As BJP claims in Lok Sabha, is there no WAQF board in Muslim countries? Türkiye, Jordan, Lebia, Lebanon, Syria…

Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul

Is there no WAQF board in Muslim countries such as Turkey, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia and Iraq? Is it true or another lie told by our respected members in the Parliament? In BJP MP Sambit Patra in Lok Sabha, the issue is being raised. Worse, the Government Agency, News Information Bureau (PIB), also requested.

turkey

However, a rough study shows that the WAQF board exists in all the above countries. WAQF not only exists, but also flourishes in Türkiye. It turns out that the Greater Michael Hatun Mosque is run and controlled by Vakıf Eserleri Muzesi (WAQF Works Museum), a sign posted on it. Also remember that in Turkish, “waqf” is written as vakıf and “basic” in English.

In 2018, Türkiye had 1,002 social assistance and solidarity WAQFs, with at least one branch in each region. The main purpose of WAQF is to provide direct financial and material assistance to poor and vulnerable people to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, education and health care. According to the provisions introduced in 2018, the government returned only 77 property to the WAQF board of directors in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia’s iconic mosque is one of them.

Currently, Türkiye has five categories of WAQFs. They are:

Fusion (Mazbūt)awqaf,
New AWQAF (established after 1926),
Attachment (Mulak) awqaf,
Ethnic minority AWQAF (belongs to non-Muslim communities),
İrsādīAwqaf (a donation established by the state).

According to Maraşlı, Türkiye had 52,000 registered Mazbut WAQFs, 5,268 new WAQFs, 256 annexed (Mulhak) WAQFs and 167 minority WAQFs in 2019.

Egypt

In Egypt, there is a separate ministry to handle the WAQF, known as the AWQAF ministry of Egypt. There is a religious endowment fund AWQAF similar to a common law trust in which the trustee is a mosque or individual responsible for the WAQF, and the beneficiaries are usually the entire community. They have land, markets, hospitals, buildings plots that can help the community and many other things.

Sudan

The WAQF system in Sudan dates back to the 7th century when Arab Muslims established it. Historically, it plays a crucial role in public life, especially in funding education and welfare programs. Recently, many WAQF assets have become production-free and the system has been reformed after challenges in maintaining its historical role.

Lebanon

After World War I, after I ended in 1920, the League of Nations asked Lebanon to be managed by France after the Ottoman division. After the French authorization was established, the High Commissioner reorganized the Lebanese WAQF laws. At that time, all special legislation of WAQF was basically based on
According to Quranic law, not secular law. In addition to the Islamic Charity WAQF, the Christian community has adopted a similar concept of WAQF as stipulated by each community in terms of specific laws.

Libya

Libya lacks a unique “WAQF Board” but has a government agency that monitors religious donations under Islamic law. This power ensures that WAQF property, such as mosques and charities, is used for its intended purposes.

Syria

According to the official Syria website, it has the AWQAF department that oversees the WAQF property. Despite the disturbances encountered by the Civil War, the ministry still made donations at mosques, schools and charitable purposes.

Jordan

Jordan also has a WAQF ministry, which is responsible for overseeing WAQF property and Islamic affairs under Law No. 5 of 1969. Its website details its role in managing end assignments and confirms the structured WAQF system.

Iraq

Iraq has a separate WAQF agency for Sunni and Shia WAQF characteristics. They supervise donations for mosques, schools and charitable purposes. These diwans have been in operation for decades, contradicting the claim that there is no WAQF system.