Global Standards, Cultural Islam: Syrian‐led Muslim Humanitarianism in Turkey

Abstract

This article focuses on Syrian‐led Muslim humanitarianism, and asks what types of discourses and practices emerged in the context of the Syrian Muslim diaspora's increased involvement in global refugee management as humanitarian actors. Through a case study of a major Syrian‐led humanitarian organization in Turkey founded by wealthy Syrian diasporan businessmen, the article examines how class differences, market discourses, and nationalist visions shape the contemporary politics of Muslim humanitarianism. I argue that Syrian Muslim humanitarian politics has featured complex struggles for legitimacy and recognition, which have led to new constellations of religious, neoliberal, and nationalist imaginations. Syrian Muslim humanitarians have claimed their legitimacy through negotiation of the Turkish state's neo‐Ottoman policies that render them invisible, and of Western organizations' and donors' Islamophobic biases that suspect them of supporting terrorism. Through strategies such as culturalizing Islam and enacting market discourses of professionalism and flexibility, Syrian Muslim humanitarians have claimed to embody global standards of humanitarianism, and have carved out a space in which their Syrian and Muslim identities are recognized. This article is among the first studies that highlight Syrian actors' growing influence in shaping the global field of humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees. Looking at the intersections of religion, class, and ethnicity, the article also expands our understanding of Muslim humanitarianism by emphasizing the often‐ignored themes of social class and nationalist imaginations.