Berkley Center

In Jordan Islam is more than a religion; it’s an identity.

It is an identity that molds the images of Christians and Muslims alike in Jordan. The social norms that derive from Islam are reflected in the everyday lives of the people. For example, in attire. After living in Jordan for almost three months, I’ve adjusted my wardrobe to accommodate to the social standards for women. Modesty is an attribute that the Holy Qur’an praises and encourages all believers to adhere to. Sura 24 in the Qur’an (An-Nur 24.30-31) explains that both men and women should “guard their modesty and looks.” It explicitly states that women should “draw cover over their bodies and bosoms, and not display their beauty except to their husbands, or their fathers…”

As someone who enjoys following fashion trends and maintaining a sense of personal style, I faced very few challenges when adjusting my clothes to live in Jordan. On the one hand, there were days when the sun was blazing and the temperature reached well above 90 degrees; that made me want to slip into a pair of shorts and a tank top. However, the social standards of this society would have viewed that as taboo. Although I’m Christian, I dressed modestly out of respect for my environment. I actually found myself enjoying my new wardrobe, and I did not feel any discontent.

This phenomenon has influenced the way I view the role of Islam in society. In Jordan, Islam is the official religion with 98 percent of the population practicing Sunni Islam and the rest practicing Christianity. However, when one arrives in Amman, or any other city in Jordan, one would automatically assume everyone is Muslim. Attire is the most blatant example, however this idea can be observed in the daily interactions between people as well. For example, the language itself is heavily loaded with Islamic phrases like Inshallah (God willing), Al-Hamdullilah (Praises be to God), and As-salamu Alaykum (Peace be upon you). The usage of such phrases is not limited to just the Muslim population, but everyone incorporates these phrases into everyday interactions. This demonstrates the power of Islamic culture as a cultural tool of unification for all people in Jordan.

Last month, we celebrated the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha is considered the greater of the two Muslim holidays, equivalent in some ways to Christmas. Eid al-Adha honors the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ishmael (Ismail) as an act of submission to God's command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead. Furthermore, this holiday marks the end of the annual hajj to Mecca.

During Eid al-Adha, many Muslims sacrifice a sheep, cow, goat, or camel and give about one-third of the meat to friends and neighbors (both Muslim and Christian) and donate one-third or more to the poor. Everyone gathers together to eat and give gifts. My family from America (all Christian) came to visit me in Jordan during Eid al-Adha. During their visit, we celebrated the holiday by watching the sacrifice of the sheep and engaging with my Muslim host family and friends at dinner. We also exchanged gifts from Jordan and America (in the photo above my aunt and mother are wearing traditional clothes, a gift from my host mom, worn during Eid al-Adha). Similar to Christmas, Eid is a cultural holiday celebrated by many people regardless of religious orientation. The spirit of giving gifts and being with family and friends to celebrate is embedded in the holiday of Christmas, and it can be observed in Eid al-Adha in Jordan.

Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is both a religion and culture. In Jordan, the cultural role Islam plays in society demonstrates the ability for both Christians and Muslims to identify with a common culture. This is an important point because it challenges the status quo of Islam being incompatible with democracy. If Christians are able to live and assimilate into an Islamic culture with ease, why does it seem impossible for an ideology with a Christian foundation, democracy, to be accepted in an Islamic state?