Institute of philanthropy on Arab philanthropy

“Charitable traditions run deep in the Arab world; Islam mandates some of the highest giving among all religions. What in Christianity might be called tithing in the Muslim world is zakat. The very interesting phenomenon is that there is emerging a new generation of business leaders who are expanding beyond traditional charity to more strategic philanthropy – taking on tough problems, like youth unemployment and trying to improve systems, like failing school systems. This is a new and exciting trend and one which puts the region in line with what we are seeing in other parts of the world, where a new generation is bringing business discipline to giving.
In the region, we are working with the Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at the American University in Cairo in a new and groundbreaking initiative called the Arab Forum for Social Innovation, a network of high net worth individuals from the Arab region who convene twice yearly to hone their strategic focus and impact and share best practice.”

http://www.blogger.com/instituteforphilanthropy.org.uk