This is the letter that I wrote after the bombings in Amman.
Hey Ya’ll,
How are things going in the US of A and around the world, wherever you may be stationed at this point in time ;o) This is a letter that I’ve been putting off writing, but here we go...
On Wed. November 9th at 9.30pm terrorists bombed the Radisson SAS, Hyatt Regency, and Days Inn. 57 people were killed and 100 were injured. The majority of the deaths came from a wedding party at the Radisson SAS, where a husband and wife wearing explosive belts walked into the party. Thankfully the wife’s belt did not detonate for whatever reason, so there were fewer deaths than what may have been. I do not know what stories you are receiving about this in America, and if it has even crossed your mind that I am here, because the Middle East is the Middle East and names blend together.
When the attack happened I was visiting Wadi Rum (the desert) and Petra (Indiana Jones movies), so I was very much removed from the scene (289 km). To many this isn’t much of a relief, since Jordan is still Jordan and distance melts when you really do not know what is going on with someone you care about.
Immediately we were informed of the attacks, and I suppose that is one of the aspects about this country that is more advanced than America, cell phones work literally everywhere. We (SIT) were in the Middle of the desert with nothing around for miles, but Bedouins, tents, camels, and lots of sand, but none the less we found out about the attack before many others in Jordan.
For me this strikes very close to home, because my host father owns the Amman Sheraton, and this very well could have happened in his hotel. As it is, one of the victims (and naturally the family that survives her) was a member of my family’s church that I attend. Lecturers have lost children, and in general Jordan as a whole has been affected in one way or another. While I may not be a citizen and I have only been here for 2 months, Jordan has become my home. This bombing is much closer to my heart than 9/11 or any of the other bombings, because it is personal, and I have no real connection to these other places or the people that inhabit them.
I have never been to the Days Inn or the Hyatt Regency, but the first day I met my family I attended a wedding at the Radisson SAS and went through the exact same motions as the wedding that ended in tragedy. I can see the men that park the cars, the tourists watching the jubilation in a state of awe, the waiters that diligently waited on the wealthy, and the beautifully decorated banquet hall that was destroyed. It was my first real Middle Eastern experience, and before any of this happened it was a vibrant memory, but now it has taken on a different tone that resounds with sadness.
Both the fathers of the bride and groom died in the blast, as well as one of their mothers. The groom spent days in the hospital, and entire families were destroyed, only leaving one or two members surviving, several of them lonely children - Bodies were carried out in luggage racks, guests treated other guests as best they could. In general the images that have emerged make every day seem a little different after viewing them; at times more precious and others a place where forks and spoons can become instruments of death to the unsuspecting.
The following day there were rallies and peaceful demonstrations throughout Amman; Friday Palestine showed their support for their sister land and held their own. Iran, Palestine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other neighboring countries immediately issued statements of support and condemnation of the act. I have not heard of Syria and Iraq, but anything is open for them, and really I think immediate support would be surprising to people here from either of them. I am getting pictures of the rallies that a friend took and I will send those along soon. I wanted to view these occasions myself and show my support, but it just wasn’t a safe place for women in general and an American woman in particular.
The country was given Thursday off from school and government workers (Friday and Saturday are the weekend here; Sunday was King Hussein’s BDay, so everyone was already scheduled off for that), so families stayed close to home and dealt with their wounds in a very Middle Eastern fashion. Family and loved ones are really the most important thing here and everything revolves around them, everything. People returned to their family land or home, visited grandparents, aunts and uncles, and regained strength from their support. Other than rallies, religious gatherings, it really felt like the world had slowed to a near crawl. It was the first time since I’ve been here that I saw the very basic grocery stores, pharmacies, and stationary stores closed. Even during the Muslim holy days of Ramadan and Eid these stores were open for different periods of time.
Overall, things were just dealt with differently here. Today marks a week and the country is for the most part back to its normal working order. It is not that Arabs are cold and feel things less than Americans, because from what I have experienced, almost everything is tied to some strong emotion. It is just that they do not allow their emotions to carry them into a frenzy and they have already experienced so much heartache that anything else that happens in their lifetimes (or within easy remembrance, which a long time in this part of the world) is almost too deep to invoke tears and raw emotion.
There was an initial fear of nationalism going too far and people turning against the Iraqi refugees in the country. That has died down, and was only an initial response. The circles that direct the cities traffic are covered in flags, banners, and signs announcing Jordan’s unity. The bride of peace has become the symbol of the city, and she is being constantly contrasted with the female bomber.
Yes, I can honestly say that Amman is safe. Amman was always safe, just as America is safe...Actually; I have felt much safer here than I have usually felt within the States. Al Qaeda can strike anywhere, and no one’s security is going to completely stop them. Jordan has one of the best secret services in the world and they have found out every large scale attack that has been set against the country. Al Qaeda resorted to methods that were harder (near impossible) to trace in their simplicity. They have never targeted individual civilians (that is the work of the Syrian extremists), and go for things that will cause the world to look at them. In that aspect in makes me cringe to see Zarkarwi’s (Sorry don’t know how to spell it in English) name condemned on banners, because that in itself is acknowledging him and he must love the thought of his name being all over his homeland’s capital *sigh*
There might not be anything to be afraid of, but it is scary to see the once peaceful city on full alert. Before it was rare to see police officers, except for guiding traffic and responding to calls and the military guarded the embassies, palaces, etc, but now they are everywhere. When we first pulled into Amman from our trip there was a HUGE tank guarding the front of the American Embassy, and even though it is gone now, there is extra security everywhere. It is scary in a way that is useless, because there is nothing to be afraid of, but it is like watching something you love bristling in fear and your heart breaks for it, longing to calm the fears, but knowing you can’t.
Thinking about my safety, I have literally never felt threatened here and I know that if someone did try to hurt me I would just have to scream and there would be all kinds of men coming to help. It is haram (sin, shame) to hurt a woman in the streets, especially a stranger. I have been pinched a couple of times, but all it took was a look of disgust on my part to make them feel small, and to remind them that I am like their sister. Now, that would be haram!!
