Braille books are unfortunately not available in Egypt and Kheir fel Hazr aimed to change that (El-Saeed, 2013). Pages of books were scanned and then sent to volunteers to type in a Microsoft Word document. From there, a program was used to translate the pages into Braille. Realizing that not all visually impaired individuals could read Braille, the group also began creating audio books. The initiative currently has over three hundred volunteers, and has been able to create seven Braille books as well as seven audio recorded books (El-Saeed, 2013).

Although the curfew in Egypt has now been removed, the initiative has decided to continue to its mission. And from there the group will expand its mission by gathering volunteers with various talents and expertise and offering teaching lessons for children in need. Kheir focuses on improving Egypt after the revolution in aspects other than politics (El-Saeed, 2013). The group’s future plans include traveling to less fortunate places in Egypt, such as Upper Egypt, to provide education for illiterate children. As well as distributing clothing to children in orphanages during the Islamic celebration of Eid (El-Saeed, 2013).

Works Cited

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2013, August 25). Egypt government relaxes night-time

curfew. British Broadcasting Corporation News Middle East. Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23830892

El-Saeed, Y. (2013, September 8). Philanthropy during the curfew. Daily News Egypt. Retrieved

from http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/09/08/philanthropy-during-the-curfew/

Charity is a cornerstone of Islam. Along with spiritual kindness and compassion toward humanity, charity is a way of bringing forth justice to society. During Ramadan, charity takes on significant importance in the lives of Egyptians and this holy month is the most special occasion of the year. Rather than continuing to wait for the government to eradicate poverty in Egypt, citizens take individual action to boost positive, communal change, and Ramadan is the perfect catalyst for such a cause (ElNabawi, 2012). For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a time when people fast between dawn and sunset, perform more prayers, read more Qur’an, give more sadaqah (voluntary charity), and worship more than at any other time during the year. Although they perform the same types of worship in the same way, traditions vary from one country to another. In some parts of the country, particularly in large cities like Cairo, social solidarity is expressed in the form of “charity banquets” or “charity corners”. Wealthy Egyptians such as businessmen pay their Zakat (annual almsgiving) by providing food for the poor and passers-by who cannot afford the means to break their fast. Every street corner has tables and chairs set up with free food for those in need (Ramadan in Egypt: Lanterns of Light). There are two main forms of charity practiced during the holy month — obligatory (zakah al-fitr) and voluntary (sadaqah). Sadaqah requires Muslims to give food to the poor at the end of Ramadan, before the Eid prayers so that everyone is able to celebrate the festival of breaking the fast (ElNabawi, 2012).

The concept of giving and philanthropy has evolved in Egypt through time; patterns of giving have been documented since the Pharaonic Era and I believe it is important to note the ancient Egyptians beliefs of life after death and how those beliefs were based on philanthropic values and concepts of charity similar to Western traditions. Ancient Egyptian rulers and nobles gave to the poor in an effort to please the gods and to help ensure a blissful afterlife; all ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife and spent their entire lives preparing for it by building elaborate tombs, worshipping the gods (i.e. by providing their statues with food and drink), and helping the less fortunate in order to ensure that their good deeds out-weighed the bad when it came time for judgment. It is also important to note that one of the highest deities worshipped was the goddess Ma’at, who was the goddess of truth, morality, and justice who kept the universe from chaos. Her role was weighing the souls in the underworld to determine if they were fit for a successful afterlife, and for this reason Pharaohs and citizens made sure to commit good deeds of charity and attain a clean soul. Much like in ancient Egypt, religion still plays an essential part in modern Egypt and their philanthropic values and patterns of giving.

