Jordan
(2004)
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, provided that religious
practices are consistent with "public order and morality";
however, the Government continued to impose some restrictions on freedom
of religion during the period covered by this report. According to the
Constitution, Islam is the state religion.
There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom
during the period covered by this report. Members of unrecognized religious
groups and religious converts from Islam face legal discrimination and
bureaucratic difficulties in personal status cases. The Government prohibits
non-Muslims from proselytizing Muslims.
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed
to religious freedom. Relations between Muslims and Christians in the
country generally are amicable; however, adherents of unrecognized religions
face some societal discrimination.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government
in the context of its overall policy to promote human rights and interfaith
dialogue and understanding.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total area of 55,436 square miles, and its population
is approximately 5.4 million. More than 95 percent of the population
is Sunni Muslim. Official government figures estimate that Christians
make up 4 percent of the population; however, government and Christian
officials privately estimate the true figure to be closer to 3 percent.
There also are at least 20,000 Druze, a small number of Shi'a Muslims,
and fewer than 800 adherents of the Baha'i faith. There are no statistics
available regarding the number of atheists or persons who are not adherents
of any religious faith.
Officially recognized Christian denominations include the Greek Orthodox,
Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic (Melkite), Armenian Orthodox, Maronite
Catholic, Assyrian, Anglican, Lutheran, Seventh-day Adventist, United
Pentecostal, and Presbyterian churches. Other churches, including the
Baptist Church, the Free Evangelical Church, the Church of the Nazarene,
the Assembly of God, and the Christian Missionary Alliance, are registered
with the Ministry of Justice as "societies" but not as churches.
Some Egyptian immigrants are adherents of the Coptic Church. There also
are a number of Chaldean and Syriac Christians and Muslim Shi'a represented
in the immigrant Iraqi population.
With few exceptions, there are no major geographic concentrations of
particular religious groups. The cities of Husn, in the north, and Fuheis,
near Amman, are predominantly Christian. Madaba and Karak, both south
of Amman, have significant Christian populations. The northern part
of the city of Azraq has a significant Druze population, as does Umm
Al-Jamal in the governorate of Mafraq. There also are Druze populations
in Amman and Zarka and a smaller number of Druze in Irbid and Aqaba.
There are a number of nonindigenous Shi'a living in the Jordan Valley
and the south.
Foreign missionaries operating in the country include the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Campus
Crusaders for Christ, Life Agape, Intervarsity, Navigators, Christar,
Arab World Ministries, Operation Mobilization, Southern Baptist International
Mission Board, the Conservative Baptist, Frontiers, Brother Andrew,
the Jesuits, Christian Brothers, Rosary Sisters, Benedictines, Anglican
Church Mission Society, the Society of Friends (Quakers), Comboni Sisters,
Little Sisters of Jesus, the Religious of Nazareth, Sisters of St. Dorothy,
the Daughters of Mary the Helper (Salesian Sisters), the Little Sisters
of Nazareth, the Little Family of the Annunciation, Sisters of St. Joseph
of the Apparition, Basiliennes Chouerites, Focolare Sisters, Franciscans
(OFM), Sons of Divine Providence (Don Orione Fathers), Association Fraternal
International (AFI), Institute of the Incarnate Word, Franciscans of
the Cross, Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine, Franciscan Missionaries
of Mary (FMM), Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Daughters of Mary of the Enclosed Garden, Theresian Institute, and the
Missionaries of Charity.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, provided that religious
practices are consistent with "public order and morality";
however, the Government continued to impose some restrictions on freedom
of religion during the period covered by this report. According to the
Constitution, Islam is the state religion.
While Christianity is recognized as a religion, and non-Muslim citizens
may profess and practice the Christian faith, churches must be accorded
legal recognition through administrative procedures to own land and
perform marriages and other sacraments. The Prime Minister unofficially
confers with an interfaith council of bishops representing officially
registered local churches on all matters relating to the Christian community,
including the registration of new churches in the country. The Government
uses the following criteria when considering official recognition of
Christian churches: the faith does not contradict the nature of the
Constitution, public ethics, customs, or traditions; the faith is recognized
by the Middle East Council of Churches; the faith does not oppose the
national religion; and the group includes some citizen followers.
The role of the State in religious affairs is limited to supervision.
Groups that have practices that violate the law and the nature of society
are prohibited; however, in practice there were no reports that religious
groups were banned.
Churches and other religious institutions that wish to receive official
government recognition, must apply to the Prime Ministry for registration.
Recognized non-Muslim religious institutions do not receive subsidies;
they are financially and administratively independent from the Government
and are tax-exempt. Some churches were registered with the Ministry
of Interior as "societies" rather than churches.
