Islam and Development Cooperation - Startseite · Islam and development – a contradiction? T oday, Islamic movements are an integral part of the civil societies of Muslim countries

Islam and Development Cooperation Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim Countries

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Imprint

Published by: Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHDivision 3300P.O. Box 5180D-65726 EschbornT +49 6196 79-0E [email protected] [email protected]

Responsible:Regina Bauerochse Barbosa, DirectorMediterranean and Middle East Division (3300)

Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim CountriesDr. Peer Gatter (Programme Coordinator),Anja Köhler and Jenny Bednarek

Contact e-mail:[email protected]

Authors:Dr. Peer Gatter, Anja Köhler, Jenny Bednarek, Elvira Ganter, Nina Prasch, Arwa Hassan, André Kahlmeyer

Photos:© Peer Gatter

Translation: GIZ Language Services / Richard Holland, Stephanie Feige

Design:design werk, Nikolai Krasomilwww.design-werk.com

Place and year of publication:Eschborn, 2013 (3 rd edition)

© GIZ 2011-2013

ISBN 978-3-944152-17-2

Autoren:Peer Gatter, Anja Köhler, Jenny Bednarek, Elvira Ganter, Nina Prasch, Arwa Hassan, André Kahlmeyer

Fotos:© Peer Gatter

Gestaltung:design werk, Nikolai Krasomilwww.design-werk.com

Erscheinungsort und –jahr: Eschborn, 2010

Druck:Druckrei Koch, Wiesbaden

© GTZ 2010

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Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04

Islam and development – a contradiction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06

Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Our thematic range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Maghreb: Tough issues brought to the table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Algeria: Green Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Tajikistan: State and civil society in dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Cooperation with Arab donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Promotion of inter-religious Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Publications by the Programme Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Vorwort

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Preface

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Preface

Dear reader,

The countries that partner German development cooperation span an extremely broad range of cultural and religious diversity which holds great potential for pioneering innovative solutions to existing development problems. However, this kind of social complexity and variety also presents a significant challenge for our work. Development approaches are not easily transferrable but have to be adapted to the respective political, economic, social and cultural context, if the desired results are to be achieved and the relevant people reached.

Even the best development initiatives can only succeed if they are supported by the decision-makers and people in our partner countries them-selves. Our high regard for local traditions and values encourages our partners to assume direct responsibility for the development processes in their countries.

For several decades now we have been working in Muslim countries on behalf of the German Government, in particular the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Together with its partners, GIZ imple-ments measures for various clients in 38 of the roughly 50 predominantly Muslim countries around the world.

Public debates about the role of religion and reli-gious actors gain momentum in the course of the recent political changes in North Africa and the Middle East. Although future actors and tenden-cies are not yet entirely clear, it already becomes obvious that religious actors (e. g. the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and An-Nahda in Tunisia) have gained mobilizing powers and thus influen-tial roles within their societies. They will be repre-sented in future governments and parliaments in many of our partner countries.

Religious authorities have traditionally enjoyed great influence within Muslim societies. They do not only provide believers with orientation regar-ding faith and religious practice but also with a feeling of social affiliation as well as with several social services. Thus, they also strongly influence public discourse. To ignore these actors when promoting democratization and development means to neglect crucial parts of civil societies and their potentials. This would not only be a loss of opportunities but could potentially lead to a radi-calization of these groups.

The Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim Countries was set up within the Mediterranean Region and Middle East Division in 2007 in order to help mainstream the issue of cultural and religious diversity in development cooperation.

On the following pages you can read about how the Programme Office is actively working with its partners on the ground to bring about sustainable development in these countries. You can also find out more about its track record in terms of its successes and experience to date.

I hope you enjoy your read.

Regina Bauerochse Barbosa, Director of the Mediterranean and

Middle East Division

Islam and development – a contradiction?

Today, Islamic movements are an integral part of the civil societies of Muslim countries.

The growing importance of Islamic organisations and educational institutions, mosques, Islamic councils and religious dignitaries within these societies should not, however, automatically be equated with tendencies towards radicalisation. In many places Islamic organisations offer basic social services and so help reduce poverty, provide education and supply medical care. Consequently they are often more strongly embedded in the population than government authorities.

