Business Incubators in Northwest Syria and the Possibility of Financing Them Through Zakat

Abstract

This research seeks to examine the reality of business incubators in northwest Syria and to explore the feasibility of financing them through zakat funds, considering zakat as a developmental instrument that contributes to economic empowerment and the alleviation of poverty and unemployment.

The study adopts both descriptive and analytical methodologies and incorporates field interviews and structured questionnaires directed at incubator administrators and entrepreneurship trainers operating in the region.

Business incubators began to emerge tangibly in northwest Syria following the year 2015, primarily supported by humanitarian organizations. They have come to represent an alternative to conventional relief-based interventions. The findings indicate a favorable orientation among incubator stakeholders toward utilizing zakat funds to support productive ventures. The study establishes a positive correlation between such utilization and the enhancement of income among the poor, the reduction of unemployment rates, and the stimulation of local economic activity. Despite the occasional absence of physical premises, incubators in the region have demonstrated a significant role in nurturing small-scale enterprises through the "virtual incubator" model. The research affirms that directing zakat funds toward these incubators may constitute a sustainable developmental paradigm, contingent upon adherence to Sharia-compliant frameworks and sound economic governance. The study concludes  a set of recommendations, foremost among them: reinforcing the institutional capacity of business incubators, advocating for their financing through zakat, and promoting scholarly and jurisprudential engagement with this emerging developmental approach.