At the edge of a village in central Gujarat, in the middle of farms, a large complex stands out from the landscape. It is an educational institution that includes classes from kindergarten to twelfth grade, with Gujarati-medium and English-medium schools, an education college, a student hostel, and a planned science college. I was sent here by a leader of an NGO in the city of Ahmedabad who suggested that I visit Udai Institute, and specifcally to meet D.S., 1 the founder and head- master of the institute, who would be able to tell me everything I needed to know. I had arrived in central Gujarat to conduct research on the ways in which trans- national fows of resources might be used to fund Muslim organizations. I had read that this region is well known for its long history of international migration, that remittances are a crucial part of the local economy, and that some religious and social organizations in the region receive various forms of fnancial, moral and social support through these transnational networks. I had also read about religious politics in Gujarat, about violence against Muslims and their social and political marginalization, and about some efforts started by local Muslim organi- zations to improve this situation. Might these organizations seek alliances with transnational migrants and other international actors to support their efforts? What would their experiences be? These were some of the questions that guided my research. Asking around about possible research locations, I was told about Udai Insti- tute, based in a village of central Gujarat. The director, D.S., was happy to learn that a student had come from the Netherlands to investigate the position of Mus- lims in Gujarat, and during our frst meeting he talked with me for hours, frst in his airy offce and later while showing me around the premises and introducing me to teachers and other staff members. He treated me as his student: he answered all my questions with extended explanations, and when my notebook was full he took a new one from his drawer and gifted it to me so that I could continue to take notes on what he said. During my frst meeting with D.S., however, one question was not answered, and as I found out later it was also better not asked: how was all of this funded? In fact, the only moment he fell silent was when I asked about money. He looked at me with a puzzled expression for a few seconds, perhaps wondering why I was interested. He gave a vague response before continuing on to another subject, and 4 Frustrations and alliances The politics of migrant funding for Muslim education in central Gujarat Sanderien Verstappen