>> Opportunities and challenges for cooperation

Development cooperation can no longer ignore these movements – after all, involving moderate Islamic institutions in development processes can reduce conflict potential and increase the level of acceptance of our work, as well as its effectiveness and sustainability. Against this background, GIZ has made it its purpose to more actively embrace the potential of Islamic cultures and societies to help shape development processes. Islamic values such as the preservation of God’s creation, for example, or the focus on the common good, or social justice as an obligation to ensure equitable distribution of profits, exhibit distinct parallels with the guiding principles of sustainable deve-lopment. At the same time, Islam is not a mono-lithic construct with a rigid, unchanging system of values and norms, as it is often simplistically


portrayed. It is shaped not only by a variety of re ligious currents and legal schools but also by local traditions and political and historical experi-ences, such as those from the colonial period. It is precisely this diversity that presents opportunities for fruitful cooperation. A differentiated perception of the socio-cultural context and a realistic assess-ment of religiously motivated social forces are therefore vital tools that enable us to better gauge what can and cannot be negotiated in a given situation and to make use of the scope for action.

>> Breaking down prejudices

Often, though, successful cooperation is hindered by a great variety of obstacles and prejudices, including conflicts between state powers and Islamic opposition forces. Tensions between the Western cultural sphere and Islam are also a cru-

cial factor. The relationship between the two is often filled with prejudice and stereotypes. Public opinion in Europe is dominated by an image of Islam that attributes the causes of development gaps and a backlog of reform to the religion ‘Islam’, suspecting Islamic culture of harbouring a high propensity for violence. Conversely, Muslims fear that, by intervening in political systems and selectively promoting individual actors, the West wants to influence the partner country’s society, culture and religion in order to create an Islam that is more amenable to Western taste.

This is where development cooperation has a vital role to play in reducing tensions and information deficits. But to do this takes experts with a high degree of both cultural and religious sensitivity.

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GIZ has made it its purpose to more actively embrace the potential of Islamic cultures and societies to help shape development processes.

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>> Culturally sensitive approaches are a success

GIZ initiatives in the field of Islam and develop-ment cooperation demonstrate that Islamic deve-lopment concepts and basis for action frameworks can be compatible with the values of German development cooperation. This enables develop-ment projects to be designed in ways that lead to tangible and measurable improvements to people’s lives, and that promote good governance and non-violent conflict resolution. A capacity for dialogue is needed here along with the ability to engage expertly and competently with the realities on the ground and to embrace values that, in many partner countries, are significantly imbued with Islamic philosophy.

Examples of successful cooperation include pro-jects set up to introduce social health insurance schemes for the poor on the basis of Zakat (the obligation to contribute a proportion of personal wealth for the benefit of the needy), microfinance in accordance with the principles of Islamic ban-king, cooperative ventures with mosques and imams on environmental education and biodiver-sity, and collaboration with religious dignitaries to improve the legal status of women and combat domestic violence.


Development cooperation has a vital role to play in reducing tensions and filling information gaps.

Galvanised by what is perceived as the gro-wing politicisation of Islam and increasingly

strong extremist tendencies, the world today is focusing more attention on Islamic issues. Faced with societal conflicts and geopolitical interests, many people in Muslim countries are now que-stioning the credibility of global problem-solving strategies, and rejecting external influences.

>> Occident meets Orient

In order to strengthen confidence in development cooperation and boost its acceptance among the population, especially within the complex social environment of our Muslim partner countries, high standards of quality and effectiveness are essential, along with a clear focus on the partner, transparency and intercultural sensitivity. This all

needs to tie in with a differentiated awareness of the religious and cultural manifestations of Islam, its values and traditions as well as of the religious and secular spectrum in civil society in order to en sure that different interests and reform approaches can be identified and successfully integrated into development processes.

The Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim Countries was set up in 2007 with the aim of further mainstreaming cultural and religious diversity in future development coopera-tion. The approach emerged from a series of pilot projects with Islamic actors which showcased the importance of culture and religion for the pro-gress and results of development processes.

Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim Countries

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>> What we do

One of the programme’s most important tasks is to design and implement culturally adapted deve-lopment measures, with the aim of improving results and raising levels of acceptance and sustainability. The programme also offers a range of sector-specific advisory services for projects and experts in German development cooperation. The most important services offered include:• implementing pilot projects that understand

religious and cultural diversity as an engine for development;

• providing advice throughout GIZ on the cultu-rally sensitive design of development measures;

• analysing the partner landscape in Muslim countries and involving new actors in develop-ment cooperation;

• preparing the ground for dealing with new development-related issues;

• strengthening the intercultural competences of German development cooperation experts;

• running dialogue forums with local partners (religious-secular dialogue);

• reappraising successful development cooperation approaches relating to the issues of Islam and culture, documenting them and transferring them to other partner countries;

• offering expertise and issuing publications on sectoral themes.

