Relational Ethics: Volunteering and the Responsibilities of the Good Muslim

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which female Belgian Muslim volunteers experience responsibility. It argues that responsibility consists of multiple dynamics for the volunteers, for example, the duties that are embedded in the Islamic tradition and the duties that arise from being a good citizen in a liberal/secular context. While these are often emphasized as being contentious binaries—especially for Muslims living in the West—this paper suggests that volunteering allows the Muslim women to bring these worlds together. The ways in which volunteering enables this is by introducing a relational reading of ethics and ethical self-formation. Relationality is highly significant for the female Muslim volunteer. It signifies being in touch with both (non-liberal) Islamic ethics and liberal public norms, even when pursuing a pious lifestyle. Hence, the article explores the ways in which responsibility is actualized in this framework. Finally, the last section interrogates how this idea of responsibility and relationality re-articulates binaries of the good-Muslim and the bad-Muslim.

Environmental Volunteering Values among University Students: Comparison between Gender and Study Stream

“…This is relevant to the Malaysian context, where most Malaysians are Muslims, and their actions are based on Islam's teachings and obedience to Allah. In this light, volunteerism is a noble practice in Islam and is encouraged among Muslims (Yang, 2018;Kayikci, 2019;Mangunjaya, 2010;Yamin, 2019).…”

“…As a Muslim-Malay majority country, Malaysians are strongly influenced by Islamic values and cultural practices, such as gotong royong (mutual cooperation). In Islam, environmental volunteering is a religious demand (Kayikci, 2019;Yamin, 2019). However, the relationship between philanthropy, including environmental volunteerism, with religious factors is still under-studied (Zemo & Nigus, 2021).…”

Developing an Instrument of Sustainability in Environmental Volunteering Participation (I-SEVP) Among Youth

“…For example, in Islam, there are several concepts of values related to environmental conservation such as inviting and teaching close relations, friends or acquaintances to work together in the preservation of the environment, mannerliness/courteousness in doing good deeds, setting a good example for others and responsibility as a caliph in managing the environment. These Islamic values motivate youth to engage in environmental volunteering (Mangunjaya, 2010;Yamin, 2019;Kayikci, 2019). However, the value of volunteering and norms of the society that are related to religious culture are poorly studied in the context of environmental volunteering (Smith et al, 2012).…”