دانشگاه اصفهان مطالعات وقف و امور خیریه 3115-7475 4 2 2026 09 23 Peacebuilding Governance Based on Islamic Charity: Explaining the Regional Charity Network Model in Creating Cross-Border Social Capital and Strengthening Peace in the Middle East حکمرانی صلح‌ساز مبتنی بر نیکوکاری اسلامی: تبیین الگوی شبکۀ منطقه‌ای خیریه‌ها در تولید سرمایۀ اجتماعی فرامرزی و تقویت صلح در خاورمیانه 1 20 30799 10.22108/ecs.2026.149431.1203 FA محمد صالح طیب نیا استادیار گروه معارف اهل البیت (علیهم السلام)، دانشکدۀ الهیات و معارف اهل البیت، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران Journal Article 2026 06 23 Introduction The Middle East and the wider Islamic world face interconnected political, social, humanitarian, and security challenges that have undermined trust and hindered sustainable regional cooperation. These conditions reveal the limitations of approaches relying primarily on states, formal diplomacy, and political agreements. Although official diplomacy remains indispensable, sustainable peace also requires trust, cooperation, and institutional relationships capable of supporting reconciliation and collective action (Galtung & Fischer, 2013; Lederach, 1997). Islamic societies possess substantial normative and institutional resources for philanthropy, including waqf, zakat, sadaqah, and other forms of charitable action. Historically, waqf has supported social, educational, religious, and welfare functions, while contemporary studies increasingly recognize its broader developmental potential (Alshater et al., 2022; Shofiatin et al., 2025). Nevertheless, research on waqf and Islamic philanthropy has largely concentrated on economic and welfare functions, while peacebuilding scholarship has paid limited attention to their potential role as non-state actors in regional governance. This study builds upon the authors’ earlier research, which examined regional cooperation among charitable organizations in the Middle East. Safari Anaraki and Tayebnia (2022) argued that charitable organizations and non-governmental actors could reduce barriers to regional cooperation through philanthropic diplomacy. However, that study focused primarily on strategic and institutional possibilities and did not explain the theoretical mechanisms through which Islamic philanthropy could generate cross-border trust, transnational social capital, and peacebuilding governance. Accordingly, the present study develops a theoretical framework entitled Philanthropy-Based Peacebuilding Governance and asks: What theoretical mechanisms explain the capacity of Islamic waqf and philanthropic institutions to generate transnational social capital and contribute to peacebuilding governance? Research Methodology This developmental and theory-building study employs a descriptive–analytical approach based on theory synthesis, a suitable strategy for integrating concepts and propositions dispersed across interdisciplinary fields into a coherent explanatory framework (Jaakkola, 2020). Unlike empirical research focused on hypothesis testing, theory synthesis seeks conceptual integration and explanation; theory development may therefore precede empirical testing (Whetten, 1989). The synthesis encompasses four interconnected domains: Islamic waqf and philanthropy, network governance, transnational social capital, and peacebuilding and multitrack diplomacy. These domains respectively provide the normative and institutional basis for collective action, explain cooperation among interdependent actors, clarify the role of trust and cross-border relationships, and situate non-state contributions to peace and regional cooperation. Data were drawn from scholarly books and articles, international reports, institutional documents, and sources on waqf and charitable organizations. Analysis proceeded in three stages: identifying key concepts and theoretical propositions within each domain; reconstructing relationships among them through comparative analysis and theoretical inference; and integrating these relationships into a conceptual framework. The framework was subsequently translated into the proposed Regional Network of Islamic Charities (RNIC) as an institutional design. RNIC is not presented as an empirically existing or validated entity, but as an organizational manifestation of the theoretical propositions. Accordingly, the framework is assessed by its logical coherence, theoretical adequacy, and explanatory capacity, providing a foundation for subsequent empirical and comparative research. Research Findings The theoretical synthesis indicates that Islamic waqf and philanthropy can function not only as mechanisms of welfare provision and resource redistribution but also as institutions capable of generating trust, relationships, and collective capacities for cooperation. This potential becomes particularly significant when philanthropic