In addition to running training courses, such as those that have been held regularly in Yemen, Algeria, Egypt and Jordan, and also in Germany in recent years, the Programme Office organises regular events dealing with topical development cooperation themes in Muslim countries. These include confe-rences on political Islam, Islamic economics, or the “cartoons controversy”, or Sharia law, and its reper-cussions for German development cooperation.

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>> Our regions and our partners

Regionally, our work focuses on the Arabic-speaking countries, South-East Europe, Central Asia and Afghanistan. In future the Programme Office intends to extend its activities to Muslim countries of South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Numerous practical examples from Yemen, Pakistan, Mauritania and Indonesia show how important it is to involve Islamic actors and repre-sentatives of traditional elites to make develop-ment processes succeed. This not only gives our measures greater legitimacy, it also strengthens civil society and the individual responsibility of our partners. By creating and extending partner networks in the traditional religious sector, the Programme Office therefore supports projects under German development cooperation. One of the ways the Programme Office often approaches new themes is through dialogue forums which

bring partner governments around a table with representatives of civil society and religious insti-tutions as well as with figures from academia and research. The objective here is to take entirely different viewpoints and craft a common perspec-tive.


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Numerous practical examples show how important it is to involve Islamic actors and representatives of traditional elites if development processes are to succeed.

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Islam has a deep influence on the lives of people in many partner countries of the German deve-

lopment cooperation. Not only does Islam offer guidance on religious practices and interpersonal relations, it also has a variety of impacts on culture, law, politics, business and the form of govern-ment. Interfaces with Islam thus arise in a whole range of fields covered by development cooperati-on. In many of these fields, involving Islamic actors paves the way for more effective cooperation. In others, however, there may be tension between the objectives of development cooperation and the partners’ interests. High cultural sensitivity is required for example concerning women’s deve-lopment, legal advice or good governance.

As well as mainstreaming Islam in development cooperation and harnessing new topics relevant to the work with our partners in Muslim countries, the Programme Office’s focus is also directed at providing advisory services in fields where there is notable conflict potential.

In addition to culture, Islamic business ethics, political Islam and Islamic education, the Programme Office also looks at issues like climate change, environmental protection and the conser-vation of natural resources, Islamic microfinance, Islamic law, legal reform and women’s rights, which it deals with in the context of pilot projects and consulting services for German development projects, as well as through studies, training schemes and conferences.

>> Strengthening women’s rights

Women’s rights in Muslim countries are determi-ned by the Sharia and cultural values, some of which are the result of patriarchal traditions. In matters of marriage and divorce, the custody of children, inherited nationality or dress codes, this frequently results in women being put at a disad-vantage, a situation that is often declared to be virtually sacrosanct on the basis of the Sharia. Sharia is also the reason for the reservations that most Islamic states have when ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). There are considerable regional differences in the inter-pretation and implementation of Islamic codes. Their application can be left to the individual’s personal discretion (as in Central Asia, for examp-le), codified as civil status rights (e.g. in Morocco), or even enforced by specially trained custodians or guardians (as is the case in Iran or Saudi Arabia). Equality of rights is a prerequisite for sustainable development, however. And the basis for this is not only equal treatment under law, but also access to education. For many women though, education as a human right is something that exists only on paper. Education gives people the opportunity to choose their own path in life and to participate in a representative democracy. Furthermore, women’s involvement in the econo-mic process needs to be strengthened, as the com-petences they do acquire through better access to education are often still unutilised on the labour market.

Our thematic range

Our thematic range

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The Programme Office works gender approaches into the design and implementation of pilot pro-jects; it also advises government institutions and civil society actors in Muslim countries on the advance ment of women. Female Quran teachers are key partners and vital multipliers when it comes for example to introducing the issue of biodiversity into the curricula of Algerian Quran schools. The dialogue forums run by the Pro-gramme Office also offer an important platform for debating development-policy topics from the angle of gender-specific roles, rights and needs.

