Recently, my attention was taken by two men with a philanthropic interest in women in the Arab world, one rather more admirable than the other. Their conflicting motivations and different backgrounds reveal much about their societies and the future of women in them. In December 2009, I was approached by a respected American physician who had attended the University of Chicago as an undergraduate. He was keen to explore ways to financially support a student from the Arab world. The doctor, whose desire is to remain anonymous, had specific conditions for his gift. He wanted to support an Arab Muslim female.

I was intrigued by his request and asked why he had attached those conditions to his offer. His answer was straightforward. With all the upheavals in the Middle East, he has developed an emotional attachment to the region and wanted somehow to be involved. As for the gender and religious requirements of his gift, he felt that Muslim women needed all the help they could get when facing the challenges of their societies. 

“An educational investment in a woman is also an investment in her children,” the doctor argued. Needless to say, I was very much moved by such an outlook. The man showed he was indeed a visionary with an honorable cause that needs to be recognized and replicated.

A few weeks later, donor number two was described to me by a friend who is a prominent Brazilian executive. He recounted a story about his recent trip to Egypt. At a Cairo nightclub in a five-star hotel, the executive was stunned to see a gentleman from the Gulf with a thick stack of $100 bills, which he was raining liberally onto a performing belly dancer. The man was positively exuberant at this display of generosity.

Unfortunately, what happened in Cairo will not shock most people on the streets of the Arab world. Though such behavior is repulsive to many, it is also a fairly common occurrence. Substantial resources are routinely and frivolously wasted by rich Arab citizens around the world. This happens while the Arab countries continue to lack planned and effective charity systems that can advocate for proper investment in human resources.

The first philanthropist was interested in the development and empowerment of women, while the second “philanthropist” was participating in their degradation and humiliation. The Arab world has a dearth of philanthropists with some vision and empathy, such as those displayed by the American physician. It is that kind of vision that has enabled most American institutions of higher education to grow, prosper, and open their doors to students who may be the first in their family to attend college, thereby changing their family’s future.

How do we get more philanthropists to think like the American physician? And, how do you educate and change people like the benefactor of the belly dancer? The answer to both questions is transparency. The Arab world needs to acknowledge visionary thinkers and philanthropists. Their efforts should be highlighted in publications, on websites, and in other media. This can prompt others to perform similar acts of philanthropy and civic duty. In turn, derogatory behavior needs to be publicly exposed.

There is one potential solution that might be considered in the Arab world, namely establishing charitable umbrella organizations to which Arab philanthropists can direct their donations. Modeled after Western-style charities such as Catholic Charities, the United Jewish Appeal, Oxfam or the United Way, these new organizations would allow donors to channel money to the specific charities of their choice. This would make their donation efforts more transparent but also allow them to be better organized. By joining forces and uniting groups of donors, umbrella charities could have a considerable aggregate impact on society.

Much valuable energy has been wasted in a Middle Eastern region that continues to be economically and educationally stagnant. The overhauling of charities in the Muslim world in general, and the Arab world in particular, must be a high priority in an effort to help reverse this unfortunate trend. Let’s not forget the very different tales of the two philanthropists, and what they tell us about the region’s possibilities.