Philanthropic Islamic Amilieh Association

Under the harshest social and economic situations, Amilieh Philanthropic Islamic Association was founded in conformity with the authorization No. 441 on June 12, 1923. Many reasons stood behind establishing Amilieh in Beirut in 1923. These reasons were mostly due to the urgent need to tackle both social and educational deterioration and to fight illiteracy, ignorance and poverty. Education was the proper means to start with at that epoch of the history of Lebanon in general. That is why the first Amilieh School was established in 1928. At its beginning, it was an elementary school which later on encircled all levels. The two languages taught then were Arabic and French.

Amilieh Philanthropic Islamic Association was founded in Beirut in conformity with the authorization No. 441 on June 12, 1923, at a time when there were only thirty five associations in Lebanon.  Hence, Amilieh is considered one of the earliest and oldest associations established to meet the social and humanitarian exigent needs. Illiteracy, with all its consequences such as ignorance, disease, poverty and the terrifying social retardation, prevailed and marked some of the Lebanese regions, in particular, South Lebanon and the Bekaa where the majority of the population is Shiite Muslims.

Realizing that such a humanitarian, social and national situation should be discontinued, else it would deform society and lead to instability and threaten the entity of the country, the founders of the Association conceived that literacy and education were the most efficacious remedy. As a result, they set off building schools until they were forced to stop when the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975. The outcome was seven schools. Amilieh now comprises these seven schools which include all stages of education (K-12) in both languages, English and French, and for boys and girls.

As it approaches its centennial anniversary, Amilieh is very proud of all its graduates who, being picked up from the state of poverty and provided with education, managed to find their way up to the highest levels in all fields and scopes and were engaged in significant roles that contributed and still are to the boosting and development of the country. Amilieh follows and clings to the same principles and tactics as it has always did believing that they are the correct path to the fusion within society and to the entrenchment of the pillars of the homeland regardless of the time this would take.

Amilieh has a glorious history which all generations should get introduced to and ought to learn the lessons it encircles .They should even follow the track of such a glorious history by establishing associations that would satisfy the coming needs and to keep up with the accelerating technological development which is leading to a new world so that we could all guarantee our presence and existence with the course of time.  There is a motive behind creating this website, which aims at making it possible for all “sons of Amilieh” to communicate with and get informed and updated about all activities and events taking place, this arousing nostalgic feelings which generate a sense of belonging.  Besides, the benefactors who supported Amilieh’s mission have the right to stay updated with its development and its latest news and feel that their charity and support have grown so fruitfully that the outcome of Amilieh has been in conformity with their expectations. It is their right and our duty to proliferate such an endeavor.