The biggest thing to fear here is the natural issues that can not be helped. Insects that cause illness, lack of water, or dirty water – All things related to poverty and developing nations. While Jordan may receive more money than the majority of other countries in the world from Aid and Relief organizations, there is a disparity that is disgusting, and of course the rich keep profiting from the game.
Ok, I want to leave you with a few paragraphs from the Jordan Times:
What We’re Made Of 11.11.05
A mix of shock, outrage and grief pervades minds and hearts as we try to pick up the pieces of so many shattered lives and come to terms with the cowardly brutality that took away so many loved ones on Wednesday night.
It is the deepest and most painful wound to have ever been inflicted on this nation. But we will recover, stronger in our resolve to defend our way of life, protect our security and stability, fight for the values and principles we all share as Jordanians – East and West Bankers, Muslims and Christians, Bedouins, Circassians, Chechens, Armenians.
We were attacked because of what Jordan stands for, because of what it represents in this region and beyond: A model of stability and security in a constantly turbulent area, an example of moderation and tolerance amidst bloody wars and religious and ethnic tensions, a success story of modernization in a gravely underdeveloped region.
Terrorists hit Jordan because it embodies what they despise the most; Peace. They hit us because we are the champions of the true Islam of tolerance, dignity, respect for human life and understanding of the other.
They hit us because we have always been at the forefront in the fight against terrorism, long before September 11, long before the “war on terror: became as integral part of US policy, long before Washington and all other Western capitals had ever even heard of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
The response of the state to the heinous crimes of Wednesday night is swift and firm. As His Majesty King Abdullah vowed immediately after the blasts, those responsible will be brought to justice.
We take pride in our unrivalled security services and our highly professional law enforcement agencies; they have won countless battles and will win this one too.
We also take pride in the exemplary response of the Jordanian people, in the dignity they show as they bury their dead, in the resolve with which they stand united in the face of terror, hatred and violence.
By early Thursday morning, some had already draped windows and balconies with Jordanian flags. Others had hoisted the country’s banner on their cars. Most companies regularly opened for business, reflecting the determination to go on with the productive and peaceful lives of which terrorists tried to deprive us. Families went about their usual business, renewing their trust in the security forces and their allegiance to the principles this country represents.
This is how we respond to those who try to take from us what we hold dearest: By upholding it more strongly and firmly than ever.
That is the best description of Jordanian emotion I think exists in English. Very well stated – Anywho that is my life right now. Tomorrow is the last day of classes for me and then I start on my Independent Study Project. Hopefully I will be moving to Jabal Amman into an apartment that a fellow student and myself found. We are still waiting to hear back from the owner who was in Lebanon. It will be awesome to be so close to the city center and to be able to better observe the life of the city. I live so far out in the suburbs now it is a bit difficult at times to get anywhere without spending a lot on taxis (relatively speaking). More will follow as life continues, but I will be home in almost exactly a month, so hopefully there will be time to catch up with people before the semester begins.
Lotsa Luv from Amman
–Danie
داني
17 March 2006
16 March 2006
First
I found my old typed letters that I sent to a professor during my stay in Jordan. Here is my first...
September 2005
The first sight when you walk into the SIT – Study Abroad office is this awesome Turkish rug in muted earth tones. It is not Islamic, with the classic tower pointing towards Mecca, but rather a tribal design, and made of durable cotton. The first few days it was mentioned in passing as a thing of beauty and something that every student would enjoy returning home with in December. As the days passed a white tag began to slowly emerge from beneath the carpet, and eventually the name, “Pier One Imports” was visible for all to see.
That “Turkish” rug reminds me a great deal of this place. On the outside something might look oriental, but eventually the tag appears and shows it is a Western representation of the real thing. Of course the opposite is true as well; something can very well appear Western and be an Eastern imitation. In saying, nothing is as it appears. Nothing is especially what an American can imagine that has never been outside of the Western world. In thinking about this I think that perhaps the Middle East is the most poorly represented area of our time. If you search you can find, maybe not easily, but you can find information that examines the real state of a nation from a citizen’s perspective on just about anywhere in the world; books, movies, etc can be found on any subject, except for when it comes to the Middle East. Excuse me, I forgot – Terrorism and Palestine, no, let me correct myself Israel produce countless works, very often from people who have never stepped foot in the Middle East or read the entire Koran – Once again, like the rug, appearing to be real, but in fact an imitation.
So after all of that I bet you are wondering what does exist in the Middle East? A world of beauty, mystique, virtue, religion, passion…Should I go on? Or should I stop and give you time to challenge your perceptions? Honestly, when I arrived here I didn’t know what to expect. I had spent the entire summer reading the Jordan Times (www.jordantimes.com), but what did it tell me besides what the government was up to and how the educated people who wrote for the paper felt about it? Usually, the statements of critique towards the government were based on foreign policy (sound familiar) and the government spending too much time worrying about what the rest of the world thinks, and not the common Jordanian. Basically, I stepped unknowingly into a world that was totally different than anything I’ve ever socially known.
Let me tell you about today, which is pretty normal in my run of days: I woke up at 6am, hurriedly dressed and went downstairs for Turkish coffee and cake with my host parents and little sister. I made lunch to take with me to class and then I was out the door by 7am with Baba (dad) and Merna, my little sis. At 7.15 I am dropped off at the Abdoun exit and from there I take a taxi to my school, and I have to speak to the taxi driver completely in Arabic, because he (it is always a he) 90% of the time doesn’t speak English. I didn’t know Arabic before 3 weeks ago, so some days are better than others, and some days I can’t remember anything to say. I am at my school by 7.30 and then I wait for Jumanna, one of my Arabic teachers, to arrive and unlock the door because I am always the first person there. Jumanna and I talk until class begins at 8.30 when we have Arabic until noon. After lunch there is a lecture by a prominent Jordanian and then we are free for the rest of the day. Today I took a taxi from school to the little stores around my house in Khalda and bought a few school supplies before I went home. When I get home there will be another “real” lunch waiting for me, and then I am free to either take a nap (which almost every Jordanian does in the afternoon) or study. The evenings are studying, coffee time, dinner, tea time, and more studying. Sometimes I go out to the internet café and other times the mall, Swofeah to shop, or the park, but my family gets upset when I am home late, so I tend to come home as early as possible.
