Waqf management challenges
Managing Waqf has not always been straightforward and effective, with problems largely related to either inefficiency in Waqf management or interference in Waqf affairs by non-specialists. The problems in managing Islamic Awqaf (plural of Waqf) have varied over time and negatively impacted the economic and social benefit of Waqf.
During the Ottoman era, Waqf management issues included:
- Expenditures on shrines consuming a large portion of Waqf funds
rather than the funds being spent on education and other services
that meet people's needs.
- Influential individuals using different means to hinder the growth of
Awqaf and seize their funds. Corruption manifested in the misuse of
Waqf revenues or appropriation of their funds and assets.
- The state’s administrative control over Awqafs weakening due to
conflicts and other challenges, which resulted in them becoming tools
for social and economic influence and a means of concentrating
wealth. As a result, the Ottoman state eventually incorporated them
into the government’s Awqaf.
Under Muhammad Ali's reign, the assault on Awqaf began with the seizure of most of them. This happened through imposing taxes on their revenues, which had been previously exempt. In 1812, the lands of charitable Awqaf and family Awqaf were seized.
During the Western colonisation of Muslim nations, colonisers realised the value of Waqf as a religious and social institution fostering solidarity and cooperation among individuals, so they attempted to abolish Awqaf across Islamic countries.
With the end of colonialism and the emergence of the modern nation state, Awqaf were often managed by governments. Awqaf Ministries were established, while family Awqaf in Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt were abolished.
Also, new regulations and laws limited charitable Waqf, and the role of Waqf was confined to mosque care, some religious and cultural activities, with many charitable Awqaf being confiscated.
Contemporary challenges of Islamic Waqf
- Some Awqaf were turned into public utilities like schools, public libraries, or museums due to their historical significance or strategic location. This has reduced Waqf revenues and necessitated state intervention in their management, as with Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
- State intervention in Waqf affairs made Waqf performance dependent on government efficiency, encouraging governments to use Waqf for specific projects to achieve political gains rather than long-term development. This is considered an evident deviation from Waqf objectives and donors’ conditions.
- Increased state authority in Waqf affairs through various laws deterred individuals from making Waqf, fearing the state's intentions in managing Waqf revenues.
- The events of September 11th, 2001, and the ensuing ‘war on terror’ have negatively impacted Islamic charitable work, placing new obstacles, freezing bank accounts of individuals, companies, and Islamic charities, and the monitoring and scrutiny of the financial movements of some Muslims on a global scale.
