Book contents
- Charity in Saudi Arabia
- Cambridge Middle East Studies
- Charity in Saudi Arabia
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Conventions
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Meanings of Welfare
- 3 Managing Poverty and National Development
- 4 Negotiating Citizenship and Belonging
- 5 Fun, Freedom, and Personal Growth amid Rising Repression
- 6 Conclusion
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- Books in the Series
4 - Negotiating Citizenship and Belonging
The Young Initiative Group
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 July 2022
- Charity in Saudi Arabia
- Cambridge Middle East Studies
- Charity in Saudi Arabia
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Conventions
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Meanings of Welfare
- 3 Managing Poverty and National Development
- 4 Negotiating Citizenship and Belonging
- 5 Fun, Freedom, and Personal Growth amid Rising Repression
- 6 Conclusion
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- Books in the Series
Summary
This chapter examines the relationships between volunteerism and religion, between youth activism and Islamic charity. During the reign of King ʿAbdallah, informal groups that advocated volunteering flourished among youth in Saudi Arabia. The rise of youth activism in Saudi Arabia is tied to the rise of social media.
At the heart of this chapter is the Young Initiative Group (YIG), an informal organization that grew out of the efforts of youth who distributed meals during Ramadan 2009. The chapter explores how the YIG negotiated alternative forms of belonging and community through charity work. The YIG embedded its volunteering practices within the religious obligation of alms and compassion for the needy. The group’s community approach was rooted in an Islamic ethics of care. This appeared to be both a reflection of the personal religiosity of some of its founders and strategic positioning vis-à-vis the authorities, given the initiative’s lack of legal status. The YIG’s rhetorical emphasis on family-like relations among volunteers, together with a critique of consumption patterns and references to Islamic norms of benevolence, created an apolitical profile of a group that promoted social reform.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Charity in Saudi ArabiaCivil Society under Authoritarianism, pp. 197 - 244Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022