Islamic Voluntary Welfare Activism in Jordan

Abstract

During the last two decades the voluntary welfare associations' role in providing social services to the underprivileged in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been significantly enhanced. Important contributing factors to this development have been the process of political liberalization since 1989, increased economic hardship and rising levels of poverty (which were partly due to continuous state withdrawal from the domain of social welfare). Religious revival has also been a key factor and has greatly strengthened the role of voluntary associations with an Islamic background.