>> Focus on security

The region is marked by a number of conflicts. Besides the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, there are other disputes both between and within states over natural resources,

minority rights, equality of opportunity, access to education and work. International terrorism also poses a constant threat for Muslim countries and impacts massively on their economies. It is no surprise, then, that security has become an incre-asingly important focus of GIZ’s work in recent years. As development policy becomes more inter-linked with issues of foreign and security policy, development cooperation is increasingly being tasked with the peaceful reconciliation of interests and with promoting negotiation processes. How well prepared are our experts to deal with these demanding tasks? How can trust be reinforced, and how can the ownership of our partners for joint projects in Muslim countries be strengthened? These are questions that the Programme Office tries to answer. In line with GIZ's Spotlight of the Year for 2009, Developing Security – Securing Development, the Programme Office organised a conference on the subject of ‘Blasphemy as an

Our thematic range

Development cooperation is increasingly tasked with the peaceful reconciliation of interests and with promoting negotiation processes.

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Our thematic range

international security risk’ in collaboration with the GIZ Representation in Berlin in May 2009. The trigger was what had become known as the ‘car-toons controversy’, which since 2005 had unleashed worldwide protests by Muslims and led to the loss of well over 100 lives in our partner countries, too. Added to this, the events and training schemes organised by the Programme Office on inter-cultural competence also focus on the issue of security – bearing in mind that understanding the religious and traditional setting in our partner countries enhances the personal security of deve-lopment cooperation experts.

>> Focus on Islamic economics

Muslim countries need to find the right response to the changing circumstances brought about by high population growth rates and advancing eco-nomic globalisation, and adapt their economic structures to suit. More and more young people are entering the labour market, yet economic growth in these countries continues to have little

impact on employment. The relative insigni-ficance of the private sector in most Muslim countries means that value creation has not yet been diversified. Typically, numerous informal economic actors dominate the scene. Increases in productivity are few and employment opportuni-ties for the population are limited. In particular, the female employment rate in the Middle East is the lowest in the world.

The global economic crisis, and the fact that it had a relatively minor impact on the Islamic bank ing system, has given Islamic solutions such as Islamic microfinance a considerable lift in recent years. Consequently, Islamic economics and business ethics are key topics at the Programme Office’s dialogue forums in the Middle East/North Africa region and in Central Asia. Together with the Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs and the Algerian-German economic development programme, the Programme Office is working to devise more efficient ways of extending microcre-dits and to improve the administration of the Zakat, a fund for religious charitable donations.

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Aus dem Themenspektrum des Programmbüros

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Development needs vision, and it needs alliances that are capable of action. Following this

maxim, a series of events called the Maghreb Round Tables initiated an innovative exchange among a wide variety of actors on urgent develop-ment-policy issues in the region. Religious digni-taries met representatives of science and business, and members of government institutions met activists from civil society organisations. The events dealing with the environment, migration and economic development highlighted one point in particular: on the journey towards establishing shared guiding principles and solutions for sustain able development, dialogue and reflection are essential.

>> Tradition and modernity

In recent decades, social and economic changes have not only brought about significant economic growth in the Maghreb but have also strengthened the region’s own concept of its identity. This is most evident in the move towards Islamic solutions such as the Islamic banking system. The main focus of the first dialogue event (held in Morocco in April 2008) was on the significant potential of Islamic business ethics for sustainable develop-ment and the role of traditional and religious actors in development processes. This also involved addressing the difficult position of many women in the region who, caught between the traditional gender role and the demands of modern life, are often unable to realise their economic potential. In the course of controversial, but nonetheless constructive debates, the participants succeeded in agreeing on common values and development goals. Successful approaches from various coun-tries in North Africa have helped to keep the dialogue process going and have given it greater depth.

>> Creating a better future

Environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources are particularly critical issues in the countries of the Maghreb and are major factors in the push for greater sustainable development in the region. The increasing scarcity of water, in par-ticular, is an enormous challenge for the people of North Africa and one that demands innovative solutions. This explains why the transfer of expert knowledge on climate change and environmental protection was a central theme of the second dia-logue forum (Algeria, November 2008), along with the role of socio-cultural and religious values in sustainable environmental development. A lack of environmental awareness was identified as a major problem here. Examples from Tunisia and Algeria illustrated how scientific arguments, traditional values and religious teaching in environmental education can be effectively intertwined in very different ways – in line with each country’s given political and socio-cultural context – in order to reach more people. The dialogue forum provided the impetus that led to biodiversity being included as a subject in the curriculum of Quran schools in Annaba, Algeria.

