Berkley Center

Landlocked by revolutions in the north, war zones in the east, economic competition in the south, and religious and political uncertainty in the west, Jordan remains a silver lining in a cloud of continuous change.

However, the spillovers from these events are the cause of a cultural and social revolution in Jordan. After living in Amman for a month, I learned that Jordan is a country with two identities. Upon arriving, I expected religion to be an important factor in Jordanian society. However, I was surprised to find that at times religion was buried beneath cultural and political identities.

Early on I was advised to refer to the country of Israel as Palestine. In casual conversations about trips to Jerusalem or in a heated debate about the Gaza strip, it was best to remember that the land bordering Jordan to the west was to be called Palestine, at all times. For some, this subtle change may seem minor, however the political, social, and religious effects of this name slip is the cause of a major identity revolution in Jordan.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most enduring and explosive of all the world's conflicts. For the Palestinians, the last century was characterized by British colonization, expulsion, and military occupation, followed by a tedious search for recognition and for coexistence with the nation they blamed for their hardships. For the Jewish people of Israel, their homecoming after centuries of persecution around the world has not brought them peace or security. Instead, nation-building has warranted them hatred from their neighbors in the region.

In 1946, many Palestinians were expelled from Palestine after the end of the British mandate and fled to Jordan. Today, there are approximately 2 million Palestinians living in Jordan. Politically, Palestinian refugees, as defined by the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, are “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” While this definition is used to give aid to some 5 million refugees living in the region, there are many Jordanians who consider themselves both Palestinian and Jordanian.

This dual identity challenges the role of religion in self-identification. Although Islam is the national religion in Jordan, Christianity is the largest minority religion. However, during several protests for “Peace in Palestine” religious identity was hidden beneath Palestinian pride. Today’s generation of Palestinian activists are descended from Palestinian refugees and this common identity is a unifying force between these two Abrahamic faiths. The professor of my “Economic Transformations of the Middle East” course, a Palestinian Christian, interprets events during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the same framework as my “America and the Arabs” professor, a Palestinian Muslim.

Despite this revolution in social identity, religion does have an important role in Jordanian society. Since Islam is the national religion many Christians are culturally Muslim. For instance, both Muslim and Christian women wear the hijab (head scarf) and dress modestly. Christians adhere to the same social constructs in regards to appropriate conduct as Muslims. As a result, there are very few differences between these two groups in Jordan. However, interfaith marriage is still regarded as a social taboo amongst both groups. This brings me to my final thought: What’s more important, being Palestinian or one's religion? Why does Palestinian Muslims and Christians refuse to marry each other?