News
Religion and development aid:
The special case of Islam
November 1, 2006. According to Maurits Berger, the author of this new Clingendael Diplomacy Paper, Western donors should engage with Islamic organizations, but in doing so should abstain from instrumentalizing religion. In popular language this translates as: talk to them, but don't talk their talk. Especially in the case of Islam, such instrumentalization may very well be counter- productive. The author argues that using religion in development aid policies may add to the already existing tendency of 'religionizing' - a term used here to indicate the predisposition to identify people or institutions, or their actions, ideas and values, on the basis of religion. Read more »