Purpose The problem of poverty in the Muslim world has been posing multi-faceted challenges to the life of individuals and the relations of people. Although this problem has been gaining scholarly attention and raised in relation to various issues ranging from social injustice, rampant corruption, societal instability, wide social polarization and insurgent movements that affect the regional peace and stability at large, neither effective economic mechanism proposed nor implemented to address the problem effectively. In this regard, it is also important to appreciate the recent initiations in the field of Islamic economics to present an optional view to the existing and alien economic models in the Muslim world. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to fill up this research gap by proposing a model of mobilizing funds through the global cash-waqf institution. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts content analysis to construct this global cash waqf model for poverty alleviation in Muslim countries. Findings The “global cash-waqf model” was proposed as an alternative that could be implemented and used to overcome the poverty matter in Muslim countries. It is assumed that the model will facilitate the fund mobilization among Muslim countries, which in return is going to assure full distribution and redistribution of wealth to eradicate the poverty in the Muslim world. The model was structured with a global vision in both the collection side and the distribution side. Originality/value The model will facilitate the fund’s mobilization among Muslim countries, which in return achieves an Islamic goal of distribution and redistribution of wealth to assure the well-being of all humanities in the society.

In recent years, as in other parts of the Sahel, the threat of terrorism has escalated in Burkina Faso. In 2019, this country hosted the fourth highest number of new conflict-related internal displaced persons (IDPs) in the world. These people have to cope simultaneously with the full spectrum of environmental, social and health-related stresses in the long, medium and short term, respectively. We seek to compare the living conditions of IDPs before and during the lockdown implemented by the authorities (between 27 March and 5 May 2020) to contain the spread of the virus. Interviews were conducted with 106 IDPs in Kongoussi (Central-Northern region). Although no respondent reported having been directly affected by the virus, 84.9% of the IDPs surveyed had no income-generating activities during the lockdown and the remaining 15.1% who continued to work reported that their activities had been greatly scaled-down. For a large majority of them, their living conditions, already described as difficult under ‘normal’ circumstances (insufficient food, insignificant financial assistance, or difficult access to health care), further deteriorated. In addition, IDPs were unable to leave the camps or regions where they were located to search for better living conditions or to return home. Lastly, 96.2% of respondents believed that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a negative impact on their future. These IDPs, like many in the sub-region and around the world, therefore require urgent assistance from the authorities and humanitarian NGOs, as the slightest new stress is likely to considerably worsen their already vulnerable state.

The widespread poverty in the world has required multi-dimensional approaches and efforts to alleviate it and improve the life of the society at both national and global levels. As a result, many agencies, governmental bodies, and non-government organizations (NGOs) were formulated and established for this purpose with their own special objectives, scopes, visions, and missions. Different entities and agencies have taken various approaches and methods in the process of poverty eradication and are undertaking several programs in a large number of communities at the global scale. Meanwhile, the globalizations of poverty mitigation efforts and increasing number of agencies, operating in different communities, have increased the quick prevarication of different beliefs in the same community. One of the reasons for this is that each organization or agency has its own purposes, motives, values, and norms to directly or indirectly achieve by helping the people in need.

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