Islamic Charity and Royal NGOs in Jordan: The Role of Monarchial Institutions in its Balancing Act

Abstract

This paper focuses on royal NGOs for Islamic charity in Jordan, portraying them as NGOs with two wings, or two fundamental components, namely, Islam and welfare. Jordan is a country which has been hosting large numbers of refugees, from Palestine in earlier decades, from Iraq after the Iraqi War, and from Syria in recent years. The charitable bodies in Jordan giving them a helping hand have been formed both from the bottom by civilians and from above by the initiatives of royal family members. In modern times, providing welfare is one of the important functions of a nation-state to protect the social well-being of its citizens. The implementation of social welfare is a fundamental component of Islamic teachings and is still practiced by the people in its modern form, namely NGOs. The NGOs in existing literatures are by definition non-governmental, and largely secular, and, therefore, the category of “royal NGOs” in Jordan presents a new type of faith-based NGOs. As a monarchial state, there are both royal and civil initiatives for providing charity in Jordan. The role of royal institutions in Jordanian society is not only an important source of welfare but also a clear representation of the benevolence that Islam teaches to Muslims. Under popular demands for better living conditions in Jordan in recent decades, royal NGOs have been trying to improve the welfare of its citizens, while they also seek to coordinate with local collective civil organizations. In the realm of Islam and welfare, both civil and royal charity associations underpin Jordan’s host community.