Maghreb: Tough issues brought to the table


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>> Youth, education and migration

High unemployment and the ensuing lack of pro-spects for juveniles and young adults are common characteristics of the Maghreb countries. In the hope of finding work and a better life, many people are turning their backs on North Africa. The majority of them are drawn to Europe. The third event in the series of Maghreb Round Tables (Spain, April 2009) was dedicated to the causes, the extent and the consequences of migration, focusing particular attention on the problems of young people and women. Participants agreed that a series of complementary measures is needed in order to curb the detrimental effects of migra-

tion and to harness the potential for development. Both state-sponsored and private-sector measures are required, at the local and regional level but also at the international level. Better social inte-gration of young people and improved access to high quality education and labour markets are key factors. Project examples from the countries of North Africa highlighted how politics, civil society and religious actors can bring about tangible improvements in the lives and future prospects of young people. They also drew attention to the scope of civil society’s ongoing engagement in youth promotion in the Maghreb.


In recent decades, social and economic changes have not only brought about significant economic growth in the Maghreb, but have also strengthened the region’s own concept of its identity.

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Algeria: Green Islam


The Muslim countries of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia are seriously

affected by global climate change, increasing desertification and the depletion of natural resour-ces. The overexploitation of water resources, for instance, jeopardises people’s drinking water sup-plies just as much as it threatens agricultural prod-uction. The discourse surrounding environmental awareness and protection of the environment in these regions is therefore now becoming more important. Islamic theologians are also increasingly picking up on this issue, and are now addressing it in their Friday sermons, bringing it to a wide public audience.

The Islamic concept of the relationship between man and nature is founded on four central tenets which the Islamic ecological discourse interprets as the duty of every Muslim to uphold for the good of the environment. Derived from traditional sources such as the Quran, the sunna and the hadiths, this duty is about preserving God’s crea-tion (fitra) and about the unity of creation, in which all things are connected to each other (tauhid), as well as the balance of creation, which represents a perfect state and therefore has to be restored and must not be destroyed (mizan), and the role of humans as the trustees of God’s creation (khilafa). As interpreted by ecological theology, the Quran also commits to conserving natural resources: sura 7:31 calls on Muslims to avoid waste and excess.

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>> Imams for environmental conservation

This ecological and theological understanding fits in very well with the objectives of German develop ment cooperation. GIZ is therefore incre-asingly involving the religious sector in develop-ment measures, and thus giving religious dignita-ries the role of multipliers due to their prominent position within the societies of many predomi-nantly Muslim countries. In this way, it is possible to raise awareness for environmental issues across broad swathes of the population.

A manual for imams detailing the role of the mos-que in environmental education and a textbook on biodiversity for Quran schools have proved to be highly successful measures. Like the manual, which offers imams lines of religious argument enabling them to link the issue of environmental conservation to the Quran for their Friday ser-mons, the textbook on biodiversity also arose from cooperation between the Algerian-German programme for integrated environmental manage-ment, the Algerian Ministries of the Environment and Religious Affairs and the Programme Office for Intercultural Relations with Muslim Countries. The success of these measures has been noted well beyond the borders of Algeria, and today resonates in projects in Yemen, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The pilot project in the Algerian town of Annaba was documented by the Programme Office in the film ‘Belief in change – Algerian imams for environ-mental protection’.

>> Biodiversity at Quran schools

The biodiversity textbook aims to give pupils a clear understanding of why ecological diversity is so important for the preservation of human exi-stence. At the same time, the book – which was written by a joint team of Algerian natural scien-tists and religious scholars – establishes a connec-tion between the environment and Islam on the basis of religious sources. The textbook vividly explains how humans influence ecosystems and the atmosphere, and describes the connections between environmental pollution and diseases, and the diversity of life, from microorganisms to human beings. A number of Quran schools in the pilot region of Annaba in Algeria have already trialled the textbook in lessons. Thirty Quran teachers have received training from GIZ on how to use the book, and around 2,000 pupils are now familiar with the issue of biodiversity. The Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs advocated distri-buting the textbook to other Quran schools throughout country. In 2011 the project was documented in a film entitled “Theology of Nature – Biodiversity Education in Algerian Quran Schools”.


The Quran calls on believers to conserve natural resources and avoid waste and excess.

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Tajikistan: State and civil society in dialogue

Muslims account for a large proportion of the population in the former Soviet republics

of Central Asia. However, governments’ relation-ships with both civil society and Islamic actors are often fraught. While the state officially remains secular and atheist, with a tendency towards the authoritarian, Islamic values, norms and institu-tions often play an increasing role in education, health and economic and social development.

German development cooperation is primarily involved in the fields of economic development and education in Central Asia where it adopts a conflict-sensitive approach and specifically pro-motes participatory dialogue and negotiation processes. The programme’s role here is an adviso-ry one. In 2007, for example, it carried out studies in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan entitled ‘Framework for sustainable economic development in Central Asia: cultural-religious and political aspects, conflict potential and causes of fragility’ whose find-ings suggest creating opportunities for citizens to play a greater part in shaping the political, econo-mic and social development of their countries.

>> Helping to shape development

Following up this recommendation, a series of dialogue forums on development-policy themes were held in Tajikistan between 2008 and 2010, with the aim of initiating sustainable, participatory negotiation processes. The forums were intended for representatives of the state apparatus, civil society, the media, the private sector and religious actors along with representatives of German and international development cooperation. The forums on the subjects of education, economics and migration were each run in close collaboration with German development cooperation projects and partners from the Tajik Government (the Ministries of Education, Labour and Social Protection, for example).

Cultural and religious factors, including some controversial topics, were a prominent feature in the discussions and were hotly debated by the participants, including the role of religious schools (madrasahs) in the country, and the influence of religious authorities on development issues, such as education for girls. Sensitive topics like combat-ing corruption in the school system and business world were addressed, as was the growing level of religiosity in the population and the consequences this had for the state and government policy on religion. Crucial challenges that have to be faced in Tajikistan include improving the quality of education, reforming the economic system, con-trolling labour migration and designing a demo-cratic and participatory political system. To address these issues, the participants of the dia-logue forums produced recommendations direc-ted not only at the Tajik side, but also at German and international development cooperation.


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>> Building confidence between state and society

One of these recommendations was taken up by the Minister of Education who asked the Tajik steering group for the dialogue forums to draw up a curriculum for the subject of religious studies. This has been a permanent part of the syllabus in state schools since October 2009 and is signi-ficantly helping to normalise the state’s dealings with an increasingly religious population. The active involvement of ministers and high-ranking representatives of the state apparatus is indicative of the government’s growing interest in engaging in dialogue with civil society. The dialogue forums

were thus able to help build confidence between the state, civil society and religious actors. The forums also attracted the attention of the media, with Tajik state television, for example, broad-casting a lengthy video documentary about the series of dialogues and the work being carried out by German development cooperation.


The dialogue forums of the Programme Office are specifically designed to initiate participatory negotiation processes in Central Asia.

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In addition to the need for tighter alignment with German and ‘traditional’ international

actors, greater cooperation with regional donors is fundamental to sustainable development in our partner countries. In recent years Arab states have featured more and more prominently in the donor community alongside OECD member countries. Building networks to promote civil society organisations and disadvantaged population groups in close cooperation with Islamic and Arab donor organisations has therefore been one of the main priorities of the programme’s work from the very beginning. In order to deepen these relation-ships, BMZ awarded GIZ the contract in 2009 to establish a regional programme for cooperation

with Arab donors in the Middle East/North Africa region.

>> Promoting synergies

The underlying idea is that better cooperation between German and Arab development organi-sations can promote synergies and make develop-ment cooperation more sustainable and effective by incorporating the experience of both sides. The member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in particular, have specialised institutions dedicat-ed to the allocation of development aid. As well as direct financial transfers, which for the most part go directly to the national budgets of the Arab

Cooperation with Arab donors


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In recent years Arab states have featured more and more prominently in the donor community alongside OECD member countries.

countries, grants and loans are allocated via natio-nal and multilateral funds and through quasi-governmental and private non-governmental organisations and foundations. Important sectors for Arab development cooperation are education, health, energy and water supplies, environmental protection and climate change, agriculture and food security, and humanitarian aid and poverty reduction. Arab donors thus address areas in which the OECD member countries are also active.

The regional cooperation project ‘Cooperation with Arab donors in the MENA region’, based in Jordan, has set up an open regional fund on behalf of BMZ from which projects in various Arab countries are financed on a pro-rata basis. Together with the implementing organisations, at least one Arab donor organisation is involved in each project in the recipient countries. The joint projects mainly concentrate on promoting civil society structures and working to reduce poverty. Arab experts from the region and experts from Germany advise participating organisations on how to plan, implement and evaluate the measures. These triangular Arab-German cooperation arrangements feature transparent processes, good networking with other Arab institutions, culturally sensitive approaches and joint public relations.