Works Cited
http://www.islamic-relief.com/ramadan/Ramadan-Egypt.aspx http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper42.html

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/egypt/Egyptian-Afterlife-Beliefs/3182

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/gift-giving

http://www.philanthrocapitalism.net/bonus-chapters/ancient-giving/

Approximately two years ago, the people of Egypt decided that they have had enough, after years of following the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. Thousands of civilians gathered to protest, which lasted months until they were able to force the President to step down. Mohamed Morsi was elected as President, following Egypt’s first presidential election. What civilians failed to realize at the time was that the Muslim-Brotherhood member had ulterior motives to rule the country under Islamic law – which was clearly not supported (G. Guirguis, personal communication, September 24, 2013). Soon after, Egyptians gathered for yet another demonstration to oppose the rule of Morsi. Once again, Egyptians were able to come together to overthrow their political leader. This revolution was not as simplistic as it sounds. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were left injured as a result. During this period, a country wide curfew was put into place to ensure the protection of civilians.

​Curfew in Egypt began at 9 o’clock p.m. and ended at 6 o’clock a.m., with the exception of curfew beginning at 7 o’clock p.m. on Friday’s (BBC, 2013). Curfew hours were typically spent arguing about the politics of the revolution, and people were becoming bored. This sparked an initiative lead by a youth group in Egypt called, Mashroo3 Kheir. This form of philanthropy required the use of volunteers’ time. Using the social networking site Facebook, the youth led group was able to create the program “Kheir fel Hazr,” meaning “Doing good during curfew” (El-Saeed, 2013).

​Braille books are unfortunately not available in Egypt and Kheir fel Hazr aimed to change that (El-Saeed, 2013). Pages of books were scanned and then sent to volunteers to type in a Microsoft Word document. From there, a program was used to translate the pages into Braille. Realizing that not all visually impaired individuals could read Braille, the group also began creating audio books. The initiative currently has over three hundred volunteers, and has been able to create seven Braille books as well as seven audio recorded books (El-Saeed, 2013).

Although the curfew in Egypt has now been removed, the initiative has decided to continue to its mission. And from there the group will expand its mission by gathering volunteers with various talents and expertise and offering teaching lessons for children in need. Mashroo3 Kheir focuses on improving Egypt after the revolution in aspects other than politics (El-Saeed, 2013). The group’s future plans include traveling to less fortunate places in Egypt, such as Upper Egypt, to provide education for illiterate children. As well as distributing clothing to children in orphanages during the Islamic celebration of Eid (El-Saeed, 2013).

Works cited

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2013, August 25). Egypt government relaxes night-time
curfew. British Broadcasting Corporation News Middle East. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23830892
El-Saeed, Y. (2013, September 8). Philanthropy during the curfew. Daily News Egypt. Retrieved
from http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/09/08/philanthropy-during-the-curfew/

Zakat, a compulsory practice for Muslims, is mandated by Allah for all adult able-bodied and well-off Muslims to donate 2.5 percent of their income annually to those who face challenges in regards to living in poverty or in relatively poor communities. Zakat is included as part of one of the five pillars in Islam, and its importance is readily emphasized. This practice symbolizes gratitude by refraining individuals from using their wealth in an unjust manner or for sinful actions. As Zakat Advisor (2014) states, “the word “Zakat” means purification because it helps to purify, since one would be setting aside money to help others and also helps to keep Muslims who are wealthy from sin” (p.1). Furthermore, Muslims are taught and encouraged through the Qur’an to donate voluntarily, as it is called Sadaqah (Charity) (Ummah Welfare Trust, 2014).

In the country of Sudan, the practice of Zakat was implemented in their law in 1990 as it plays a key importance in social unity and social security (Bryon, 2013). In addition the custom of Zakat is also practiced in countries such as Malaysia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Pakistan (Bryon, 2013). The practice of Zakat is not only to contribute to those in underprivileged communities but also to fight poverty and aid in merging social safety nets in regions that it is increasingly essential for. As Zakat Advisor (2014) states, “Sudan is considered to be one of the most impoverished countries in Africa, due to drought and decades of war that has ravaged much of the country” (p.1). Sudan is a foundered home to refugee populations, where it houses over 300,000 refugees on the border of Sudan who agonize from malnourishment, poverty, exploitation and human trafficking (Zakat Advisor, 2014).