activities extend across national boundaries. Building on Safari Anaraki and Tayebnia (2022), the first mechanism identified is philanthropic diplomacy, through which charitable, humanitarian, and socially beneficial activities create complementary channels of communication and cooperation among charitable organizations, civil society, religious institutions, and other non-state actors (Diamond & McDonald, 1996). Repeated cross-border cooperation can reduce social distance, foster institutional familiarity, and generate transnational trust. Over time, these relationships may contribute to regional social capital, facilitating collective action and cooperation (Aldrich et al., 2018; Putnam et al., 1993; Putnam, 1995). Accordingly, the study proposes the following conceptual chain: Islamic Waqf and Philanthropy → Philanthropic Diplomacy → Transnational Trust → Regional Social Capital → Peacebuilding Governance This sequence represents a theoretically reconstructed mechanism rather than an empirically established causal relationship. The findings further suggest that fragmented, project-based charitable activities are insufficient to sustain regional cooperation. Consistent with network governance theory, durable collaboration requires intermediary institutions, shared rules, and coordination mechanisms (Sørensen & Torfing, 2007). Therefore, the study proposes the Regional Network of Islamic Charities (RNIC) as an institutional mechanism for transforming dispersed philanthropic capacities into coordinated collective action supporting regional cooperation and peacebuilding. Discussion and Conclusion The findings suggest a conceptual shift in waqf and Islamic philanthropy research from a predominantly social welfare paradigm toward a broader social governance perspective. Rather than focusing primarily on resources, beneficiaries, and services, this perspective emphasizes the capacity of philanthropic institutions to address collective problems, sustain cooperation, and connect actors across institutional and national boundaries. The study’s principal theoretical contribution is the development of Philanthropy-Based Peacebuilding Governance, integrating Islamic philanthropy with network governance, transnational social capital, multitrack diplomacy, and peacebuilding. Building on Safari Anaraki and Tayebnia (2022), which identified the potential of charitable organizations to reduce barriers to regional cooperation under uncertainty, this study specifies the mechanisms through which philanthropic interaction may generate transnational trust and social capital and contribute to peacebuilding governance. Islamic waqf and philanthropic organizations are not conceived as substitutes for states or formal diplomacy, but as complementary governance actors whose social legitimacy, community proximity, and normative resources may sustain cooperation when political channels are constrained. The proposed Regional Network of Islamic Charities (RNIC) provides an institutional expression of this framework. Its effectiveness would require autonomy, transparency, shared rules, confidence-building, and an inclusive ethical framework. As the propositions remain empirically untested, future research should employ comparative cases, social network analysis, and field studies to examine these causal relationships. Overall, the study establishes a theoretical foundation for interdisciplinary research linking Islamic philanthropy, governance, diplomacy, and peacebuilding. افزایش بحران‌ها در خاورمیانه و جهان اسلام، از جمله منازعات نظامی، بی‌ثباتی اجتماعی، بحران‌های انسانی و فرسایش اعتماد میان جوامع، ضرورت بازاندیشی در سازوکارهای صلح‌سازی و حکمرانی منطقه‌ای را دوچندان کرده است. در حالی که الگوهای متعارف همگرایی عمدتاً بر همکاری دولت‌ها و توافقات سیاسی متمرکز هستند، فقدان زیرساخت‌های اجتماعی صلح، پایداری این تلاش‌ها را با چالش مواجه کرده است. پژوهش حاضر با هدف تبیین نقش نهادهای وقف و نیکوکاری اسلامی در تولید سرمایۀ اجتماعی فرامرزی و ارتقای حکمرانی صلح، چارچوبی نظری با عنوان «حکمرانی صلح‌ساز مبتنی بر نیکوکاری» ارائه می‌کند. پژوهش از نظر هدف، توسعه‌ای و نظریه‌پردازانه و از نظر روش، توصیفی-تحلیلی است و با بهره‌گیری از راهبرد تحلیل نظری، ادبیات وقف و نیکوکاری اسلامی، حکمرانی شبکه‌ای، سرمایۀ اجتماعی فرامرزی و صلح‌سازی را تلفیق می‌کند. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد وقف و نیکوکاری اسلامی از طریق دیپلماسی نیکوکارانه می‌تواند اعتماد فرامرزی و سرمایۀ اجتماعی منطقه‌ای را تقویت و زمینۀ حکمرانی صلح را فراهم کند. بر این اساس، زنجیرۀ «وقف و نیکوکاری اسلامی ← دیپلماسی نیکوکارانه ← اعتماد فرامرزی ← سرمایۀ اجتماعی منطقه‌ای ← حکمرانی صلح» پیشنهاد می‌شود. همچنین، الگوی «شبکۀ منطقه‌ای خیریه‌های اسلامی» برای تحقق عملی این نظریه طراحی شده است. نوآوری پژوهش بازتعریف نهادهای وقفی و خیریه به ‌عنوان بازیگران فعال حکمرانی منطقه‌ای و صلح‌سازی است.

https://ecs.ui.ac.ir/article_30799_a648beb1d06f16ea2b763200501fca25.pdf