My family is Greek Orthodox Christian and fairly strict with me, as they accept me as one of their daughters and I have basically the same rules as they do.
I’ve been lucky and not gotten sick *knock on wood* since I’ve been here, but other people have gotten stomach viruses or similar illnesses and had to go to the hospital. The biggest worry here is dehydration, because you can do next to nothing and still dehydrate and you never even knew it was happening. Example of the dryness here is with road kill, back home it disintegrates pretty fast because of all the humidity that is in the air, but here things tend to mummify instead…There is a dead cat on the edge of the road by my house that has looked exactly the same since the moment I have arrived 3 weeks ago. It is that hot and dry. My biggest health issue has been the mosquitoes. I am apparently having an allergic reaction to them and swelling into these huge hives from the bites. They are small to the point that they are nearly invisible, but they leave welts that are killer.
September 2005
The first sight when you walk into the SIT – Study Abroad office is this awesome Turkish rug in muted earth tones. It is not Islamic, with the classic tower pointing towards Mecca, but rather a tribal design, and made of durable cotton. The first few days it was mentioned in passing as a thing of beauty and something that every student would enjoy returning home with in December. As the days passed a white tag began to slowly emerge from beneath the carpet, and eventually the name, “Pier One Imports” was visible for all to see.
That “Turkish” rug reminds me a great deal of this place. On the outside something might look oriental, but eventually the tag appears and shows it is a Western representation of the real thing. Of course the opposite is true as well; something can very well appear Western and be an Eastern imitation. In saying, nothing is as it appears. Nothing is especially what an American can imagine that has never been outside of the Western world. In thinking about this I think that perhaps the Middle East is the most poorly represented area of our time. If you search you can find, maybe not easily, but you can find information that examines the real state of a nation from a citizen’s perspective on just about anywhere in the world; books, movies, etc can be found on any subject, except for when it comes to the Middle East. Excuse me, I forgot – Terrorism and Palestine, no, let me correct myself Israel produce countless works, very often from people who have never stepped foot in the Middle East or read the entire Koran – Once again, like the rug, appearing to be real, but in fact an imitation.
So after all of that I bet you are wondering what does exist in the Middle East? A world of beauty, mystique, virtue, religion, passion…Should I go on? Or should I stop and give you time to challenge your perceptions? Honestly, when I arrived here I didn’t know what to expect. I had spent the entire summer reading the Jordan Times (www.jordantimes.com), but what did it tell me besides what the government was up to and how the educated people who wrote for the paper felt about it? Usually, the statements of critique towards the government were based on foreign policy (sound familiar) and the government spending too much time worrying about what the rest of the world thinks, and not the common Jordanian. Basically, I stepped unknowingly into a world that was totally different than anything I’ve ever socially known.
Let me tell you about today, which is pretty normal in my run of days: I woke up at 6am, hurriedly dressed and went downstairs for Turkish coffee and cake with my host parents and little sister. I made lunch to take with me to class and then I was out the door by 7am with Baba (dad) and Merna, my little sis. At 7.15 I am dropped off at the Abdoun exit and from there I take a taxi to my school, and I have to speak to the taxi driver completely in Arabic, because he (it is always a he) 90% of the time doesn’t speak English. I didn’t know Arabic before 3 weeks ago, so some days are better than others, and some days I can’t remember anything to say. I am at my school by 7.30 and then I wait for Jumanna, one of my Arabic teachers, to arrive and unlock the door because I am always the first person there. Jumanna and I talk until class begins at 8.30 when we have Arabic until noon. After lunch there is a lecture by a prominent Jordanian and then we are free for the rest of the day. Today I took a taxi from school to the little stores around my house in Khalda and bought a few school supplies before I went home. When I get home there will be another “real” lunch waiting for me, and then I am free to either take a nap (which almost every Jordanian does in the afternoon) or study. The evenings are studying, coffee time, dinner, tea time, and more studying. Sometimes I go out to the internet café and other times the mall, Swofeah to shop, or the park, but my family gets upset when I am home late, so I tend to come home as early as possible.
My family is Greek Orthodox Christian and fairly strict with me, as they accept me as one of their daughters and I have basically the same rules as they do.
I’ve been lucky and not gotten sick *knock on wood* since I’ve been here, but other people have gotten stomach viruses or similar illnesses and had to go to the hospital. The biggest worry here is dehydration, because you can do next to nothing and still dehydrate and you never even knew it was happening. Example of the dryness here is with road kill, back home it disintegrates pretty fast because of all the humidity that is in the air, but here things tend to mummify instead…There is a dead cat on the edge of the road by my house that has looked exactly the same since the moment I have arrived 3 weeks ago. It is that hot and dry. My biggest health issue has been the mosquitoes. I am apparently having an allergic reaction to them and swelling into these huge hives from the bites. They are small to the point that they are nearly invisible, but they leave welts that are killer.
30 January 2006
Key extracts: Saddam court tirade
[Saddam denounces the court as being run by Americans and says he and his seven co-defendants will reject any lawyers appointed by the court.]
Saddam Hussein: "Anyone appointed by you we reject them. This is my right, to give up my right to an attorney. [pointing at the court appointed lawyers] If you stay here you are evil people. This is my right, don't force me."
Judge Rahman: "I am not forcing you."
Saddam Hussein: "I respect you as an Iraqi, unless you have given up your Iraqi nationality."
Saddam Hussein: "I want to leave the court."
Judge Rahman: "You do not leave, I allow you to leave when I want to."
[Judge Rahman orders him to leave]
Saddam Hussein: "You are an Iraqi, you cannot order me like that. I led you for 35 years."
Judge Rahman: "I have practised law for the last 35 years. I am the judge and you are the defendant, you have to obey me."
Saddam Hussein: "I understand my rights and the rights of the others. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty, that's what we learned in the law while we were students."
Saddam Hussein: "Down with traitors! Down with America!"
[Saddam is led from the court]
Saddam Hussein: "Anyone appointed by you we reject them. This is my right, to give up my right to an attorney. [pointing at the court appointed lawyers] If you stay here you are evil people. This is my right, don't force me."
Judge Rahman: "I am not forcing you."
Saddam Hussein: "I respect you as an Iraqi, unless you have given up your Iraqi nationality."
Saddam Hussein: "I want to leave the court."
Judge Rahman: "You do not leave, I allow you to leave when I want to."
[Judge Rahman orders him to leave]
Saddam Hussein: "You are an Iraqi, you cannot order me like that. I led you for 35 years."
Judge Rahman: "I have practised law for the last 35 years. I am the judge and you are the defendant, you have to obey me."
Saddam Hussein: "I understand my rights and the rights of the others. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty, that's what we learned in the law while we were students."
Saddam Hussein: "Down with traitors! Down with America!"
[Saddam is led from the court]
Jordan Times
Women bear brunt of poverty in post-invasion Iraq
By Ahmad Fadam and Nafia Abdul Jabbar
Agence France-Presse
BAGHDAD — Umm Ziyad, her husband, two sons and granddaughter were just making ends meet in a one-room hovel in Baghdad when a suicide bomber decided the best way to attack a police station was to drive through the carwash where her husband worked.
“We didn't used to need anyone. He worked and we could make do, but now it's obvious that we are in need,” said the widow, swathed in black and looking much older than her 46 years.
But one year after she applied for government assistance, she has heard nothing and her eldest son, Ziyad, has dropped out of high school to support the family with occasional work.
Poverty has exploded across Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion.
A recent study by the United Nations Development Programme and International Monetary Fund shows that 20 per cent of the population has fallen below the international poverty line $1 per day a person.
The numbers of families registering for assistance with the labour and social affairs ministry has more than tripled since the war to 171,000 and even that, according to Leila Kazem, a director general at the ministry, is a “drop in the ocean.”
“After the war, a new dangerous issue arose in Iraqi society — poverty, which is clear to everyone,” she said, blaming unemployment and violence which has been killing off the main bread-winners, something “which is happening every hour of every day.”
The families, however, do not receive any special treatment at the ministry. “We don't have a separate category for victims of terrorism, we just talk about needy families,” she said.
Violence is hitting families, already weakened by decades of war and international sanctions under the regime of Saddam Hussein, who were just surviving and now have lost their sole means of income.
“We were afraid a war would come and then it happened and our father is gone now,” Umm Ziyad said, referring to her husband.
As she tells her story, the electricity cuts out and her other son Ali, who is still in school, steps out into the twilight to finish his homework.
The family, which lives in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Qahira, is being helped by Umm Murad, who works with the social programmes of the Iraqi Turkmen Front.
“I know over 80 families in a perilous economic state and I am helping about 20 of them,” she told AFP.
“You can see them for yourself, any place you go just ask, there are hundreds of them — no one knows the exact number... Most families who have six sons maybe only one or two are working, usually as policeman or soldiers.”
She promised to help Umm Ziyad negotiate the massive lines of applicants at the swamped labour ministry where hundreds try to register for assistance and suggests she feigns an injury to get additional money.
Female heads of household under a certain age receive limited assistance if they are deemed able-bodied enough to work.
For many willing to go out to work, there is simply no job.
“I tried after my husband was gone to be the father and the mother at the same time for my children,” said Atiyaf Mohammed, who lost her husband when he was caught in crossfire between insurgents and US soldiers.
“I graduated from the faculty of chemistry, so I went to the education ministry, knowing there are job opportunities,” said the mother of four, who graduated in 1994.
At 30, there are still hints of the beautiful, young university graduate with flowing brown hair whose picture is pinned in the living room of the crumbling house where she lives with her husband's parents in the Sunni neighbourhood of Adhamiya.
“They said, `where have you been for the last 10 years' and they didn't give me a job,” she said, her dark eyes flashing with anger. “Now I am on the same level as the ignorant and uneducated.”
“The Iraqi government is taking care neither of the Iraqi people, nor of the orphans, widows or elderly,” she charged.
Mohammed has survived so far by cobbling together donations from various social and religious charitable institutions and scoffs at the low level of government assistance.
“What's the good of 50,000 dinars [$35] every three months from the social affairs ministry, it's not enough,” she said.
The ministry acknowledges that the level of assistance, which it says is more like 50,000 dinars a month, is insufficient and a new law will raise the monthly family assistance to between 70,000 and 120,000 dinars ($50 to $85) depending on family size.
Friday-Saturday, January 27-28, 2006
By Ahmad Fadam and Nafia Abdul Jabbar
Agence France-Presse
BAGHDAD — Umm Ziyad, her husband, two sons and granddaughter were just making ends meet in a one-room hovel in Baghdad when a suicide bomber decided the best way to attack a police station was to drive through the carwash where her husband worked.
“We didn't used to need anyone. He worked and we could make do, but now it's obvious that we are in need,” said the widow, swathed in black and looking much older than her 46 years.
But one year after she applied for government assistance, she has heard nothing and her eldest son, Ziyad, has dropped out of high school to support the family with occasional work.
Poverty has exploded across Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion.
A recent study by the United Nations Development Programme and International Monetary Fund shows that 20 per cent of the population has fallen below the international poverty line $1 per day a person.
The numbers of families registering for assistance with the labour and social affairs ministry has more than tripled since the war to 171,000 and even that, according to Leila Kazem, a director general at the ministry, is a “drop in the ocean.”
“After the war, a new dangerous issue arose in Iraqi society — poverty, which is clear to everyone,” she said, blaming unemployment and violence which has been killing off the main bread-winners, something “which is happening every hour of every day.”
The families, however, do not receive any special treatment at the ministry. “We don't have a separate category for victims of terrorism, we just talk about needy families,” she said.
Violence is hitting families, already weakened by decades of war and international sanctions under the regime of Saddam Hussein, who were just surviving and now have lost their sole means of income.
“We were afraid a war would come and then it happened and our father is gone now,” Umm Ziyad said, referring to her husband.
As she tells her story, the electricity cuts out and her other son Ali, who is still in school, steps out into the twilight to finish his homework.
