Al-Farouq Society School
CASE STUDY: AL FAROUQ SOCIETY
By taking a closer look at a more progressive Islamic charity group, the Al-Farouq Society, the efficacy of non-normative humanitarian programs becomes more apparent. Founded in 1991 in Irbid, the mission of the Al-Farouq Society is to “provide free social and developmental service and solutions with acceptable costs. To dedicate the experience in the community using scientific means and creative ideas, to meet the wishes and expectations of the recipients of the service, to support local and international partnerships and depending on our tolerant Islamic law,” illustrating the organizations’ broad educational goals that are rooted in a more progressive interpretation of Islamic law (Al-Farouq Society 2021). In contrast to the Islamic Center Charity Society, which operates throughout all of Jordan, the Al-Farouq Society is an example of a more progressive model of Islamic charity that offers educational services specifically in Irbid, Jordan.Utilizing the 4-A’s framework on effective education, the Al-Farouq Society Charitable School and Kindergarten seems particularly effective at achieving its mission. The program is made available to orphans and non-orphan students in Irbid, which is located in northern Jordan and is home to hundreds of thousands of Syrians displaced by conflict. Although there is limited availability in this program, it serves as one example of many similar Islamic charity organizations that operate through this non-normative model. In terms of acceptability, the school offers classes in “mathematics, chemistry, physics, English, Arabic, biology, and computer,” showcasing an impressive curricular content that is not present in educational programs situated in Za’atari. Unlike the educational programs offered by the Islamic Center Charity Society, Al-Farouq Society diverges from a strictly Islamist approach by instead turning toward more normative humanitarian principles around education that emphasize individual responsibility (Harmsen 2008). As an Islamic charitable society, Al-Farouq blends Islamic values with normative humanitarian principles that fall in line with UNICEF-Jordan and the 1959 Universal Declaration on the Rights of the Child. As such, Al-Farouq Society is considered an example of blending both normative and non-normative humanitarian ideals to form an educational program that is acceptable to both Islamic and western audiences. Lastly, the school’s acceptance of refugee orphans from all backgrounds suggests that it is adaptable to various groups of people, even if the school is limited in scope to the city of Irbid. There is serious potential for progressive Islamic models of charitable education, such as Al-Farouq Society, to replicate throughout Jordan and provide accessible, available, acceptable, and adaptable education for refugee children.
