This article first offers a historical overview of vakufs in the land known today as Bosnia and Herzegovina. It then briefly outlines the role that the Islamska zajednica u Bosni i Hercegovini (Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Vakufska direkcija (Vakuf Directorate) have played in the oversight of the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s vakufs. The final section of this article offers an original case study of the Gazi Husrev-Begov Vakuf where, via original document analysis and oral interviews conducted with the administrative leadership of the Gazi Husrev-Begov Vakuf, we discuss its leadership structure, unique rules and regulations, and overall functioning within the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s broader Islamic institutional apparatus. We will conclude by arguing that, by and large, vakufs have been effectively managed in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s over the years and that they share both Weberian and distinctly non-Weberian traits which make them a unique case to further explore when looking at non-Western models of administration.
The current theme issue of Halduskultuur is one of the publications emerging from “Islamic Public Value,” a John Templeton Foundation grant based at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (UCL IIPP), of which the three co-editors, and the authors, are members. The project aims to uncover, and present as legitimate, the perspectives of otherwise underrepresented and underexplored Islamic institutions undertaking polycentric governance and administration and creating public value to better the lives of their constituents and neighbors.
This article examines the Shari’a Atas Bitiara (SAB) program implemented by the City Government of General Santos in Mindanao, Philippines. Recognized with the Galing Pook Award in 2023 for excellence in local governance, SAB integrates indigenous Islamic conflict resolution practices into public administration. It addresses the absence of dedicated Shari’a courts for the city’s Muslim constituents by offering culturally relevant, efficient, and cost-effective alternative dispute mechanisms. Through documentary research and expert interviews, this study highlights SAB’s notable accomplishments and innovations in creating value for the improvement of the quality of life in a multicultural society. Although the narrative of success often points to SAB’s satisfactory results, such accounts may obscure the indigenous Bangsamoro roots of the practice and the Islamic foundation of the principles underpinning it. SAB emphasizes the community’s sensibility for restorative justice, healing, and reconciliation over punitive measures. These are reinforced by Islam’s concepts of shura (consultation), sulh (conciliation), and tahkim (arbitration). By institutionalizing a tradition of public service delivery with deep cultural alignment, yet adaptable to modern elements such as human rights considerations and gender sensitivity, SAB has effectively resolved numerous disputes, ranging from marital issues to land conflicts. In both its practical performance and theoretical grounding, the SAB case exhibits a promising faith-based, non-Western framework of governance that can further enhance conditions for mutual understanding, communal bonds, and social cohesion.
This article addresses issues explored in the research project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, and published in the book, ‘Islamic Public Value: theory, practice, and administration of indigenous cooperative institutions,’ edited by Wolfgang Drechsler, Salah Chafik and Rainer Kattel. This special edition of Halduskultuur, is another of several outputs from the work. This article engages with a range of observations regarding the role of Islam in historical, cultural and political terms in public administration. We begin by asking, ‘How do we know what we know?,’ and link it to the growing competition to Western Public Administration posed by other perspectives and understandings, in particular the wider concept of Islamic Public Value from a range of countries, comprising the world’s largest Muslim country (Indonesia), some of the smaller European Islamic populations (including Kosova), and, a range of post-Soviet Islamic republics. The work in this research project, including in the book, returns the notions of context and temporality to the study and understanding of Islamic Public Administration; the history and impact of Islamic governance on Europe and the rest of the world especially from the time of the capture of Damascus onwards and the halt of the eastward expansion of Arab armies after the battle of the river Talas in 751. Though trade along the Silk Road continued to expand Islamic influence. As Ruskin Bond observed, ‘The past is always with us, for it feeds the present,’ The work that has emerged from this project explores and expands our knowledge of the interaction between different systems and cultures in a refreshing and instructive way.
Religion-based value administration has been an integral part of all societies since ancient historical periods. This article explores the intersection of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) and Islamic Public Value (IPV) within the socio-political and educational framework of southern Thailand, focusing on the Faculty of Islamic Sciences (FIS) at Prince of Songkla University. Amidst a century-long conflict and challenges to multicultural citizenship, the FIS has emerged as a vital institution for fostering self-reliant Pattani Muslim citizens. By aligning Thailand’s development policies with Islamic values, the faculty addresses the dual imperatives of preserving ethno-religious identity and promoting social cohesion. The historical evolution of the FIS, its role in higher education, and its alignment with national policies underscore its transformative impact on local communities and its contribution to peace-building and integration in a diverse society.
