(Wednesday, January 21, 2009)
This roundtable discussed ways of reviving and improving the Waqf (endowment) system in Egypt, a longtime source of sustainable development in Islamic and Arab societies and a forerunner of what are currently known as civil society organizations. Although once active in areas such as science, education, services and even entertainment, the Waqf system is no longer the way it used to be. Based on an ECES study of the Waqf system, this roundtable aimed to highlight ways of bringing the Waqf system to its past glory in an attempt to make it once again a main pillar of public interest and charity.