Due to the practice and donations contributed to Zakat, Sudan has increasingly done well as a country to help those who are labeled as disabled individuals, refugees, poor students, individuals who face homelessness, orphans, mentally ill individuals, individuals who struggle with health conditions and the severely poor (Bryon, 2013). The government has also granted individuals of these groups with free health insurance (Bryon, 2013). Through the total collection of Zakat, the government of Sudan has set aside 32 million of Sudan’s Zakat to aid in natural disasters, along with donating funds to those who struggle with starvation of being unable to grow crops and agriculture due to living in desertification (Bryon, 2013). To those who earn a income of more than 1,500 per month, the 2 percent of Zakat is involuntarily withdrawn. Between 2011-2012 700 million Sudanese pounds was collected through the practice of Zakat (Bryon, 2013).

In conclusion, the practice of Zakat brings forth the unity of a country as seen in Sudan, who are helping those in need. The teaching of charity is evident as it instills the concepts of giving back to those who are in need. Islam is one of the religions where the act of charity is considered one of the highest merits as it exemplifies a person’s generosity to donate through their own benevolence and maintain the harmony within a community.

Works Cited

Bryon, A. (2013, December). Zakat ensures social cohesion. Retrieved from http://www.worldfolio.co.uk/region/africa/sudan/zakat-the-islamic-practice-sudan-n2603

Ummah Welfare Trust. (2014). What is Zakah? Retrieved from http://www.uwt.org/site/article.asp?id=172

ZakatAdvisor. (2014). What is Zakat. Retrieved from http://www.zakatadvisor.com/#!whatiszakat/cjg9

If it is possible for humans to have a drive – perhaps even an instinctual one – to be generous and philanthropic, then it bears reason that there should be examples of philanthropic activities happening all over the world and all throughout history. This paper will explore the possibility of the existence of philanthropy in ancient Egyptian civilization – a civilization known for its pioneering thought, spectacular advances and magnificent beauty.

The religion of the ancient Egyptians was polytheistic, and it affected every aspect of their culture. The focus of daily life was on the interaction between humans and the divine realm; a person’s actions would affect both the state of the terrestrial world as well as their fate in the afterlife. After death, the Egyptians believed each person to be judged by the “weighing of the heart”, a process in which the gods scrutinized the actions of the deceased to determine whether they had behaved in accordance with Ma’at, and deciding if they could proceed to the afterlife.

Ma’at was a concept of truth, balance, order and justice, personified in Egyptian culture as a goddess. An individual could violate Ma’at by their actions, but so too could the nation as a whole. The ancient Egyptians believed that failure to maintain Ma’at as a country could result in divine intervention in the form of floods, famine, enemy incursions and scourges on crops – the king, acting as intermediary between humans and gods, was the key to upholding Ma’at, both by maintaining justice and harmony in human society and by sustaining the gods with temples and offerings.

Although Ma’at was seen to transcend ethics – which was considered a utility of the human world – it was entwined with it. Ma’at was the immutable moral standard by which a person could judge right or wrong. However, establishing Ma’at was not a natural phenomenon and something the individual was required to constantly work towards; it was believed that the natural tendency of things is deterioration towards the opposite of Ma’at: evil, chaos and injustice.

There are documented examples of giving in ancient Egyptian civilization related to religion. Temples, being central to Egyptian society and requiring vast resources devoted to their upkeep, regularly received donations from the monarchy. Pharaohs often put resources towards the expansion of temples as part of their obligation to honor the gods. Egyptians frequently donated goods to be offered to the temple deity and objects inscribed with prayers to be placed in temple courts.

Greed was condemned; selfishness, jealousy and the desire for possessions was seen as an incurable illness of the heart and a danger to the societal balance. It was seen as being contrary to Ma’at to be an unfair employer who jeopardized the independence or subsistence of their labourers with unremunerated work. Inscriptions found in tombs have noted examples of individuals that gave to those in need (i.e. bread, clothes, boats), as well as those who prided themselves on protecting orphans and defending widows. I even found reference to “charity” in ancient Egypt as being perceived as an inner disposition toward fellow human beings, and a way to propitiate the gods for the purposes of achieving immortality.

