The waqf (foundation), one of the most important institutions of Islamic civilization, has played a key role in ensuring social development for centuries. It is known that the first priority is the sustainability of the waqf, even in the establishment of the provisions regarding awqaf (foundations). The waqfship activities, which have been interrupted due to social, political or financial problems from time to time, have managed to survive and flourish until today, thanks to their roots extending to the heart of Islamic civilization. It is essential for awqaf, which have a great financial presence in many Muslim states even today, to keep up with the new developments in society in order to realize the charitable purpose which lays in their basis and to manage the capital devoted to this purpose.
In our age where technology is developing very rapidly, there may be cases where old-fashioned institutions and capital managements are inadequate from time to time or miss their opportunity to use capital more effectively. It is a necessity for the waqfs to be able to manage its existing capital in the most effective way by adhering to its establishment purpose and to use its capital in the most efficient way to achieve this aim. Achieving this aim is only possible by following the developments in this era of rapid change and apply them to the waqf system. We believe that waqfs, which are the most important financial institutions in terms of the historical development of Islamic civilization, should play a dominant role in the social and economic development of the ummah today as they did in the past.
The 11th Global Waqf Conference, which has undertaken an important mission for the concentration of intellectual activities in this direction for a decade, will be held this year in Istanbul, the cradle of awqaf. The 11th Gobal Waqf Conference will be on 7th to the 9th of September 2023. We are pleased to announce that Ibn Haldun University (IHU) and Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU), which are waqf-led universities, in addition to İlim Yayma Waqf have undertaken the task of organizing this conference. Our partners are International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), the main organizer of this long-established conference, and our strategic partners University Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK), Finterra and Al-Madinah International University (MEDIU).