Community development and other extra-religious functions of Islamic schools: a contemporary perspective from the voices of stakeholders in two madrassas in Pakistan

Although the nexus between religion, faith-based organizations, and community development is well established in the literature, the potential for change driven by indigenous and grassroots social structures such as Islamic schools (madrassas) is still largely ignored in practice. Against the backdrop of overall educational and political economic reforms affecting Pakistan, this paper examines the community development function and other extra-religious roles of the madrassa in development work following a disaster from an interpretivist approach. Mixed qualitative research methods based on institutional ethnographic interviews and participant observations were used with two selected madrassas and their immediate communities in Islamabad, Pakistan. Findings suggest the madrassa’s development roles in disadvantaged communities and in performing an intermediary role between the state, development organizations, and religious communities.