The Middle East has witnessed a unique evolution in social work practice, where professional helping systems borrowed from Western contexts have been carefully reshaped to align with local cultures and Islamic traditions. From the establishment of pioneering educational institutions in Turkey and Israel to the ongoing efforts in Saudi Arabia to balance traditional values with modern welfare systems, the region demonstrates how social work adapts across diverse contexts while addressing pressing challenges like women’s rights, displacement, and the aftermath of conflict.
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Pioneers of social work education in Turkey and Israel
The formal development of social work education in the Middle East began in earnest during the mid-20th century, led by two countries that would become regional pioneers: Turkey and Israel.
Turkey’s journey into professional social work began in 1961 with the establishment of the Social Services Academy under the Ministry of Public Health and Welfare. This first school emerged through collaboration with the United Nations, which had conducted studies on social welfare in Turkey since 1957. The academy offered four-year professional education, initially staffed by international lecturers from the United States, Netherlands, India, and Pakistan due to a shortage of qualified local faculty. In 1967, Hacettepe University established a second social work program, creating the foundation for what would eventually expand to over 60 social work departments across Turkey by 2020.
Israel’s social work profession has a relatively short history dating back to 1931, but it has grown considerably since then. The pedagogical framework drew heavily from American literature, yet Israel increasingly developed courses unique to the region. The nation’s cultural diversity, complex composition, and enduring regional conflicts have profoundly influenced how social work is practiced, differentiating it from other Western countries. Israeli social work education emphasizes multicultural approaches, though research indicates students need additional training in culturally sensitive practice to address issues of racism and intervention in conflict zones.
Both countries faced similar challenges in their early years. They relied on Western models of education and practice, struggled with limited local expertise, and needed to adapt international approaches to their specific cultural and political contexts. However, their pioneering efforts established educational frameworks that would spread throughout the region.
Integrating Islamic values into modern social work
As social work education spread across the Middle East, a critical question emerged: How could a profession developed in Western Christian contexts serve predominantly Muslim populations effectively?
Professional social work in the region began with individuals who studied abroad and returned to teach or practice, often importing Western models with little consideration for cultural appropriateness. In 1936, Egypt opened the first social work education program in the region. However, many argued that social work in Arab-Islamic countries should be informed by Islam, including codes of ethics reflecting local rather than Western values.
Western social work models were introduced to Middle East and North Africa countries during the early-to-mid-twentieth century as part of colonialist efforts, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful due to insufficient consideration of indigenous knowledge. More recently, there have been authentic attempts to construct models of social work intervention that draw on Islamic principles and practices.
Finding common ground
There is striking similarity between the teachings of Islam and core social work values, including upholding human dignity, social justice, helping those in need, and integrity. The main principles of anti-oppressive social work are highly congruent with Islamic teachings. Both Islam and social work acknowledge the value of relationships between human beings and emphasize compassion, reliability, trustworthiness, and respect.
However, mainstream social work and Islamic teachings differ considerably in key areas. The comprehensive view of spirituality in Islam is substantially different from mainstream social work. In Islam, spirituality extends beyond being just another dimension of human needs-it provides guidance for meeting spiritual, physical, cognitive, psychological, and social needs. Islam is a collectivist religion that values common concern, interdependence, and harmony, which amplifies collectivist traits when working with Muslim communities.
This integration of Islamic perspectives has led to more culturally responsive models of practice that honor religious obligations, incorporate traditional healing practices, and recognize the central role of family and community in addressing social problems.
Addressing women’s rights and refugee crises in Saudi Arabia and beyond
The development of social work in Saudi Arabia illustrates both progress and persistent challenges in the region, particularly regarding women’s rights and support for displaced populations.
Women’s rights and social reforms
Women in Saudi Arabia have experienced many legal reforms since 2017, after facing fundamentalist dominance for decades. In 2019, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel abroad, register for divorce or marriage, and apply for official documents without permission from a male guardian. The World Bank noted significant improvements to women’s working conditions since 2017, addressing issues of mobility, sexual harassment, pensions, and workplace rights.
Despite these advances, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Saudi women are still discriminated against in terms of marriage, family, and divorce, and the government continues to target women’s rights activists. The 2013 law criminalizing domestic violence marked an important shift, yet implementation challenges persist. Social workers in Saudi Arabia must navigate these complex realities while supporting women and families.
Responding to displacement and humanitarian crises
The Middle East faces what many consider the world’s most complex displacement crisis. More than 14 years after the Syrian conflict began, over 16 million people inside Syria need humanitarian assistance, with millions more displaced to neighboring countries. Turkey hosts approximately 2.6 million Syrian refugees, followed by significant populations in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.
The Arab States region faces numerous challenges including relatively high labor market informality, low female labor market participation, political instability, conflict, internal displacement and refugee crisis, all of which place significant strain on national social protection systems. Most social insurance schemes in the region cover only public and private sector workers with regular contracts, leaving many vulnerable populations without adequate protection.
Saudi Arabia has been a key partner to UNHCR for more than three decades, working through institutions like the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre and the Saudi Fund for Development. The kingdom actively promotes long-term engagement with forcibly displaced communities, including strengthening partnerships between public and private sectors to help refugees rebuild their lives with dignity.
Social workers across the region face the enormous challenge of providing trauma-informed care, psychosocial support, and practical assistance to displaced populations while working within strained systems and navigating political complexities. After a decade of violence and destabilization, over 13.4 million Syrians have been displaced, creating acute mental health needs that require specialized interventions adapted to cultural contexts.
What do you think? How can social work education better prepare practitioners to work effectively across different cultural and religious contexts? What role should traditional values play in shaping modern welfare systems in regions undergoing rapid social change?
References
- https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1721884
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283306787_Social_Work_Education_in_Israel
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224946724_Principles_of_social_work_practice_in_the_Muslim_Arab_world
- https://jssw.thebrpi.org/journals/jssw/Vol_13_2025/3.pdf
- https://jswve.org/volume-19/issue-2/item-05/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia
- https://www.unrefugees.org/news/syria-refugee-crisis-explained/
- https://www.ilo.org/regions-and-countries/ilo-arab-states/areas-work/social-protection-arab-states
- https://www.unhcr.org/where-we-work/countries/saudi-arabia
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8369241/
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