ISLAM, CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL WORK MUSLIM VOLUNTARY WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS IN JORDAN BETWEEN PATRONAGE AND EMPOWERMENT Egbert Harmsen Cover design and lay-out: De Kreeft, Amsterdam ISBN 978 90 5356 995 5 NUR 741 / 717 © ISIM / Amsterdam University Press, 2008 Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen of enige andere manier, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de uitgever. Voor zover het maken van kopieën uit deze uitgave is toegestaan op grond van artikel 16B Auteurswet 1912 jº het Besluit van 20 juni 1974, Stb. 351, zoals gewijzigd bij het Besluit van 23 augustus 1985, Stb. 471 en artikel 17 Auteurswet 1912, dient men de daarvoor wettelijk verschuldigde vergoedingen te voldoen aan de Stichting Reprorecht (Postbus 3051, 2130 kb Hoofddorp). 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Islam, civil society and social work Muslim Voluntary Welfare Associations in Jordan between Patronage and Empowerment Islam, maatschappelijk middenveld en sociale zorg Gezaghebbende teksten, rituele praktijken en sociale identiteiten Particuliere Islamitische welzijnsorganisaties in Jordanië tussen bevoogding en ontvoogding (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof.dr. W.H. Gispen, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 13 juni 2007 des middags te 12.45 uur door Egbert Harmsen geboren op 11 maart 1967 te Dordrecht Promotor: Prof. Dr. M.M. van Bruinessen Co-promotor: Dr. R. Meijer Dit proefschrift werd mede mogelijk gemaakt met financiële steun van het International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) Summary contents Detailed Contents 6 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction 17 I ISLAM AND CIVIL SOCIETY 35 1 The Concept of Civil Society 37 2 Islam/Islamism and Civil Society 45 3 Islamist Voluntary Welfare Associations: Patronage or Middleclass-based Civic Networks? 67 II CIVIL SOCIETY IN JORDAN 79 4 State and Society in Jordan 81 5 Political Society, Economic Society and the Role of the Islamist Movement 107 6 Jordan’s NGO Sector 149 III RELIGIOUS MOTIVATIONS AND SOCIAL IDEALS OF MUSLIM NGO’S 171 7 Islamic Social Welfare Discourse and Practice: A historical Perspective 173 8 Social Welfare Discourse of Islamist NGOs 181 9 Politically Unaffiliated and Conservative Muslim NGOs 209 10 Porgressive Muslim NGOs 225 IV SOCIO-ECONOMIC AID 245 11 Financial and In-Kind Aid 247 12 Employment-oriented Activities 275 V EDUCATION AND CULTURE 289 13 Cultural Approaches 291 14 One Islamic Association’s Approach to Education 303 15 Various Muslim Approaches Toward Education and Child Development 315 16 Discourse and Activity Regarding Marriage and Gender Relations 355 Conclusion: Muslim Social Activism as a Phenomenon of Civil Society: Empowerment or Patronage? 393 Notes 417 Bibliography 463 List of Abbreviations 481 Glossary of Arab Words 482 English Summary 489 Nederlandse samenvatting 494 Curriculum Vitae 500 Detailed contents Acknowledgements 14 Introduction 19 The Historical Background of the Civil Society Concept 19 Determining the “Muslim” nature of NGOs 21 Categorizing Jordanian Muslim NGOs 24 The Structure of the Dissertation 33 PART ONE: ISLAM AND CIVIL SOCIETY 1 The Concept of Civil Society 37 Civil Society as a Distinct Domain 37 The Normative Dimension of Civil Society 41 Civil Society: Individualistic or Communitarian? 43 2 Islam/Islamism and Civil Society 45 Islam as an Obstacle to Civil Society 45 Islam as the Benefactor of Civil Society 47 The Middle of the Roaders 49 Civil Society as a Means rather than an End 50 Distinguishing Moderates from Radicals 50 Norms of Civil Behavior 52 Islamic Activism and the Modernization of Society 53 Islam and Civil Society: an Evaluation 56 The Islamist Movement as Manifestation of the Lifeworld 59 Tradition and Modernity in the Muslim Arab Lifeworld 61 Reflexivity and The Muslim Brotherhood Movement 63 3 Islamist Voluntary Welfare Associations: Patronage or Middleclass-based Civic Networks? 