I’ve been studying philanthropy for the past few years, learning about its history in the United States, understanding its beginnings, and navigating the landscape. Every history book on philanthropy I was required to read either failed to mention anything about Muslim philanthropy or Islam’s influence on Western philanthropy or had one paragraph dedicated to it in a book of 400 pages.
It became challenging for me to never see myself represented in these books, coursework, or research. As a disruptor who loves challenging the status quo, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing.
A few weeks ago, I attended the Women’s Philanthropy Institute’s webinar on Women’s Philanthropy Trends in 2024. As exciting as it was to learn about those trends, it made me reflect on Muslim women’s philanthropy. How can we better understand the motivations behind Muslim women’s generosity?
Now I’m on a mission to change the lack of data and research about Muslim women and our generosity. It comes in different forms and times, based on our faith traditions, following in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with compassion and grace.
I’ve been re-reading the Seerah (the study of the life of the Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him) from that lens, picking up books like, “The Women Around the Messenger” and finding beautiful stories of philanthropy and generosity. We all know that Khadija (R), the Prophet’s wife, was generous. But now I see her as the original philanthropist who funded an entire movement – Islam – as a woman! And not just her, but so many other women gave their time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimony to build community.
In the summer of 2023, I joined the fantastic research team at the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI), part of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, as a research fellow. Along with four other fellows, we crafted the first-ever report about U.S. based Muslim women and their philanthropic behaviors. It felt like a stretch to call the report that because we didn’t design the survey questions to tell that complete story. Instead, we took data from a previous zakat survey, disaggregated it by gender, and looked at various variables. This is what we had to work with, and we delivered a historically first-ever report – what an amazing accomplishment!
Now, as Ramadan is here, I wonder about Muslim women’s giving motivations, decision-making processes, and preferences for being stewarded and cultivated. Personally, I love seeing organizations make progress and communicate it to me. Organizations that engage me in conversation, seek advice, and build authentic relationships have my heart and my wallet.
This is why MPI is so important. It’s filling the gaps, providing much-needed research, training, and symposia. When students do their literature reviews or annotated bibliographies, they’ll find MPI’s reports. MPI offers the annual Symposium on Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, publications like the Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, and many other resources. MPI is an invaluable organization that is paving the way for increased awareness, representation, and understanding of Muslim philanthropy, particularly the vital contributions of Muslim women, filling a critical void in the philanthropic landscape.
Nausheena Hussain, a social justice activist, is principal of Nissa Consulting, providing services to Muslim-led nonprofits and organizing Muslim philanthropy. She is currently the co-founder and executive director emerita of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment, a platform established in 2016 for Muslim women by Muslim women to raise up and celebrate their positive community impact. Nausheena is the former deputy director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and currently serves on the board of the Center on Muslim Philanthropy. She is co-founder and board secretary of the Brooklyn Park Islamic Center and co-founder of the Muslim Youth Leadership Award.
Previously, Nausheena was a committee member of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice Community Innovation and Social Change Fund. She is a research fellow and candidate for a Professional Doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership (PhilD) at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University. Nausheena’s leadership has been recognized by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Minnesota Women’s Press.
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