Egbert Harmsen (born 1967 in Dordrecht, the Netherlands) has since 2001 been engaged as a Ph.D. researcher at the International Institute for the Study of Islam in de Modern World (ISIM) in Leiden. He graduated in 1995 in Middle Eastern Studies on the topic of the absorption and integration of Palestinian refugees from Kuwait in Jordan. He has a broad experience in the region, especially in the Palestinian territories, Israel and Jordan.

• Table of Contents - 6 Detailed contents - 7 Acknowledgements - 15 Introduction - 18 Part One - 36 1. The Concept of Civil Society - 38 Islam/Islamism and Civil Society - 46 3. Islamis Voluntary Welfare Associations: Patronage or Middle Class-Based Civic Networks - 68 Part Two - 80 4. State and Society in Jordan - 82 5. Political Society, Economic Society and the Role of the Islamist Movement - 108 6. Jordan's NGO Sector - 150 Part Three - 172 7. Islamic Social Welfare Discourse and Practice: An Historical Perspective - 174 8. Social Welfare Discourse of Islamist NGOs - 182 9. Politically Unaffiliated and Conservative Muslim NGOs - 210 10. Progressive Muslim NGOs - 226 Part Four - 246 11. Financial and In-Kind Aid - 248 12. Employment-Oriented Activities - 276 Part Five - 290 13. Cultural Approaches - 292 14. One Islamic Association's Approach to Education - 304 15. Various Muslim Approaches toward Education and Child Development - 316 16. Discourse and Activity Regarding Marriage and Gender Relations - 356 Conclusion - 394 Notes - 418 Bibliography - 464 List of Abbreviations - 482 Glossary of Arabic Words - 483 English Summary - 490 Nederlandse samenvatting - 495 Curriculum Vitae - 501