Tarak Abdallah
Associate Professor - Assistant Dean for Students Affairs
- Email: Tarak.Abdallah@zu.ac.ae
- Telephone: +9714 402 1316
- Address: Dubai Academic City, D Wing-L1-007
Introduction
Tarak Abdallah studied economics at the Universities of Tunis (BS 1985) and Paris X Nanterre (MA 1987; PhD 1992) and sociology at the University of Quebec (PhD 1999). His research interests include Islamic economics, waqf and social institutions, as well as civil society in the Arab world. Beyond his academic role, he has advised a variety of charitable institutions in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as well as the UNDP.
Languages
Arabic, English and French
Research and Professional Activities
Research interests:
- Arab world socioeconomic changes including developmental issues, Islamic Economics and civil society.
- Traditional Social institutions including endowment and guilds.
Current Projects:
Research Cluster winner- Fall 2016: “A Critical Analysis of the Current State of Islamic Finance in the light of Classical Islamic Commercial Law”. In collaboration with my colleague Khurram Raja from College of Business, this project is centered around a comprehensive assessment of Islamic finance based on the classical Islamic commercial law literature. My task would cover the fundamental components of Islamic economics in general and Islamic finance in particular to analyze the current developments in the area. I am working on the last steps which will be compiled with my colleague’ work on one unified document that will be published in both Arabic and English languages.
Starting from the eyeteeth of the of the twentieth century, a quantitative abundant literature is published under the title of Al-Iqtisad Al Islami (Islamic Economics (IE)). Number of economic institutions, mainly financial, were adopting the title of Islamic banking, Islamic insurance and even Islamic industry food. Actually, it opened for scholars, academicians, and ordinary Muslim people a hope for a new “theory” or “vision” that is fairer and more balanced based primarily on ethical values but also rational in term of its secular activities.
After almost four decades of experiencing Islamic economics through Banks, Insurance and trade companies, the results are not so positive.
The research aims to give an objective picture on what was wrong with IE and shed the light on the consequences of such experience.
- A historical introduction will draw the main concepts and phases of IE.
- The Islamic Banking system will be highlighted as example of accomplishments and deceptions
- the dilemma between the secular and the religious: the prototype of IE specialists
Keywords: development strategies, Islamic economics,
Future Research
Future work on waqf contemporary implementation by diverse Muslim countries. Eventually
(a) A book on “Waqf between history and actual revivification” .
(b) Two articles
- “Waqf and Western form of charity:” to be presented in the next 6th Awqaf Journal International Conference (forthcoming)
- “Reform in the modern Arab world: economic strategies and sustainability dilemma”
Teaching Areas
Undergraduate
HIS-321-Heritage of the Gulf
POL-352-The State Society& the Economy
HSS-397-Special Topics
HSS-466 Applied Research Methods
ANT-432 World Regions: Middle East
HSS-490-Internship
GEN-135-Islamic Civilization
GEN-255-Emirates Studies
Abdallah, T. (2018). Waqf Support to Public Budget Deficit: Methodological Implications and objective Conditions. AWQAF Journal (18th year, No.34, Shabban 1349 / May 2018), 65-85.
1-Book
Abdallah, Tarak (2021) Beyond a sustainable charity; an introduction to waqf sociology, KAPF, Kuwait, 392 pages.
2- Articles
- Abdallah, Tarak (2021) Awqaf journal durig two deacdes: its academic and cultural role, AJ, issue 40, pp.
- Abdallah, Tarak (2020) Waqf et sphère publique: l’exemple de awqaf Al-Haramain, AJ, pp. 40-53
- Abdallah, Tarak, Toward a Second Wave of Waqf Revival in Islamic World. Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2018.
3 -Conferences
- Abdallah, Tarak (2020), Governance and best practices : Harvard University case study, Conference organized by Centre Interdisciplinaire de la Recherche en Performance et Compétitivité, Univsersité Mohammed V de Rabat, 2 July 2020.