Follow us:
Donor Profile
Tariq Cheema: Muslim Philanthropy
Tariq Cheema, Founder, World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
Dr. Tariq Cheema first became involved in philanthropic work as a teenager. He helped his father, a physician, attend to Afghan refugees in his native Pakistan during the late 1970’s Soviet invasion. After earning a medical degree, Tariq began a practice in development work. In 1998, he co-founded Doctors Worldwide which provides medical relief, disaster management, and primary care health related community interventions in 18 countries. In 2008, he founded the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP).
WCMP serves as a proactive clearinghouse and convener for information and networking opportunities for Muslim philanthropists across the world. As a faith based organization headquartered in metro Chicago, WCMP is motivated by the values of compassion and charity that are intrinsic to Islam. The mission of WCMP is to provide a forum where Muslims of any background can come together and find ways to help those – regardless of their faith background – affected by natural and man made disasters.
Sensitive to the negative images that terrorist acts have inflicted on its global community, WCMP works to promote the highest ethical standards, accountability, and transparency among its philanthropists.
In the coming years, Tariq envisions a time when philanthropists from the global North will collaborate with philanthropists from the global South. “Our risks and opportunities as global citizens are common, whether it is the environment, terrorism, or poverty.” Speaking for his constituency, “it was amazing to see that [these] donors have an interest [not just] in their own regions but look forward to helping underserved communities throughout the world.”
Tariq became involved with the Chicago Global Donors Network five years ago and finds he benefits in several ways. “My personal benefit is the network of people and [the ability] to learn about the priorities and vision of the donors in Chicago. It has certainly strengthened my ties with the grassroots organizations, and I have met many community leaders who are doing phenomenal work… I think the Network has done tremendous work towards educating their donors and also …[in] empowering these communities through interaction.”
More importantly, as a “Diaspora Donor” – someone who contributes to their country of origin beyond family remittances – Tariq has also noticed a healthy trend among his Mexican, Kenyan, and other Latin American and African counterparts in the Network. “There is tremendous potential of learning from each other and there is a sense of pride which creates a positive competition where other Diaspora are inspired to work for their [respective] constituents in positive ways.”
Despite the cross-cultural differences, Tariq remarked on the similarity of the problems and of the solutions each group is developing, whether it is in building a school or a clinic, helping each other adapt to life in the U.S. or dealing with stereotypes.
“I personally feel my experience through the Network has shown there is a lot to learn together and as a Muslim donor it was a very pleasant experience to meet people I may not have ever had the chance to know.”