Jordan--Christian Persecution in Jordan

Middle East: Jordan Country Report Last Updated: January 2003 Code: Not Rated (Click here for a code description.)
	(Click here for a list of ICC articles on Jordan.) List of Articles Last Updated: February 27, 2003

Religious Atmosphere: 92% of the population practices Sunni Islam. About 6% of the population is Christian, with the majority being Greek Orthodox. Two percent of the population follows other religions, including Shi’a Islam.

• There are several Muslim groups who advocate a more Islamic government. They vary in their inclination to extremism. The Muslim Brotherhood is one group that is gaining power and popular support in Jordan.

• The constitution designates Islam as the state religion and prohibits religious discrimination.
• Christians are represented in government, media, and academia in numbers higher than their percentage in the population. 9 seats out of the 80 seats in the Lower House of Parliament are reserved for Christians.
• The government tends only to recognize only the more established religious groups. Governmental recognition is required to register property in the name of the organization. Private members may practice their religion without government recognition.
• Proselytizing by non-Muslims is illegal.
• Muslims who convert to Christianity report some government, and social, discrimination.
• Christian students in public schools are not required to take classes in Islamic instruction.

• May 30, 2003 - The case against Mrs. Siham Qandah (see below) has taken an interesting turn. Lawyers have obtained proof that Mrs. Qandah's brother, who was appointed legal guardian of her two teenager children, has embezzled more than half of the children's UN trust fund (around 13,000 Jordanian dinars). The guardian is thus being taken to court and will be jailed if he cannot pay back the money. In addition, if found guilty, his guardianship will be cancelled. Unfortunately, under the law Mrs. Qandah still needs to find a Muslim guardian for her children until they turn 18. At that time they will be able to choose their own religious status. (Compass Direct)
     
• January 20, 2003 - Mrs. Siham Qandah received a court order stating that she should be arrested until she hands over her two teenage children to her Muslim brother (see below). She appealed the case the following day and is safe from arrest at least until her appeal has been heard. Qandah and her children are currently in hiding (Middle East Concern).
     
• October 7, 2002 - The Jordanian Ministry of Justice ruled that Mrs. Siham Qandah has five days to hand over her two teenager children to a Muslim guardian (see below). Mrs. Qandah is considered an unfit guardian for "distancing them from Islamic rituals and doctrine." Mrs. Qandah's children have been enrolled in Christian schools and attended church services their whole life. (ANS)
      
• August 2002 - Reversing earlier assurances that she could keep her children, the Jordanian Intelligence Service told Mrs. Siham Qandah that she would have to hand over her children to her brother, a Muslim cleric (see March and May 2002 below). At that point Mrs. Qandah attempted to leave the country with her children but was unable to do so as the children were on an immigration blacklist. (ANS)
     
• May 2002 - The Jordanian government assured Mrs. Siham Qandah that her children would not be taken away from her. She was then able to return home after several months in hiding. (Compass)
     
• March 2002 - A Jordanian Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that the children of Mrs. Siham Qandah should be placed in the custody of their uncle. Qandah, who is Christian, is being denied custody of her children because her late husband had converted to Islam while stationed with the Jordanian army in Kosovo. Qandah's brother, who also converted to Islam, demanded custody of 15-year-old Faadi and 13-year-old Rawan because under Jordanian law, the children of a Muslim cannot be placed in the custody of a Christian. The two teenagers have been raised as Christians.
      
• January 29, 1997- A Christian book store in Amman was the target of an arson attack. The store suffered $20,000-30,000 in damage, including the loss of what was the largest Arabic/English Christian video library. The owner of the store had received multiple threatening phone calls leading up to the attack and similar attacks occurred a year earlier.

Prisoners: There is no evidence that prisoners are being held for their beliefs at this time.

• Pray for the Christians of Jordan that they may continue to be protected from harm and that the Christian message may be heard and received by all.
• Please keep us informed of any replies or results you may receive! Contact ICC by email at icc@persecution.org.

POSTED:  June 6, 2003

ICC Articles on Jordan:

• March 2003 - Prayer - Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria
• June 24, 2002 - Prayer - Belarus, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, China, Jordan
• March 2002 - Prayer Points - Prayer Points for Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Sudan, Vietnam