Social Welfare And Religion In The Middle East: A Lebanese Perspective

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Social welfare and religion in the Middle East A Lebanese perspective RANA JAWAD Social welfare and religion in the Middle East A Lebanese perspective Rana Jawad This edition published in Great Britain in 2009 by The Policy Press University of Bristol Fourth Floor Beacon House Queen’s Road Bristol BS8 1QU UK Tel +44 (0)117 331 4054 Fax +44 (0)117 331 4093 e-mail [email protected] www.policypress.org.uk North American office: The Policy Press c/o International Specialized Books Services (ISBS) 920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300 Portland, OR 97213-3786, USA Tel +1 503 287 3093 Fax +1 503 280 8832 e-mail [email protected] © The Policy Press British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested. ISBN 978 1 86134 953 8 hardcover The right of Rana Jawad to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of The Policy Press. The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the author and not of The University of Bristol or The Policy Press. The University of Bristol and The Policy Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any material published in this publication. The Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender, race, disability, age and sexuality. Cover design by The Policy Press Front cover: image kindly supplied by www.panos.co.uk Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Group Contents List of tables and figures Acknowledgements List of Arabic words with English translations List of abbreviations Map of the Middle East v vi vii viii ix one Introduction: religion and social policy – an “old–new” partnership An “old–new” partnership: religion in social policy scholarship Beyond the Rentier state: religion and social policy in the Middle East Aims and scope of the book Definition of terms Organisation of the book A note about the research reported in the book 1 4 8 13 15 18 21 two Religion and the foundations of social policy Introduction Human well-being and social ethics in the five major world faiths Contextualising religion in social policy theory and practice A working definition of religious welfare Conclusion: the value of religion to social policy 25 25 28 51 64 65 three Lebanon: a profile of political and welfare institutions Introduction Lebanon’s religious demography Lebanon’s political economy – in and out of war Historical overview of social policy in Lebanon Recognising the problem of poverty: social inequality and war Conclusion: religious welfare in Lebanon and beyond 69 69 70 70 72 75 81 four A philosophy of social service: faith or social insurance? Introduction Conceiving social welfare: from human solidarity to identity politics The nature of welfare: social service and religious faith Identities, policy contexts and objectives Social welfare: instrumental or intrinsic value? Conclusion: social service as religious faith and instrumental welfare 85 85 87 99 120 133 134 iii Social welfare and religion in the Middle East Systems of provision and