Religious instruction is mandatory for all Muslim students in public
schools. Christian and Baha'i students are not required to attend courses
in Islam, and Christian students are allowed religious instruction in
public schools. In the past, a local Orthodox priest complained that
public schools did not provide a satisfactory curriculum for Christian
students in lieu of Islamic studies. In 1996 the late King Hussein and
the Ministry of Education approved religious instruction for Christian
students in public schools. In 1998 the Government launched an experimental
program in four districts to incorporate Christian education in the
public school curriculum. The Constitution provides that congregations
have the right to establish schools for the education of their own members
"provided that they comply with the general provision of the law
and are subject to government control in matters relating to their curriculums
and orientation."
There are two major government-sponsored institutions that promote
interfaith understanding: the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies
and the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization Research (al-Bayt Foundation).
Both institutions sponsor research, international conferences, and discussions
on a wide range of religious, social, and historical questions from
the perspective of both Muslims and Christians. The Government held
an international Christian conference in government facilities in 2001.
The Muslim feasts of Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, the Prophet Mohammed's
Birthday, the Prophet's Ascension, and the Islamic New Year are celebrated
as national holidays. Christmas and the Gregorian calendar New Year
also are national holidays. Easter is a government holiday and Christians
may request leave for other Christian feasts prescribed by the local
Council of Bishops.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
There were no reports that the practice of any faith was prohibited;
however, the Government does not officially recognize all religious
groups. Some religious groups, while allowed to meet and practice their
faith, complained of societal and official discrimination. In addition
not all Christian denominations have applied for or been accorded legal
recognition as religions.
The Government does not recognize the Druze or Baha'i faiths as religions
but does not prohibit the practice of these faiths. The Druze face official
discrimination but do not complain of social discrimination. Baha'is
face both official and social discrimination. The Government does not
record the bearer's religion as Druze or Baha'i on national identity
cards issued to adherents of these faiths; Druze are listed as Muslim,
and Baha'i do not have any religion officially listed. The small Druze
and Baha'i communities do not have their own courts to adjudicate personal
status and family matters; such matters are heard in Shari'a courts.
The Government does not officially recognize the Druze temple in Azraq,
and four social halls belonging to the Druze are registered as "societies."
The Government does not permit Baha'is to register schools or places
of worship.
The Government does not recognize Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of
Christ, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but each
denomination is allowed to conduct religious services and activities
without interference.
The Government does not interfere with public worship by the country's
Christian minority. Although the majority of Christians are allowed
to practice freely, some activities are prohibited, such as encouraging
Muslims to convert to Christianity, considered legally incompatible
with Islam.
Shari'a law prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing Muslims. Conversion
to the Muslim faith by Christians is allowed; however, a Muslim may
not convert to another religion. The small number of Muslims who convert
to other faiths claim societal and government discrimination. The Government
does not fully recognize the legality of such conversions. Under Shari'a,
converts are regarded as apostates and legally may be denied their property
and other rights; however, in practice this principle is not applied.
The Government claims it neither encourages nor prohibits apostasy.
Converts from Islam do not fall under the jurisdiction of their new
religion's laws in matters of personal status and are considered Muslims
under Shari'a. Converts to Islam remain under the jurisdiction of the
Shari'a courts. Shari'a law prescribes the death penalty for Muslims
who convert to another religion; however, there is no corresponding
statute under national law, and such punishment never has been applied.
The Government generally does not prohibit citizens from proselytizing
if their activities are within the limits of the law, maintain the proselytizers'
personal security and safety, and do not contradict local standards.
Government policy requires specifically that foreign missionary groups
(which the Government believes are not familiar with the customs and
traditions of the indigenous society) refrain from public proselytizing
to maintain the missionaries' safety and security from members of society
opposed to such practices. In the past, the Government has taken action
against some Christian proselytizers in response to the complaints of
recognized Christian groups who charged that the missionaries' activities
disrupted the peace and cohesion of society.
During the period covered by the previous report, members of the local
evangelical community reported increased attention from the Government.
In 2002, a foreign pastor and his wife claimed that a border official
at the airport threatened to cancel their residency permits. The pastor
claimed that the action was in response to his refusal to verify whether
or not Muslims attend his church's services. He and his wife left the
country voluntarily and have not returned. Also in 2002, two members
of the evangelical community complained that lower level government
officials threatened to cancel their residency permits for activities
that allegedly were inappropriate. When the Government became aware
of this at higher levels, it dropped the matter. The two evangelicals
remained in the country and have reported no subsequent problems.
Noncitizen Christian missionaries operate in the country but are subject
to restrictions. During the period covered by this report, Christian
mission groups in the country complained of difficulty in dealing with
local interchurch politics. In addition, some also complained of delays
in obtaining residence permits.