The family, which lives in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Qahira, is being helped by Umm Murad, who works with the social programmes of the Iraqi Turkmen Front.
“I know over 80 families in a perilous economic state and I am helping about 20 of them,” she told AFP.
“You can see them for yourself, any place you go just ask, there are hundreds of them — no one knows the exact number... Most families who have six sons maybe only one or two are working, usually as policeman or soldiers.”
She promised to help Umm Ziyad negotiate the massive lines of applicants at the swamped labour ministry where hundreds try to register for assistance and suggests she feigns an injury to get additional money.
Female heads of household under a certain age receive limited assistance if they are deemed able-bodied enough to work.
For many willing to go out to work, there is simply no job.
“I tried after my husband was gone to be the father and the mother at the same time for my children,” said Atiyaf Mohammed, who lost her husband when he was caught in crossfire between insurgents and US soldiers.
“I graduated from the faculty of chemistry, so I went to the education ministry, knowing there are job opportunities,” said the mother of four, who graduated in 1994.
At 30, there are still hints of the beautiful, young university graduate with flowing brown hair whose picture is pinned in the living room of the crumbling house where she lives with her husband's parents in the Sunni neighbourhood of Adhamiya.
“They said, `where have you been for the last 10 years' and they didn't give me a job,” she said, her dark eyes flashing with anger. “Now I am on the same level as the ignorant and uneducated.”
“The Iraqi government is taking care neither of the Iraqi people, nor of the orphans, widows or elderly,” she charged.
Mohammed has survived so far by cobbling together donations from various social and religious charitable institutions and scoffs at the low level of government assistance.
“What's the good of 50,000 dinars [$35] every three months from the social affairs ministry, it's not enough,” she said.
The ministry acknowledges that the level of assistance, which it says is more like 50,000 dinars a month, is insufficient and a new law will raise the monthly family assistance to between 70,000 and 120,000 dinars ($50 to $85) depending on family size.
Friday-Saturday, January 27-28, 2006
28 January 2006
I Am Sullied
December 6, 2005
"I Am Sullied"
Suicide Before Dishonor in Occupied Iraq
By GARY LEUPP
I cannot support a mission that leads to corruption, human rights abuse, and liars. I am sullied. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored. Death before being dishonored any more.
Having written a last note, and placed it by his bed in his trailer on a U.S. military base near Baghdad, on the afternoon of June 5, 2005 Colonel Ted S. Westhusing put his 9-mm. service pistol to his head and blew his brains out. He was 44, survived by a wife and three young children.
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Quite a number of U.S. troops have committed suicide in Iraq, or upon return home. According to the Washington Times, 24 soldiers' deaths in Iraq were ruled suicides in 2003, nine in 2004. But the Washington Post reports that "Thirty-one Marines committed suicide in 2004, all of them enlisted men, not commissioned officers. The majority were younger than 25 and took their lives with gunshot wounds, according to Marine statistics."
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How many committed suicide in Iraq it does not say. But war experience is surely linked to the incidence of suicides by veterans who bring the war back with them. Between March 2004 and August 2005 three Special Forces Iraq veterans took their lives after their homecomings.There were a rash of reports about this issue in late 2003-early 2004, but it tapered off and I find no cumulative 2005 statistics about military suicides on line.
In any case. the level has caused official concern and consternation.
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According to the Post (Feb. 25, 2005):
Military psychiatrists are puzzled by the suicide rate in Iraq, saying that it makes little sense in comparison with those in past conflicts. The accepted wisdom in military psychiatry is that the level of suicides--- far from increasing during wars --- drops as the survival instinct kicks in among the personnel in the conflict zone. Just two suicides were recorded among US personnel during the entire Gulf war in the Nineties. What is also unusual about the rate in Iraq, in comparison with Vietnam, Korea and the Second World War, is that everyone serving in the all-volunteer forces has already been screened for their psychological suitability. They have also been briefed on combat stress and trained to counter any suicidal feelings, following a rash of military suicides which embarrassed the Pentagon in the late Nineties.
Puzzling indeed, then, that an officer pretty much removed from the combat zone, an enthusiastic career man and devout Catholic, would off himself as he apparently did last June.
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Or maybe not so puzzling. What's special about this case is that Westhusing was a specialist on ethics, a West Point graduate who had taken seriously its code that "a cadet will not lie, cheat or steal - or tolerate those who do," who had received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University for a dissertation on the meaning of honor, and returned to West Point to teach philosophy and English. He didn't kill himself because of battle stress or feelings of guilt following his role in a specific firefight. Looks like he put a bullet through his head because he felt the mission itself-the war---was dishonorable.
I don't mean to idealize him. Anyone receiving special forces training, serving in Honduras in the 1980s, and becoming a division operations officer for the 82nd Airborne, based at Ft. Bragg, N.C., has to have some major ethical baggage as far as I'm concerned. I think he should have realized before volunteering for duty in Iraq in the fall of 2004 that the mission involved corruption, human rights abuses and lying. On the other hand one must admire his capacity for moral indignation once he saw for himself what was going on.
Â
Westhusing's assignment in Iraq was to oversee the Virginia-based USIS, a contracted security company paid $79 million to train Iraqi police in special operations. He became aware of charges that USIS had cheated on its contract, providing fewer trainers than agreed upon to enhance its profit margin. It had, he was informed, covered up the killings of two Iraqi civilians and the illegal involvement of USIS personnel in the assault on Fallujah. He reported these charges, but felt troubled both by his friendly relations with the USIS management (although he wrote to his family that he "disliked" them and felt "they were paid too much money by the government") and the failure of investigators to find fault with them.
Â
T. Christian Miller, who has researched this story for the Los Angeles Times, and has had access to Westhusing's emails to his family, described the officer's mindset at the time of his death to NPR:
What worries him most, clearly, is his feeling that profit has overtaken military values like duty honor and county in Iraq. In the final note he leaves in these emails home and these conversations with his friends, he talks about "I didn't come here to be surrounded by greedy contractors. I didn't come her to be a part of a mission that's being corrupted by concerns of money." Things like that.
Miller adds:
For me in some ways it becomes a metaphor for the way that the Iraq War has been fought, which is to outsource a lot of what's been done to private companies so that rather than having idealistic soldiers or young bureaucrats or whatever doing the work in Iraq, you have people doing them for motives that aren't altruistic and pure but for the bottom line.
That is to say, the colonel was just too pure to deal with this corrupt corporate world.
Â
In his LA Times piece Miller cites a military psychologist, Lt. Col. Lisa Breitenbach, who avers in Miller's paraphrase that "Westhusing had placed too much pressure on himself to succeed and that he was unusually rigid in his thinking. Westhusing struggled with the idea that monetary values could outweigh moral ones in war." He quotes her directly: "Despite his intelligence, his ability to grasp the idea that profit is an important goal for people working in the private sector was surprisingly limited. He could not shift his mind-set from the military notion of completing a mission irrespective of cost, nor could he change his belief that doing the right thing because it was the right thing to do should be the sole motivator for businesses."
Â
In other words, in the military shrink's best judgment, the deceased ought to have flexibly accepted the fact that "doing the right thing" should not be the sole motivator for business! He should not have been so bummed about the corporate corruption, abuses and lies that flourish so much in today's Iraq. He shouldn't have taken the academy code so seriously or had such a limited grasp of the importance of profit to the private sector in liberated Iraq. Surely that slipping grasp explains the psychological instability that led him---"despite his intelligence"---to take his life.
Â
Such explanations take the puzzling and pathologize it. But that seems unfair to the deceased. In his dissertation, Westhusing writes he was "born to be a warrior" which makes me think of the Japanese samurai whom I've studied in some detail. In Japanese martial society, up until the nineteenth century anyway, those born to be warriors maintained a long tradition of honorable suicide. A samurai would take his destiny into his hands and slit his belly for various reasons: to avoid capture, to follow his lord in death, to force an erring superior to reflect and change his ways. Samurai who had committed all but the most egregious crimes were allowed to honorably disembowel themselves rather than face the executioner's axe, crucifixion or other vulgar punishments. Or the samurai shuffled off this mortal coil, usually unbidden, to wipe out a defiling stain on his (or her, there being female samurai) honor. There was nothing nuts about it; it was perfectly rational. When one couldn't go on with honor, one honorably dispatched oneself, buoyed into the beyond by the belief that one's progeny would understand and take pride in the purification.
Â
"I am sullied. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored. Death before being dishonored any more."
Â
Warrior and scholar, tenured professor, loving husband and father, too honorable a man to carry on in his defiling assignment. Maybe not despite his intelligence, as Breitenbach suggests, but because of it.
Â
May I suggest we honor Col. Westhusing by redoubling our efforts to oppose the lying, cheating and stealing which is the Iraq War? And support the honorable troops dishonorably dispatched to Iraq by urging them to refuse to kill on behalf of that private sector whose morality he came to doubt? And hope that they'll live, looking forward to another world which is really possible---in which profit doesn't overtake duty and honor?
Â
Gary Leupp is Professor of History at Tufts University, and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion. He is the author of Servants, Shophands and Laborers in in the Cities of Tokugawa Japan; Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan; and Interracial Intimacy in Japan: Western Men and Japanese Women, 1543-1900. He is also a contributor to CounterPunch's merciless chronicle of the wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia, Imperial Crusades.
Â
He can be reached at: gleupp@granite.tufts.edu
Â
Source: www.counterpunch.org
"I Am Sullied"
Suicide Before Dishonor in Occupied Iraq
By GARY LEUPP
I cannot support a mission that leads to corruption, human rights abuse, and liars. I am sullied. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored. Death before being dishonored any more.
Having written a last note, and placed it by his bed in his trailer on a U.S. military base near Baghdad, on the afternoon of June 5, 2005 Colonel Ted S. Westhusing put his 9-mm. service pistol to his head and blew his brains out. He was 44, survived by a wife and three young children.
Â
Quite a number of U.S. troops have committed suicide in Iraq, or upon return home. According to the Washington Times, 24 soldiers' deaths in Iraq were ruled suicides in 2003, nine in 2004. But the Washington Post reports that "Thirty-one Marines committed suicide in 2004, all of them enlisted men, not commissioned officers. The majority were younger than 25 and took their lives with gunshot wounds, according to Marine statistics."
Â
How many committed suicide in Iraq it does not say. But war experience is surely linked to the incidence of suicides by veterans who bring the war back with them. Between March 2004 and August 2005 three Special Forces Iraq veterans took their lives after their homecomings.There were a rash of reports about this issue in late 2003-early 2004, but it tapered off and I find no cumulative 2005 statistics about military suicides on line.
In any case. the level has caused official concern and consternation.
Â
According to the Post (Feb. 25, 2005):
Military psychiatrists are puzzled by the suicide rate in Iraq, saying that it makes little sense in comparison with those in past conflicts. The accepted wisdom in military psychiatry is that the level of suicides--- far from increasing during wars --- drops as the survival instinct kicks in among the personnel in the conflict zone. Just two suicides were recorded among US personnel during the entire Gulf war in the Nineties. What is also unusual about the rate in Iraq, in comparison with Vietnam, Korea and the Second World War, is that everyone serving in the all-volunteer forces has already been screened for their psychological suitability. They have also been briefed on combat stress and trained to counter any suicidal feelings, following a rash of military suicides which embarrassed the Pentagon in the late Nineties.
Puzzling indeed, then, that an officer pretty much removed from the combat zone, an enthusiastic career man and devout Catholic, would off himself as he apparently did last June.
Â
Or maybe not so puzzling. What's special about this case is that Westhusing was a specialist on ethics, a West Point graduate who had taken seriously its code that "a cadet will not lie, cheat or steal - or tolerate those who do," who had received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University for a dissertation on the meaning of honor, and returned to West Point to teach philosophy and English. He didn't kill himself because of battle stress or feelings of guilt following his role in a specific firefight. Looks like he put a bullet through his head because he felt the mission itself-the war---was dishonorable.
