoliticizing social justice issues, and fostering public skepticism. Against the backdrop of widening socio-economic disparities and increased scrutiny of elite actors, philanthropy has evolved from simple charity to a complex social performance that intertwines virtue with calculation, converting economic capital into symbolic capital within competitive social arenas. The study concludes that elite philanthropy embodies a profound ambivalence, operating as a dual-edged mechanism that channels resources toward public good yet reinforces the very hierarchies it purports to address. Consequently, a paradigm shift is needed in philanthropic studies toward more critical, interdisciplinary, and power-conscious engagements, urging future research to explore transformative philanthropic models that prioritize equity and structural change over symbolic legitimization.

Wellness through Sharing: The Trend of Routine Almsgiving in the Mental Health of Modern Muslims

2025-11-16T19:58:12+07:00

The rise of digital philanthropy has fundamentally reshaped the practice of almsgiving (sadaqah), integrating it into the modern Muslim lifestyle as a component of holistic wellness. This study investigates the trend of routine, digitally-mediated almsgiving, arguing that it transcends its traditional role as a religious obligation to become a strategic practice for mental and spiritual well-being. Employing a qualitative library research methodology, this article systematically reviews and synthesizes scholarly literature to analyze the psychospiritual dimensions of this transformation. The findings demonstrate that regular giving functions as a potent spiritual coping mechanism, effectively alleviating urban stress and existential anxiety through neuropsychological rewards akin to the ‘helper’s high.’ Furthermore, the convergence of Islamic values, digital platforms, and psychological awareness fosters a novel ‘spiritual wellness economy.’ Within this paradigm, well-being is redefined: it is no longer anchored in material accumulation but is cultivated through social contribution and a sense of purposeful connectivity. This research concludes that routine digital sadaqah represents an epistemic shift in contemporary Islamic spirituality, effectively merging acts of worship with mental self-care. It signifies the emergence of a reflective wellness practice where true happiness is derived from sharing, offering a critical alternative to the individualistic pressures of digital capitalism. The study bridges discourses on Islamic philanthropy and positive psychology, providing a new framework for understanding faith-based wellness in the 21st century.