Despite previous difficulties with its legal status, the Jordan Evangelical
Theological Seminary (JETS), a Christian training school for pastors
and missionaries, was registered with the Government and operating as
a cultural center. Students and faculty from the U.S. and elsewhere
wishing to attend JETS were able to obtain residency in the country
through tourist visas. The Government authorized JETS to own property,
and in August they broke ground on a new facility.
Of the 110 seats in the Lower House of Parliament, 9 are reserved for
Christians. No seats are reserved for Druze or adherents of other religious
faiths. In 2001, the King dissolved Parliament and charged the Government
with drafting a new election law. The country's parliamentary election
law historically has limited the number of Islamists elected to Parliament.
The Islamic Action Front, the country's major Islamic party, participated
in the June 2003 parliamentary elections, winning 18 of the 110 seats.
The Political Parties Law prohibits houses of worship from being used
for political activity. The law was designed primarily to deny government
opponents the ability to preach politically oriented sermons in mosques.
In early 2000, radical Islamists criticized a poem published by Muslim
poet Musa Hawamdeh, and the Government banned the book in which the
poem was published. In July 2000, Hawamdeh, without retracting any portion
of his poem, was acquitted on all charges in both the Shari'a and civil
courts. Because of technicalities, the Shari'a court subpoenaed Hawamdeh
again in 2001 for the case in which he had already been acquitted. In
May 2003, Hawamdeh was sentenced to 3 months in prison for apostasy.
The Court of First Instance found that Hawamdeh had denied "undeniable
facts from the Holy Koran." Hawamdeh immediately challenged the
verdict, and in August 2003 the Appeals Court upheld the verdict. At
the end of the period covered by this report, he remained free pending
another appeal.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Trusts manages Islamic institutions
and the construction of mosques. It also appoints imams, provides mosque
staff salaries, manages Islamic clergy training centers, and subsidizes
certain activities sponsored by mosques. The Government loosely monitors
sermons at mosques and requires that speakers refrain from criticizing
the royal family or instigating social or political unrest.
In January 2003, the private weekly newspaper Al Hilal was shut down
and three of its journalists were arrested and accused of "harming
the dignity of Muslims" (blasphemy) by publishing an article about
the Prophet Muhammad's sexual relationship with his wives, described
in some legends. In February 2003 all three were found guilty, with
the prison sentences of two journalists commuted to fines and the author
sentenced to 6 months' incarceration. The newspaper has since resumed
publication.
According to the Constitution, religious community trusts ("Awqaf")
and matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce, child custody,
and inheritance fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Shari'a
courts for Muslims and separate non-Muslim tribunals for each religious
community recognized by the Government. There is no provision for civil
marriage or divorce. The head of the department that manages Shari'a
court affairs (a cabinet-level position) appoints Shari'a judges, while
each recognized non-Muslim religious community selects the structure
and members of its own tribunal. All judicial nominations are approved
by the Prime Minister and commissioned officially by royal decree. The
Protestant denominations registered as "societies" come under
the jurisdiction of one of the recognized Protestant church tribunals.
There are no tribunals assigned for atheists or adherents of unrecognized
religions. Such individuals must request one of the recognized courts
to hear their personal status cases.
Shari'a is applied in all matters relating to family law involving
Muslims or the children of a Muslim father, and all citizens, including
non-Muslims, are subject to Islamic legal provisions regarding inheritance.
All minor children of a male citizen who converts to Islam automatically
are considered to be Muslim. Adult children of a male Christian who
has converted to Islam become ineligible to inherit from their father
if they do not convert to Islam. In cases in which a Muslim converts
to Christianity, the conversion is not recognized legally by the authorities,
and the individual continues to be treated as a Muslim in matters of
family and property law. The minor children of a male Muslim who converts
to Christianity continue to be treated as Muslims under the law.
In 1998, legal custody of two children of a Christian widow living
in Irbid was granted, against her will, to her Muslim brother. A civil
court held that Shari'a law revoked the mother's custody of the children
because she had failed to raise them as Muslims. The children had been
raised as Christians because both their mother and father originally
were Christian. Their father allegedly converted to Islam shortly before
his death. As a result of this alleged conversion, the children were
considered to be Muslim as a matter of Shari'a law; however, the mother
lawfully remained Christian. The civil court rejected the mother's final
appeal in February 2002. The court's final judgment had yet to be enforced
by the end of the period covered by this report, and the children continued
to live with their mother and attend a local school.
Some Christians are unable to divorce under the legal system because
they are subject to their faith's religious court system, which does
not allow divorce. Many such individuals convert to another Christian
denomination or the Muslim faith to divorce legally.
The Government notes individuals' religions (except for Druze, Baha'is,
and other unrecognized religions) on the national identity card and
"family book" (a national registration record that is issued
to the head of every family and that serves as proof of citizenship)
of all citizens. Atheists must associate themselves with a recognized
religion for official identification purposes.
