ABSTRACT
Islamic ethics pertaining to social welfare as they were depicted in the last chapter can be regarded, in Max Weber's terms, as the guiding Wertrationalität 1 (value-rationality) of discourses and practices cherished by members and workers of Muslim NGOs in Jordan. This is not to say that their activities can solely be explained in terms of this Islamic version of value rationality. Motivations of the individual actors within the NGOs are usually much more complex. First of all, Islamic discourses are not isolated from external influences. Muslim NGOs’ discourses and practices are influenced by global development discourses that are not specifically Islamic and originate, to an important extent, from the West. At the same time, tribal and state discourses also have their impact on these NGOs’ discourses. And last but not least, motives informed by value-rationality are naturally intertwined with other motivations, such as those of a self-serving, emotional or traditional nature.
