Berkley Center

In Jordan, religion is the keystone that supports all aspects of society, and a common religious heritage unites Muslims and Christians. Unlike other Arab countries such as Iraq and Egypt, tension between Christians and Muslims is almost nonexistent. Though Muslims far outnumber Christians, they live and work together and are proud of their peaceful coexistence.

The most essential value both groups share is the essential nature of religion to one’s identity. The second night in my homestay, my Christian host family asked me directly what religion I was, and whether I believed in God. I was taken aback by what would in the United States be an extremely personal question, but in Jordan it’s simply a foundation for relating to other people.

Everyone from new friends to taxi drivers ask me if I’m Christian and seem pleased when I tell them yes. In the Jordanian mindset, everyone has a religion. Even though Judaism is problematic because of Jordan’s ties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it still is more acceptable than atheism. To a Jordanian, an atheist once had a religion but forsook it, and Jordanians find it hard to relate to someone who does not recognize the importance of God in his or her life.

The very expressions that organize social interactions are subtle reminders of the presence of God in every part of Jordanian life. Greetings, leave takings, and accepting gifts all involve long strings of phrases wishing the blessings of God on all involved. The phrase “Inshallah,” meaning if God wills it, follows every statement about the future, from the happiness of a marriage to whether the bus will come on time. When talking about good things in life, from the ages of someone’s children to winning a soccer game, it’s necessary to say “Ma sha allah,” or what God wills. And even the basic response to the question “How are you” is “Alhamdulillah:” thanks be to God.

These phrases are used by and among Christians and Muslims, indicative of a common cultural mindset regardless of religious differences. Unlike greeting rituals in the United States, where we usually say hello and ask after each other just to be polite, these rituals and phrases are far from empty pleasantries. It is imperative to thank God for what he has provided, to recognize that all things that happen depend on his will.

Likewise, wishing someone blessings or health or peace from God is a much more sincere expression of gratitude or affection. In Arab culture, words have more power, and saying the correct phrases carries far more meaning that just politeness.

When it comes to the greater social fabric of society, the delineation between culture and religion is complex. Jordan is an officially Muslim nation, so Islamic values form the basis of the Jordanian legal system and set standards for decency and ordering of public space. For example, Islamic inheritance law states that a woman inherits half the amount a man inherits, so this law applies to all Jordanians, regardless of religion. But more visible and palpable is Islam’s emphasis on the separation of the sexes that affects everything from where people sit on the bus to how people meet their future spouses.

Jordan is far from the most conservative Muslim country, but Jordanians’ social patterns reflect the principle that women must be protected from contact with men who might harass them, and men must be prevented from having contact with women that might compromise their honor. For example, if a woman boards a public bus and the only open seat is next to a man, the driver will tell a man sitting by himself to move so she can sit alone. In a Muslim house, it’s very rare for unmarried women to have male guests, and if a brother has his male friends over, the women will stay in a different part of the house to avoid contact. Christian women don’t cover their heads and don’t dress as conservatively as Muslim women do, but it would be a mistake to assume that their worldviews are entirely different. Chastity until marriage is still important to Christian families, children live in the house with their parents until marriage, and I doubt that my host sisters would be allowed to bring male friends to the house. The conception of honor that Jordanians hold is one that predates Islam.

At the same time, in contemporary society, it is difficult to extricate honor from religion or from conventional gender roles. The specifics of what honor entails vary for Christians and Muslims, but the basic concept is the same for both groups. An honorable Jordanian man supports his family, observes his religion, and protects the honor of the women in his family. An honorable Jordanian woman gets married, has many children, and remains chaste and modest.

The concept of honor is a perfect example of the links between Muslims and Christians in Jordan: both come from the same cultural heritage and carry the same basic cultural values, but the specific, personal meanings of those values differ for each group when connected to their different religions.