I don't mean to idealize him. Anyone receiving special forces training, serving in Honduras in the 1980s, and becoming a division operations officer for the 82nd Airborne, based at Ft. Bragg, N.C., has to have some major ethical baggage as far as I'm concerned. I think he should have realized before volunteering for duty in Iraq in the fall of 2004 that the mission involved corruption, human rights abuses and lying. On the other hand one must admire his capacity for moral indignation once he saw for himself what was going on.
Â
Westhusing's assignment in Iraq was to oversee the Virginia-based USIS, a contracted security company paid $79 million to train Iraqi police in special operations. He became aware of charges that USIS had cheated on its contract, providing fewer trainers than agreed upon to enhance its profit margin. It had, he was informed, covered up the killings of two Iraqi civilians and the illegal involvement of USIS personnel in the assault on Fallujah. He reported these charges, but felt troubled both by his friendly relations with the USIS management (although he wrote to his family that he "disliked" them and felt "they were paid too much money by the government") and the failure of investigators to find fault with them.
Â
T. Christian Miller, who has researched this story for the Los Angeles Times, and has had access to Westhusing's emails to his family, described the officer's mindset at the time of his death to NPR:
What worries him most, clearly, is his feeling that profit has overtaken military values like duty honor and county in Iraq. In the final note he leaves in these emails home and these conversations with his friends, he talks about "I didn't come here to be surrounded by greedy contractors. I didn't come her to be a part of a mission that's being corrupted by concerns of money." Things like that.
Miller adds:
For me in some ways it becomes a metaphor for the way that the Iraq War has been fought, which is to outsource a lot of what's been done to private companies so that rather than having idealistic soldiers or young bureaucrats or whatever doing the work in Iraq, you have people doing them for motives that aren't altruistic and pure but for the bottom line.
That is to say, the colonel was just too pure to deal with this corrupt corporate world.
Â
In his LA Times piece Miller cites a military psychologist, Lt. Col. Lisa Breitenbach, who avers in Miller's paraphrase that "Westhusing had placed too much pressure on himself to succeed and that he was unusually rigid in his thinking. Westhusing struggled with the idea that monetary values could outweigh moral ones in war." He quotes her directly: "Despite his intelligence, his ability to grasp the idea that profit is an important goal for people working in the private sector was surprisingly limited. He could not shift his mind-set from the military notion of completing a mission irrespective of cost, nor could he change his belief that doing the right thing because it was the right thing to do should be the sole motivator for businesses."
Â
In other words, in the military shrink's best judgment, the deceased ought to have flexibly accepted the fact that "doing the right thing" should not be the sole motivator for business! He should not have been so bummed about the corporate corruption, abuses and lies that flourish so much in today's Iraq. He shouldn't have taken the academy code so seriously or had such a limited grasp of the importance of profit to the private sector in liberated Iraq. Surely that slipping grasp explains the psychological instability that led him---"despite his intelligence"---to take his life.
Â
Such explanations take the puzzling and pathologize it. But that seems unfair to the deceased. In his dissertation, Westhusing writes he was "born to be a warrior" which makes me think of the Japanese samurai whom I've studied in some detail. In Japanese martial society, up until the nineteenth century anyway, those born to be warriors maintained a long tradition of honorable suicide. A samurai would take his destiny into his hands and slit his belly for various reasons: to avoid capture, to follow his lord in death, to force an erring superior to reflect and change his ways. Samurai who had committed all but the most egregious crimes were allowed to honorably disembowel themselves rather than face the executioner's axe, crucifixion or other vulgar punishments. Or the samurai shuffled off this mortal coil, usually unbidden, to wipe out a defiling stain on his (or her, there being female samurai) honor. There was nothing nuts about it; it was perfectly rational. When one couldn't go on with honor, one honorably dispatched oneself, buoyed into the beyond by the belief that one's progeny would understand and take pride in the purification.
Â
"I am sullied. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored. Death before being dishonored any more."
Â
Warrior and scholar, tenured professor, loving husband and father, too honorable a man to carry on in his defiling assignment. Maybe not despite his intelligence, as Breitenbach suggests, but because of it.
Â
May I suggest we honor Col. Westhusing by redoubling our efforts to oppose the lying, cheating and stealing which is the Iraq War? And support the honorable troops dishonorably dispatched to Iraq by urging them to refuse to kill on behalf of that private sector whose morality he came to doubt? And hope that they'll live, looking forward to another world which is really possible---in which profit doesn't overtake duty and honor?
Â
Gary Leupp is Professor of History at Tufts University, and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion. He is the author of Servants, Shophands and Laborers in in the Cities of Tokugawa Japan; Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan; and Interracial Intimacy in Japan: Western Men and Japanese Women, 1543-1900. He is also a contributor to CounterPunch's merciless chronicle of the wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia, Imperial Crusades.
Â
He can be reached at: gleupp@granite.tufts.edu
Â
Source: www.counterpunch.org
24 January 2006
Free By Sami Yusuf
What goes thru your mind as you sit there looking at me
Well, I can tell from your looks that you think that Im so oppressed
But I don't need, oh no, for you to liberate me
My head is nothing and you can't see my covered hair
So you sit there and you stare and you judge me with your glare
You are sure that I'm in despair
But are you not aware under the scarf that I wear I have feelings
And I don't care
So don't you see that I'm truly free
This piece of scarf on me I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity,
My modesty,
My integrity
So don't judge me
Open your eyes and see
Why can't you just accept me she says
Why can't I just be me she says
Time and time again
You speak of democracy, yet you wrote me off my liberty
And all I wanted was equality
Why can't you just let me be free
For you I sing this song
My sister may you always be strong
From you I've learned so much
While you've suffered so much
May you forgive those who laugh at you
You walk with no fear
Through the insults you hear
You wish so sincere that they'd understand you
But before you walk away its time you turn and say
But don't you see that I'm truly free
This piece of scarf on me I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity,
My modesty,
My integrity,
So let me be
She says with a smile
I'm the one who's free
Well, I can tell from your looks that you think that Im so oppressed
But I don't need, oh no, for you to liberate me
My head is nothing and you can't see my covered hair
So you sit there and you stare and you judge me with your glare
You are sure that I'm in despair
But are you not aware under the scarf that I wear I have feelings
And I don't care
So don't you see that I'm truly free
This piece of scarf on me I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity,
My modesty,
My integrity
So don't judge me
Open your eyes and see
Why can't you just accept me she says
Why can't I just be me she says
Time and time again
You speak of democracy, yet you wrote me off my liberty
And all I wanted was equality
Why can't you just let me be free
For you I sing this song
My sister may you always be strong
From you I've learned so much
While you've suffered so much
May you forgive those who laugh at you
You walk with no fear
Through the insults you hear
You wish so sincere that they'd understand you
But before you walk away its time you turn and say
But don't you see that I'm truly free
This piece of scarf on me I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity,
My modesty,
My integrity,
So let me be
She says with a smile
I'm the one who's free
14 September 2005
Guests of the Sheikh
In this book Elizabeth Warnock Fernea writes from a first hand perspective of her travels in rural Iraq, and her daily experiences with the people that she there encountered. Living alongside her husband, an anthropologist, Fernea’s main focus was the lifestyles of the various women of the village.