67 Religious Revival as a New Source of Social Capital 67 The Nature of Islamist Voluntary Welfare Associations 69 NGOs and the State 72 The Political Significance of Islamist NGOs as Civil Society Institutions 75 6 CONTENTS PART TWO: CIVIL SOCIETY IN JORDAN 4 State and Society in Jordan 81 The Establishment of the State 81 Implications of the Palestinian Presence 83 State Discourse 86 The King as the Final Arbiter of State and Society 86 Authoritarian Pluralism 87 State Islamic Discourse 88 State Democratic Discourse 90 Serving the National Interest 90 Cooptation of Society 93 Cooptation of Tribes 93 Cooptation of Palestinians 94 Cooptation of Minorities 95 Cooptation of Political and Cultural Islam 95 Limitations to Democracy and Pluralism 97 Institutions of Parliamentary Democracy 97 Public Protest 98 The Press 99 Religious Institutions 99 Voluntary Associations 100 A Historical Pattern of Patronage 101 Patronage of Civil Society 102 Self Representation of the Regime 103 The Response of Civil Society to Regime Hegemony 104 5 Political Society, Economic Society and the Role of the Islamist Movement 107 The Role of Political Parties 107 Political Party Life up to the Declaration of Martial Law in 1957 108 Official Political Life without Parties (1957–1989) 110 The Impact of Political Liberalization since 1989 112 Deliberalization after Peace with Israel 115 Elections and their Aftermath in a Time of Regional Turmoil 116 The Role of Professional Associations 119 The Professional Associations’ Legal and Internal Structures 120 Oasis of Opposition in a Desert of Authoritarianism 121 The Impact of Political Liberalization since 1989 123 7 ISLAM, CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL WORK The Struggle Against Normalization with Israel 124 Economic Society 127 Employers’ Organizations 127 Trade Unions 128 The Islamist Movement 130 Goals, Structure and Activities 130 The Initial Development of The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan 133 The Islamist Socio-political Role under Hashemite Authoritarianism 136 The Islamist Movement in the Years of Political Liberalization 140 Developments since the Peace Treaty with Israel 143 Doves and Hawks 144 Conclusion 146 6 Jordan’s NGO Sector 149 History of the NGO Sector in Jordan 150 The Initial Development of NGO life in Transjordan 150 The Impact of the Arrival of the Refugees 151 Increased Islamization of the NGO Sector and Tightening State Control 153 Social Development Discourse and Practice in an Authoritarian Context 155 The Impact of Structural Economic Adjustment and Liberalization 158 Controversy over Foreign Funding and Limitations of Liberalization 160 Recent Developments in the Sector of Social Welfare NGOs 163 The Role of the General Union of Voluntary Societies 165 Aims, Organizational Structure and Function 165 Assisting State Control and Disciplining 166 GUVS as a Body of Representation and Lobbying 166 Classification of Voluntary Associations 168 PART THREE: RELIGIOUS MOTIVATIONS AND SOCIAL IDEALS OF MUSLIM NGO’S 7 Islamic Social Welfare Discourse and Practice: A historical Perspective 173 Zakah as a Binding Obligation 173 Sadaqah as a Moral Duty 176 Serving the Needy is Serving God 178 8 CONTENTS 8 Social Welfare Discourse of Islamist NGOs 181 Acting for the Sake of God 182 Value rational versus Affective Motivations 185 The Just Islamic Society 189 Outsiders’ Discourse on the Islamist NGOs 197 Sympathizers 197 Neutral Views 199 Hostile Views 201 Islamist Social Work: a Genuine Social Endeavor or an Instrument of Political Hegemony? 204 9 Politically Unaffiliated and Conservative Muslim NGOs 209 The Islamic Welfare Society of Salt 210 The Society’s Religious and Social Origin 212 Traditions of Shari‘ah and Fiqh 213 Dry Religion without Spirit 214 Sufism True and False 214 Social Islam 216 The Islamic Anwar Al-Huda Welfare Association 219 The Umar Ibn al-Khattab Association 221 Conclusion 222 10 Progressive Muslim NGOs 225 Conservative and Fundamentalist versus Progressive and Modernist 225 Al-Faruq Welfare Society for Orphans 228 Islam’s Place in the Discourse of Al-Faruq Welfare Society 229 Empowerment, the Local Lifeworld and Islam 231 The Khawla’ Bint Al-Azwar Association 234 Islam’s Role: Conservation for the Sake of Empowerment and Progress 235 The Al-’Aqsa Association 236 The Political Career of a Post-Islamist Woman 237 Islamic Modernism and Renewalism 238 Islam, Gender and Family 240 Conclusion 243 9 ISLAM, CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOCIAL WORK PART FOUR: SOCIO-ECONOMIC AID 11 Financial and In-Kind Aid 247 Aid Distribution during Ramadan 247 Historical Origins and Various Forms of Direct Aid 249 Islamist Associations 250 The Identification of Needy Recipients 250 Approaches toward Distribution of Aid 255 Following up on Aid 258 Occasional Forms of Aid Distribution 259 Does Financial and In-Kind Assistance