Volunteering, charitable work and Muslims: Divine inspiration, parallel networks and facts on the ground

Muslims in Europe are variously engaged in charitable work, but there seems to be a strange contradiction in the ways this is currently perceived. Voluntary work and charity in Europe were historically connected to the church and based on principles from the Scripture about compassion and love for others. Along with the secularization, charity became an activity that is said to originate in an authentic inner self. Religiously inspired charitable work may at best be accepted as sincere, but in the case of Muslims there is suspicion of a double agenda. Religiously inspired voluntary work among Muslims is often depicted as an activity only for the benefit of the own community rather than outward compassion. However, this view ignores developments taking place among Muslims.