<論文>近代エジプトのワクフ(イスラム寄進) --ワクフ省財政データ分析--

Abstract

Studies on waqf in modern times have focused on the reform of the waqf system, particularly the negative aspects that should be “reformed” as being unsuitable for the modern age based on the nation-state. This paper aims to critique this academic trend in waqf studies by clarifying the contributions of waqf in the field of public education in modern Egypt. It mainly relies on the statistical database on the finances of the Ministry of Waqf for the 60 years from 1897 to 1958, which is found in the Annuaire statistique of Egypt. The Ministry of Waqf was responsible for management of waqf, or more precisely, “charitable waqf, ” and it was obliged to submit an annual balance report of its finances to the Ministry of Finance. Two main results emerged from analyzing the database. First, the charitable waqfs were funded by private donations, and their revenue was influenced by market trends, since most of their revenue derived from the rents of real estate such as land and buildings. Second, until the July 1952 Revolution, public education in modern Egypt, especially primary education, was widely supported by private philanthropic projects, and the waqf system funded by donations played a role in compensating for the lack of financial resources in the primary education policy of the state.