Religie en Hulpverlening in Libanon: FBO's en de rol van religie in discours en handelen bij het verlenen van humanitaire hulp aan Palestijnse vluchtelingen.

Abstract

This study analyses the role of religion in the provision of humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees by faith-based organizations (FBO’s) in Lebanon. Due to the fragile balance of powers in this sectarian state and other factors weakening it, the state is unable to provide humanitarian aid to refugees. This leaves NGO’s to fill that vacuum. Resembling the sectarian social landscape of Lebanon, many NGO’s working in the humanitarian aid sector have a religious identity. Given the vulnerability and dependence of refugees, various ethical dilemmas may arise when FBO’s combine providing humanitarian aid with proselytization. It is this dual purpose that the present study aims to analyse, by investigating the role that religion plays in four different FBO’s. Two of these have an Islamic identity and two a Christian one. For both religions, one organisation operates on a national level and the other on an international level. The role religion plays in the discourse of these organisations as well as the way the religious identity becomes visible in the projects and activities of these FBO’s will be analysed. It will be concluded that religion plays a significant role in the discourse of all four organisations, and takes a particularly prominent role in the activities and projects of the two nationally operating organisations.