Sacred Money

1. Purple Elephants

This five-part narrative series might just change how you think about money, how you spend it, and how money connects us to people we know and people we don’t. Taqwa Sadiq isn’t an economist or a social sciences expert, she’s just a curious twenty-something with a microphone trying to understand – can Zakat help us solve the cost-of-living crisis? As a Muslim herself, Zakat is something Taqwa has known about forever. Every year, Muslims all around the world ‘purify’ their wealth by giving away 2.5% of it. This is called Zakat and it’s been happening for centuries. But why does wealth need to be ‘purified’ in the first place? And what does that have to do with the UK economy? These questions take us to a library in Cambridge Muslim College, where a religious scholar turned activist, Dr Sohail Hanif, makes a startling revelation. This forces Taqwa to ask – has she and everyone she knows in the UK been doing this sacred act wrong all along? Also featuring interviews with Helen Rowe, a woman with a plan to eliminate all poverty in Britain in the next five years, and Aziza a junior doctor in the NHS. Sacred Money takes us all over the globe and even back in time. From hallowed libraries in Cambridge and a mysterious stone in Turkey, to a flooded farm in Pakistan and modern activism in Chicago. Along the way, Taqwa meets young Muslims, doctors and influencers, aunties and uncles, the mandem, a religious scholar, an ex-government official and more. Together they totally change how she thinks about Zakat and money, tradition and identity, and community in the modern world. Credits Writer, Producer, and Presenter: Taqwa Sadiq Supervising Producer: Emily Dicks Sound Designer: John Wakefield Theme Music: Mehar Bedi Editor: Andy Worrell Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer ‘Salam’s Journey’ was produced by International Cartoons and Animation Inc. ‘Friends’ was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

5. Imagining Utopia

Sometimes it’s hard to even imagine what utopia could look like. Is it possible to have a Britain without poverty? Lots of people think it is possible, but not everyone has the same idea of how to get to utopia… There’s Helen Rowe, an ex-government official and mum, who has a plan to eliminate poverty in Britain and believes the answer lies in changing the priorities of central government. Then there’s Nabil al-Kinani who has a completely different approach. His project, ‘Privatise the Mandem’ is a response to gentrification, specifically the building of Wembley Stadium. He thinks communities need more agency to deal with socio-economic problems on their own terms. Meanwhile in America, people are using Zakat to fight what they see as structural injustice in the prison system. Dallas Wright works for Believers Bail Out and tells us how Muslims in Chicago are using Zakat creatively to bail out people held in jail before trial. Taqwa returns to religious scholar and charity CEO Dr Sohail Hanif, explores why usury is prohibited for Muslims and reveals a whole new dimension of Zakat. All these parallel visions of utopia lead us back to the original question, can Zakat help solve the cost-of-living crisis? Taqwa finds the answer is unexpected. Sacred Money is a series that might just change how you think about money, how you spend it, and how money connects us to people we know and people we don’t. In five episodes, Taqwa Sadiq explores whether Zakat, an Islamic tradition, can help solve the cost-of-living crisis. Taqwa isn’t an economist or an expert, she’s just a twenty-something with a microphone. Her search to answer this question takes us all over the globe and even back in time. From hallowed libraries in Cambridge and a mysterious stone in Turkey, to a flooded farm in Pakistan and modern activism in Chicago. Along the way, Taqwa meets young Muslims, doctors and influencers, aunties and uncles, the mandem, a religious scholar, an ex-government official and more. Their stories open up questions around identity and belonging, get to the heart of what it means to be a British Muslim, and explore what happens when ancient traditions are transported to new places and times. Credits Writer, Producer, and Presenter: Taqwa Sadiq Supervising Producer: Emily Dicks Sound Designer: John Wakefield Theme Music: Mehar Bedi Editor: Andy Worrell Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer ‘Salam’s Journey’ was produced by International Cartoons and Animation Inc. Sacred Money is a BBC Audio Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab

4. The Person You’re Calling Can’t be Reached

From a farmer in Sindh, Pakistan to a mysterious stone in Istanbul, how does Zakat connect strangers around the world? What are we giving up if British Muslims only give Zakat locally to their communities in the UK? To find out Taqwa speaks to Nizam ud-Din Brohi, a survivor of the 2022 floods in Pakistan who received Zakat collected by UK Muslim charity Islamic Relief. Journalist Jennifer Hattam explains a long tradition of no-strings attached anonymous giving in Turkey and has a surprising revelation for Taqwa. Influencers Ali Official and Mariah Idrissi remind Taqwa of the Islamic concept of ‘rizq’, that everything we own is already pre-determined. How does this change where we give our Zakat and charity? Sacred Money is a series that might just change how you think about money, how you spend it, and how money connects us to people we know and people we don’t. In five episodes, Taqwa Sadiq explores whether Zakat, an Islamic tradition, can help solve the cost-of-living crisis. Taqwa isn’t an economist or an expert, she’s just a twenty-something with a microphone. Her search to answer this question takes us all over the globe and even back in time. From hallowed libraries in Cambridge and a mysterious stone in Turkey, to a flooded farm in Pakistan and modern activism in Chicago. Along the way, Taqwa meets young Muslims, doctors and influencers, aunties and uncles, the mandem, a religious scholar, an ex-government official and more. Their stories open up questions around identity and belonging, get to the heart of what it means to be a British Muslim, and explore what happens when ancient traditions are transported to new places and times. Credits Writer, Producer, and Presenter: Taqwa Sadiq Supervising Producer: Emily Dicks Sound Designer: John Wakefield Theme Music: Mehar Bedi Editor: Andy Worrell Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer Sacred Money is a BBC Audio Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab

2. Hey Mr Ramadan, Where’s My Biryani?

A vague memory from a childhood holiday in Istanbul leads Taqwa to Hounslow, a London suburb. There she meets Mr Ramadan who runs a place where anyone and everyone can come get hot food, groceries and supplies completely for free. This is all paid for with Zakat donations. It’s a very different way of understanding Zakat to what we’re used to… Featuring interviews with Ehsan Shahid Choudhry (Open Kitchen), Shazia Manaan, Yasrab Shah (Muslim Hands), Sharon and James. Sacred Money is a series that might just change how you think about money, how you spend it, and how money connects us to people we know and people we don’t. In five episodes, Taqwa Sadiq explores whether Zakat, an Islamic tradition, can help solve the cost-of-living crisis. Taqwa isn’t an economist or an expert, she’s just a twenty-something with a microphone. Her search to answer this question takes us all over the globe and even back in time. From hallowed libraries in Cambridge and a mysterious stone in Turkey, to a flooded farm in Pakistan and modern activism in Chicago. Along the way, Taqwa meets young Muslims, doctors and influencers, aunties and uncles, the mandem, a religious scholar, an ex-government official and more. Their stories open up questions around identity and belonging, get to the heart of what it means to be a British Muslim, and explore what happens when ancient traditions are transported to new places and times. Credits Writer, Producer, and Presenter: Taqwa Sadiq Supervising Producer: Emily Dicks Sound Designer: John Wakefield Theme Music: Mehar Bedi Editor: Andy Worrell Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer Sacred Money is a BBC Audio Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab

3. But Where Are You Really From?

For diaspora Muslims, where you and your Zakat belong can be tricky questions. Comedian and content creator Ali Official discusses growing up as the only Muslim kid in Devon, exploring your identity in online communities and awkward RE lessons at school. Hijabi model and humanitarian activist Mariah Idrissi talks about giving away her Barbie, colonialism and Zakat, and poverty ‘back home’. Mariah has a bit of an epiphany and Taqwa worries she’s only heard one side of the Zakat story… Sacred Money is a series that might just change how you think about money, how you spend it, and how money connects us to people we know and people we don’t. In five episodes, Taqwa Sadiq explores whether Zakat, an Islamic tradition, can help solve the cost-of-living crisis. Taqwa isn’t an economist or an expert, she’s just a twenty-something with a microphone. Her search to answer this question takes us all over the globe and even back in time. From hallowed libraries in Cambridge and a mysterious stone in Turkey, to a flooded farm in Pakistan and modern activism in Chicago. Along the way, Taqwa meets young Muslims, doctors and influencers, aunties and uncles, the mandem, a religious scholar, an ex-government official and more. Their stories open up questions around identity and belonging, get to the heart of what it means to be a British Muslim, and explore what happens when ancient traditions are transported to new places and times. Credits Writer, Producer, and Presenter: Taqwa Sadiq Supervising Producer: Emily Dicks Sound Designer: John Wakefield Theme Music: Mehar Bedi Editor: Andy Worrell Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer Sacred Money is a BBC Audio Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab