Country Profile: Jordan

By Duane Miller, PhD

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an almost-landlocked country in the Middle East sharing borders with Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabi and Israel. Jordan is roughly the size of Indiana, and its population is about 11.5 million—close to the population of Georgia. At least three quarters of the country is desert. The official religion of the government is Sunni Islam, comprising some 95% of the population. 

There is a small but ancient Christian minority of 2–4%. The largest denomination is the Jerusalemite Orthodox Church, though there are also Catholic and Protestant groups. It’s impossible to say for sure, but the oldest Protestant congregation in the country is probably Saint Paul’s Anglican Church in the Ashrafiyeh neighborhood of Amman, the capital city. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal. 

Parts of what is today Jordan are known in the Old Testament as Moab and Edom and Ammon and Midian. Indeed, the name of the city Amman may well come from the ancient tribal name Ammon. The Hebrews would have spent some of their 40 years wandering throughout this land. It is home to the exquisite Nabatean remains of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and named in 2007 as one of the “new seven wonders of the world”.

For many centuries Jordan was part of the province of Greater Syria in the Ottoman Empire, which was broken up after World War 1. This marked the independence of many of the countries in today’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA). (The book to read is A Peace to End all Peace by David Fromkin.) 

From 1921 to 1946 it was called the Emirate of Transjordan, led by an imported prince from Mecca. In 1946 Jordan gained independence from the British Mandate and Abdullah I was its monarch. In 1994 Jordan signed a peace agreement with Israel gaining generous patronage from the USA. King Abdullah II, born in 1962, has reigned since 1999. He claims to be 41st generation descendent of the founder of Islam. 

Jordan today has few natural resources but exports fertilizers, pharmaceutical products, textiles and apparel, and certain detergents and chemicals. But really, the main resource of Jordan is stability. Many ministries, denominations and companies have their regional center in the Kingdom and/or hold meetings and conferences there. 

The monarchy is characterized as friendly to the West and civil with Israel. The Kingdom tends to have a positive reputation in the USA and Europe. However, conversion for Jordanian Muslims to Christianity is strictly prohibited, meaning that the country does not in fact have genuine human rights. 

If you have a friend from Jordan here are some possible discussion topics:

  1. Why don’t you allow people to leave Islam for another religion, or for no religion?
  2. Why don’t you allow a Christian man to marry a Muslim woman?
  3. Tell me about Petra and the Nabateans.
  4. Tell me about the Christians there—I have read there have been Christians there since the 1stCentury.
  5. How can I pray for your country. (Of course, this is a great question for any country, including the USA.)