As the universalist/right-based social protection has weakened due to global neoliberalism, debates about the role of Islamic provision of social welfare have increased in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This study focuses on Turkey as a case study to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision of the faith-based social protection practices. It has two objectives. First, it briefly examines the historical transformation of social policy in Turkey under the rule of the AKP (the Justice and Development Party), 2002-present. Second, it evaluates the outcome of this transformation and its potential implications for both social protection and politics. The study uses both quantitative and qualitative data collected during the fieldwork in Turkey in the summer of 2013 and 2014. The preliminary results suggest that the provision of faith-based social welfare is far from being need-based; rather, it becomes a highly selective almsgiving as it is inclusive for only those who are poor and willing to give political support to the government in return.