The Mosque is for All

Waqf as an Emerging Structure of Islamic Institutionalization in Denmark

Abstract

The Islamic trust or foundation – the waqf – is traditionally a component of the complex of ideas, concepts and rules that is Islamic law. After marginalization under colonization and modernization, in recent decades the concept of the waqf has received renewed attention. This article presents the emergence of the waqf concept among Muslims in Denmark, partly in tandem with the establishment of Islamic foundations under Danish foundation legislation. The article argues that the establishment of Islamic foundations may be a beneficial way of organizing for Danish Muslims, but that the attempt to coordinate the understanding of foundations found in Danish legislation and in Islamic law may foreground certain tensions.