It would seem that ancient Egypt was a generous and philanthropic society, correct?

What has not been mentioned is that ancient Egyptian society was highly polarized: the chasm between rich and poor only growing more pronounced with the passage of the centuries. A diminutive upper class ruled – with the help of scribal administration and a good dose of religious fear – over the masses of Egyptian farmers and peasants living barely above subsistence level, exacting huge taxes on them (on average, 20% of their crops) and ruthlessly punishing them when they couldn’t pay.

A recent archaeological excavation in the news in November, 2010 found the burial site of 400 lower class Egyptian people, dating somewhere between 2,700 and 2,000 years ago on the Giza plateau in Egypt. Research shows that these individuals were malnourished, with high incidence of blood disorders present, suggesting a sub-standard diet for this population.

Does this revelation change the way you think about the ancient Egyptians and their generosity? You decide!

Works Cited

“An Overview of the Ancient Egyptian Religion”

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/religion.htm

“Ancient Egyptian Religion”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_religion

“Ancient Egyptian Society and Family Life”

http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/21701778/

“Charity”

http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3424500543/charity.html

“Egyptian Temples – Part 1”

http://www.philae.nu/akhet/temples1.html

“Egypt’s Orphans Day: Looking to the Future”

http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=23442

“Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt:” http://books.google.ca/books?id=PG6HffPwmuMC&pg=PA909&lpg=PA909&dq=ancient+egypt+corvee&source=bl&ots=VeVRuLPTyK&sig=J0A7EyFbshYfzBs7cX7

“Living in Maat – the Natural Order”

http://www.all-about-egypt.com/maat.html

“Ma’at, Goddess of Truth, Balance, Order”

http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/maat2.htm

“Ma’at”

http://www.osirisnet.net/dieux/maat/e_maat.htm

“Paupers and the Pyramids: 400 poor burials unearthed near Giza” http://www.archaeologydaily.com/news/201011265627/Paupers-and-the-pyramids-400-poor-burials-unearthed-near-Giza.html

“The Life of Ancient Egyptians”

http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/geoghist/histories/oldcivilization/Egyptology/LifeAncient/lifeinEgypt6.htm

“The Widow and Orphan in Egypt – Before the New Kingdom” http://www.akademiai.com/content/x1668355870m1590/fulltext.pdf?page=1

In Egypt, Muslim’s traditionally celebrate a birth by an animal sacrifice. A week after the birth of the child, parents usually buy a goat or a sheep, have a religious sacrifice, then cook it. The way in which this traditional practice relates to philanthropy is illustrated in how the goat/sheep is divided. One third of the animal is split amongst the family for them to enjoy, another third is shared with friends of the family. Finally the last portion of the goat is given to those less fortunate who other wise could not afford such a meal.

Buying a goat/sheep in Egypt to perform this ceremony is quite expensive, therefore it is usually only done by the wealthier class. Because of this reason, no child in my family received a ceremony (my parents were not able to afford it at the time). However, it is encouraged that you perform this sacrifice once you feel that you are financially able to do so.

Similar to many types of Western philanthropy, this tradition stems from religion. Not only does it relate to the story of Ibrahim and his sacrifice, but it also enforces the idea of community and the notion of sharing. Muslim’s are taught to always help those that are in need. There are many types of ways a one can fulfill their obligation to help those that are less fortunate. This is one of the many ways in which Muslim’s are taught to care for one another and to build a strong community.

The reason this type of philanthropy is more popular in Egypt than it is in the Western world is because of the difference in living conditions. Of course there is homelessness and famine in Canada, however the amount of people living in these condition is far greater and more severe in Egypt. Providing a meal for someone- whether family, friend, or stranger- shows generosity. This will ultimately build a strong community where a child can flourish.

This type of sacrifice is seen as a blessing for the child. It puts forth the parent’s wish for that child to be a humble, and giving person. Through this ceremony, it is believed that these values are embedded within the child and they can grow up to care for their community.

Works Cited