I've been in Jordan for nearly two weeks, and I've learned a huge amount about both the culture and the language. I can read and write Arabic, understand and speak basic sentences, and generally get around with (english speaking) cab drivers. In this post, though, I want to give a general overview of Jordan as a country to help give you an idea of some of the things going on here at any given time.
Jordan is one of the only countries in the world that was formed without a war. This reality means that the people are not inherently hostile toward any of their neighbors, including the non-Muslim country to the west with whom the king signed a peace treaty in 1994. Jordanians pride themselves on how safe Jordan is, how advanced Jordan is, and how free Jordanians are, especially compared to their neighbors.
Jordanians are open and kind, with a strong history of helping her Arab and Muslim brothers in times of need. This means that Jordan is home to many refugees and migrant workers. Jordan has 6 million citizens, half of whom are decendents from Palestinian refugees, in addition to roughly:
- 150 - 700,000 Iraqi refugees
- 1.3 million Syrian refugees (including over 250,000 in one camp on the Northern border)
- 30,000 Lebanese refugees
- 25,000 Libyan refugees
- 1 million Egyptian migrant workers
And, Jordan is the third most water scarce country in the entire world.
Regarding religion, Jordan is 94% Sunni Muslim and 6% Christian.
I'm not going to go into Jordanian viewpoints on Syria at the moment, but I will say that the big fear is that the sectarian violence will spill over and cause unrest in Jordan. In addition to the fact that Syrians are willing to work for lower wages than Jordanians, causing many Jordanians to be out of work. The biggest concern, though, is having enough water for all of these people that do not have citizenship (and even for those that do).
I will talk more about these various themes throughout the semester, but that's all for now.
Tonight, I'm going to an Arab wedding, and I have no idea what I'm going to experience. I'll make sure to keep everyone posted.
Best,
B
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