Faith-Based Organizations and Social Development: The Role of Markazosshabab Al-Muslim Fil Filibbin in Women

Abstract

Recently, the issue of women empowerment has gained scholarly interest. This is not only confined to theoretical debate but it has morphed into practical exercise whereby women nowadays have become more empowered and have been assuming an active role in society. However, little is known about the role of faith on women empowerment in this intellectual pursuit. This study takes a leap to investigate if there is a role of faith in Transformation of a society from tradition to modernity is what characterizes contemporary times. This is what takes place in the modernization process whereby change is a determinant factor. To modernize society is to develop multi-dimensional aspects. Those are economic, political, cultural, and social aspects. Hence, the concept of development is often associated with modernization as what Schmidt has specified in his theory of modernization is its emphasis on the economic and political subsystems including the educational system, the scientific system, the legal system, and the system of mass media (Schmidt, 2010).In the language of modernization, faith does not have a role in development. It is bygone past that is no longer relevant in modernization exercise. In fact, faith is believed to be an anti-thesis to modernity. This has procured in the period of industrial revolution period in Europe wherein the power of church had left Europe in  Markazosshabab al-Muslim fil Filibbin is the name of this Islamic organization being studied. It is an Arabic terminology which means Youth Center of the Philippines.