>> Regional donors as strategic partners

A key partner is the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), a multilateral organisa-tion, based in Saudi Arabia, that is financed by six Gulf states. GIZ and AGFUND are jointly pro-moting a project in Yemen combating violence against women. The project helps women and girls affected by domestic violence, and women released from prison, to gain better access to edu-cation and small loans, and assists with business start-ups. To do so, GIZ and AGFUND work closely with microfinance institutions, social esta-blishments, prisons and the police in Yemen. Another project with AGFUND involves promo-tion of the Center for Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR) based in Tunis. CAWTAR implements measures in, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen aimed at improving services for women in the health sector. Other partners are the Arab Democracy Foundation and Silatech. Both organi-sations are headquartered in Qatar and funded by the Qatari Government to implement projects promoting young people in Arab countries. A number of projects with the Islamic Development Bank are in preparation.

Thanks to the joint work, there have been some significant improvements, both in terms of confi-dence-building measures and dialogue with Arab donor organisations. The programme also explains how Arab donors function and allocate their funds, information which can be of benefit to German development cooperation programmes in the acquisition of combined financing.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina: Promotion of inter-religious Dialogue

More than 15 years after the Bosnian war (1992–1995), the society of Bosnia and

Herzegovina is still divided. People do still not identify themselves as fellow citizens of the same nation, but as members of certain ethnic groups (Bosniaks, Serbs or Croats) and/or of one of the religious communities (the three major ones being Muslim, Christian Orthodox, and Catholic). Their everyday lives are mostly separated, there is hardly any interaction. People know very little about the life and realities of ethnic and religious groups other than their own.

A constructive coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina con-stitutes an important precondition for stabilizing peace and rapprochement to Europe. To this pur-pose the young in particular should be guided to cross ethnic boundaries and develop common

visions of the future. It is a long-standing process in the country still burdened with war memories.Leaders and representatives of the three major religious communities, Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic, as well as the Jewish community invited GIZ to render support to interreligious dialogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Therefore, a pilot project is jointly implemented by the GIZ country programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Program Office for intercul-tural relations with Muslim countries. It aims at strengthening important actors in the area of inte-rethnic and interreligious dialogue, as well as to establish opportunities for exchange and networ-king among youth of different ethnic and reli-gious backgrounds, secular and religious civil society organisations, academia and state institu-tions.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Promotion of inter-religious Dialogue

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Publications by the Programme Office

• Theology of Nature – Biodiversity Education in Algerian Quran Schools (film in German, French and Arabic).

• Sharia and Development Cooperation (in German and English).

• Development Cooperation in Muslim Countries – The Experience of German Technical Cooperation (in German and English).

• Textbook on biodiversity for Quran schools (La Biodiversité - Défis et Solutions) (in Arabic, French and English).

• Political Islam in Arab countries [Politischer Islam in arabischen Ländern] (in German).

• Belief in change – Algerian Imams for environmental protection [Glaube der Veränderung – Algerische Imame für den Umweltschutz] (film in German and French).

• Tradition and Modernization – Promoting Sustainable Economic Development (Maghreb Round Table 1, Ifrane, Morocco) (in French and English).

• Creating a Future Worth Living: Supporting Environmental Ethics in the Maghreb (Maghreb Round Table 2, Algiers, Algeria) (in French and English).

• Young People, Migration and Education (Maghreb Round Table 3, Seville, Spain) (in French and English).

• Challenges and Main Directions of Development of the Education Sector in Tajikistan (Tajikistan Forum 1) (in German and Russian).

• Challenges of Economic Development in Tajikistan under the Conditions of the Global Economic Crisis (Tajikistan Forum 2) (in German and Russian).

• Challenges of Migration and Employment in Tajikistan against the Background of the Global Financial Crisis (Tajikistan Forum 3) (in German and Russian).

Publications by the Programme Office

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-565760 Eschborn, Germany T +49 (0) 6196 79-0 F +49 (0) 6196 79-1115 E [email protected] www.giz.de

ISBN 978-3-944152-17-2

Documents

Islam and Development Cooperation - Startseite · Islam and development – a contradiction? T oday, Islamic movements are an integral part of the civil societies of Muslim countries