Paper short abstract:

The paper inquires into the actualisation of the religious desire to lift others out of poverty through the promotion of entrepreneurial values and the cultivation of entrepreneurial capacities amongst the poor in Indonesia.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on ethnographic material from ongoing research on Islamic charities in Java, Indonesia, the paper focuses on the intersections of religion, poverty alleviation efforts, and the economy in general. More specifically, it inquires into the actualisation of the religious desire to lift others out of poverty through the promotion of entrepreneurial values and the cultivation of entrepreneurial capacities amongst the poor. In Indonesia, programmes of poverty alleviation are closely associated with improving access to health, education, and micro-credit facilities with the aim of enhancing the quality of human resources available in the country. Within the context of the Islamic charitable sector, such programmes are also geared towards deepening the understanding of Islam amongst the deserving poor and intensifying its everyday practice. As recipients of alms, the poor are called upon to develop themselves more fully as Muslims and to improve their precarious economic position by embracing modern entrepreneurship and the values of commerce. Such a call is made with the explicit hope that the poor would be able not only to attain prosperity in the here-and-now but also achieve salvation in the hereafter.