Istanbul hosted the first assembly of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP) from March 22 to March 24 under the theme of "Facing Challenges and Finding Solutions."

Several NGOs and philanthropists from around the world attended the WCMP 2008, which offered opportunities for exchanging ideas, exploring new concepts and promoting new collaborative relationships among Muslim individuals and institutions.

The choice of Istanbul as the setting for this new attempt to establish cooperation between Muslims was particularly meaningful; under the Ottoman Empire this geography witnessed a proliferation of waqfs (religious/social foundations) that was more widespread than in any other part of the world. This social structure functioned as civil society initiatives and allowed for corporate acts of benevolence to those places the state could not reach.

Delving into the need to establish international partnerships among the waqfs, many of the speakers stressed the significance in triggering the Muslim spirit of giving to charity. The waqf discussion was integrated into the larger framework of a need to revive civil society centers in the community at large for the purpose of enhancing education facilities for Muslims around the world.  One of the keynote speakers, also known for his series of extended works and lectures on Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in particular, Hamza Yusuf of the Zaytuna Institute, stated that Muslim societies should move in the direction of establishing NGOs and training workers for the infrastructure of a civically aware and efficient society.

Among the main themes of the congress, the relative difficulty of assessing the volume of Muslim financial contributions to charity, which primarily take the form of zakat (alms) and sadaqa, was explained with a reference to the Prophetic tradition that when Muslims give, "the right hand should not see what the left hand is giving." The speakers emphasized many times that Muslims have no choice but to give, according to the dictates of religion, while the essence of Muslim charity is that it is not made obvious to anyone else. As Mehmet Gormez stated, Muslim philanthropy does not take the form of sponsorship or putting on a show.

The fruitful discussions also revealed that the new century has witnessed new trends in Muslim giving. Barbara Ibrahim of the American University in Cairo stressed that in the Arab world in particular, Muslim philanthropy was moving from personal generosity to institutional effectiveness, from working alone to forming partnerships and from meeting immediate needs, such as food and clothing, to alleviating core problems, such as jobs and education. Perhaps more importantly, the representative of Islamonline.com stated that World Wide Web facilities were redefining the very nature of charity and the way helpers found those in need. By providing a network for volunteer philanthropists-both individual and corporate- to discover their cause, some internet sites have contributed to the strengthening of Muslim bonds around the world.

Last, but certainly not the least, Nihad Awad, a representative for CAIR (Center for American Relations), made a final reference to the Prophet by stressing that the true spirit of Islam could be attained if Muslim organizations focused on serving all mankind and not just Muslims.