The Government traditionally reserves some positions in the upper levels
of the military for Christians; however, all senior command positions
traditionally have been reserved for Muslims. Division-level commanders
and above are required to lead Islamic prayer for certain occasions.
There is no Christian clergy in the military.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, all citizens, including non-Muslims,
are discouraged from eating, drinking, or smoking in public or in vehicles,
and they also are discouraged strongly from dressing in a manner that
is considered inconsistent with Islamic standards. Restaurants are closed
during daylight hours unless specifically exempted by the Government.
Only those facilities catering specifically to tourists are allowed
to remain open during the daytime and sell alcohol during the month
of Ramadan.
Under Shari'a as applied in the country, a female heir receives half
the amount of a male heir's inheritance, and non-Muslim widows of Muslim
spouses have no inheritance rights. A sole female heir receives half
of her parents' estate; the balance goes to designated male relatives.
A sole male heir inherits both of his parents' property. Male Muslim
heirs have the duty to provide for all family members who need assistance.
Men are able to divorce their spouses more easily than women are, although
a provisional law passed in 2001 allows women to divorce their husbands
in Shari'a court. Since the law went into effect, Shari'a courts have
granted several hundred divorces brought by women. The new lower house
of Parliament rejected the law in August 2003, but the upper house approved
it. It remains in effect until parliament takes final action.
According to government legal officials, civil, criminal, and commercial
courts accord equal weight to the testimony of men and women. However,
in Shari'a court, the testimony of two women is equal to that of a man's
in most circumstances.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners who remained
in custody at the end of the period covered by this report; however,
in 2001 the security services detained approximately 50 persons, described
in the press as Islamists. Such detentions were related to allegations
of involvement in terrorist or strictly political activities rather
than religious affiliation or belief.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of
minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from
the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned
to the United States. However, according to the law, the father of a
child may restrict the child's travel. There are at least 10 U.S. citizen
children of mixed-religion marriages residing in the country against
the will of their U.S. citizen mothers. Under the law, such children
are considered Muslim if their fathers are Muslim.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
There were no reported abuses targeted at specific religions by terrorist
organizations during the period covered by this report.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
Relations between Muslims and Christians in the country generally are
amicable. Relations within the Christian community sometimes are difficult,
especially within the evangelical Christian community. There are disputes
between and within different Christian denominations.
In general Christians do not suffer discrimination. Christians hold
high-level government and private sector positions and are represented
in the media and academia approximately in proportion to their presence
in the general population. Senior command positions in the military
traditionally have been reserved for Muslims (see Section II). Baha'is
face some societal and official discrimination. Employment applications
occasionally contain questions about an applicant's religion.
The majority of the indigenous population views religion as central
to one's personal identity, and religious conversions are not tolerated
widely. Muslims who convert to other religions often face social ostracism,
threats, and abuse from their families and Muslim religious leaders.
Such relationships, which ultimately may lead to conversion (either
to the Muslim or Christian faiths), usually are strongly discouraged
by the families. Interfaith relationships may lead to ostracism and,
in some cases, violence against the couple or feuds between members
of the couple's families. When such situations arise, families may approach
local government officials for resolution. There were reports that in
some cases local government officials encouraged Christian women involved
in relationships with Muslim men to convert to Islam to defuse potential
family or tribal problems; however, during the period covered by this
report, there were no known cases in which local officials harassed
or coerced persons to convert from Christianity to Islam. In the past,
there were some cases of mixed-faith married couples seeking to emigrate
to other countries because of the negative family and societal reactions
to their marriages.
In the fall of 2003, a number of Muslims and Christians founded the
Jordan Interfaith Coexistence Research Center, which has been increasingly
active in promoting interfaith dialogue both domestically and internationally.
During the period covered by this report, local newspapers occasionally
published articles critical of evangelical organizations.
In 2002, a member of the royal family (Prince Hassan) hosted in Amman
an international, interfaith conference on "Rejecting Violence
and Promoting Peace with Justice." The conference focused on interfaith
dialogue among the religious communities of Iraq, but it included religious
leaders and scholars from numerous countries.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government
in the context of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. Embassy
officials raised religious freedom and other human rights issues with
government authorities on a number of occasions. Embassy officers met
frequently with members of the various religious and missionary communities
in the country, as well as with private religious organizations. An
Embassy officer was in regular contact with members of the U.S. missionary
community in the country.
During the period covered by this report, the Embassy
sent 12 Shari'a law students to the U.S. on an International Visitor
program in which they met with Christian and Jewish opinion leaders.
Several Shari'a law students were also studying English at the Embassy's
American Learning Center. The Embassy organized a Voluntary Visitor
program in the U.S. for four members of a local interfaith coexistence
group. The visit focused on religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue,
initiating ongoing contacts with numerous American religious groups.
In the past, Embassy officers assisted private religious groups to obtain
official registration.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |