The American Muslim community continues to grow, as do the number of American Muslim nonprofits. Knowing and understanding American Muslim philanthropy is important to developing and better serving American Muslim civil society and the larger American civil society. This is why the research from the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI) and other institutions is important.
MPI has done research on Muslim Philanthropy in the US in a climate where there is Islamophobia. According to a study conducted by the ACLU, giving to U.S. Islamic charities has been equated to supporting terrorism. At this time, it is important to research where Muslim philanthropy is sent and how it is raised. Even within the Muslim community, there are myths about where and how Muslim Philanthropy is spent.
MPI’s Muslim American Giving 2021 research was groundbreaking, as it shattered many myths perpetuated in the Muslim community about American Muslim Philanthropy. This research was sponsored by Islamic Relief USA, which contributed to the questions that were asked of the recipients.
MYTH # 1
Most of the American Muslim Philanthropy goes overseas.
The MPI research showed that overseas relief and humanitarian causes comprised only 12.81% of faith-based overseas relief; most American Muslim Philanthropy is spent in the US. This myth may have developed due to the greater transparency associated with giving to an international cause or a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, compared to U.S. houses of worship. The former is required to publish their information in the IRS 990 tax filing while the latter is not. For many years, international Muslim relief organizations have held many public events, especially during crises, which may have given the impression that a lot of funds were going towards these causes. However, as MPI’s research shows, those funds comprised only 12.81% of American Muslim’s giving.