The author’s natural curiosity, as well as that of the villagers, led her to observe a variety of important activities in the life of an Iraqi Shiite Muslim.
Adept at catching the nuances of the people’s custom’s, she begins by describing the abayah; the nuisance of not only adapting to the custom, but donning the garment at every male’s approach. She also highlights the advantages it provided that the West seldom took into consideration.
From there she moved on to the natural mannerisms and attitudes of the people and how these either shaped her personal view or that of the person she was interacting with at the time. Her first example is in the character of the family’s servant, Mohammed, who is a Sayid and the author’s only male contact throughout the day, with the exception of her husband. Fernea described Mohammed as a socially responsible person who took pride not only in his ancestry, but in his guidance of local customs through directives in both body language and gentle coaxing.
One of Fernea’s main themes throughout the book is that of the difference in gender roles that commonly lend the wrong impression to those from the West. While it is more common for a woman to have a more hidden role in the community; that does not mean she does not have powerful influence over the men around her.
Through experience’s with the sheikh’s wives, Mohammed’s mother and many other women during her stay Fernea learned to not only properly act herself, but also the importance of these customs in each individual’s life, regardless of their sex.
A woman would commonly be in charge of insuring guests of every importance received the proper welcome for their status; the correct raising of children; attending to the needs of the husband, and thus ensuring happiness and peace in the home; preparations for the holy days; and the marriage of sons and daughters alike, regardless of age or whether it was a first or second wife for her son.
Along with these great responsibilities there were certain stigmas, rules, and regulations tied to the sex. While the younger generations were more “liberal” in their dress and choice of traditional vanities, all women carried a considerable load with the combination of tradition and work.
Usually seen as the soul cause of infertility or the lack of male heirs, women who were not “blessed” with one or more sons were often worn down both physically and emotionally by multiple pregnancies, miscarriages, and still births, and they could also be socially ostracized to varying degrees depending on their initial community status and that or her husband. These women ran the risk of being divorced, abandoned, or replaced by second wives that were seen as being more fertile than the first.
Women were also expected to accept the difficulties of a marriage as their lot in life regardless of whether they were happy or safe in these circumstances. Removed from society by tradition women were allowed to gather in large groups only during major holy fests where is was their right to request to either attend or hold a kraya. These events lead by female spiritual leaders called, mullahs, were passionate a re-telling of the murder of the martyr Hussein and could be followed by a reading from the Koran if the hostess had been taught to read, but more often they would officially end after the mullah had read her required readings from her book of krayas. These events served as much anticipated and needed social outlets for women that devoted their life to the welfare of their family.
Fernea showed through her visitations to sheikhs, different wive’s recounting their husbands lives, and her own observations, as well as that of her husbands that women were not alone in possessing large work loads. Men were frequently tied to the will of the land and a difficult growing season or harvest could bring more difficult work with little profit to show for the effort. These men would be forced o find jobs in cities to provide for their often large extended families. This could cause harsh living conditions for a man who out of tradition and affection shoulders the responsibility of his extended family. Men who have to travel to distant cities for work may not be able to return for many months and only send the cash back to the family he had to leave behind.
There were special filial responsibilities to Sheiks and other traditional rulers that expect to be paid homage during holidays each year. They were also expected to deal with guests and businessmen as the head of the family’s household. At times standing to gain or lose depending on the situation and who was being attended to as a guest.
On the other hand their more open role in society allowed them the benefit of being freely accepted and they had the comfort of their home to return to after a trying day, where women would have previously prepared and readied the household in preparation for his return. Possessing this role allowed men to more freely choose for themselves, though tradition and family were very likely to play a major role in any decision making.
In the end, both genders held heavy responsibilities, and while one may have looked weighty in one light the other may have the same quality ay a certain given time. The prescribed details and patterns of life flowed into a daily routine of joy and sorrow, just as it does for the rest of the world.
Looking into the social circumstances of those who lived this rural life it is easy to catch the relationships that exist between cause and effect, and how such circumstances exist in more than just this part of the world. Using my own culture as an example it is simple to name off the rural Midwestern people who are religious and live their life conservatively; the women existing for the home and family and the men living each day in their job longing for the moment when they can return home to the comfort of familiarity and warmth.
The author’s natural curiosity, as well as that of the villagers, led her to observe a variety of important activities in the life of an Iraqi Shiite Muslim.
Adept at catching the nuances of the people’s custom’s, she begins by describing the abayah; the nuisance of not only adapting to the custom, but donning the garment at every male’s approach. She also highlights the advantages it provided that the West seldom took into consideration.
From there she moved on to the natural mannerisms and attitudes of the people and how these either shaped her personal view or that of the person she was interacting with at the time. Her first example is in the character of the family’s servant, Mohammed, who is a Sayid and the author’s only male contact throughout the day, with the exception of her husband. Fernea described Mohammed as a socially responsible person who took pride not only in his ancestry, but in his guidance of local customs through directives in both body language and gentle coaxing.
One of Fernea’s main themes throughout the book is that of the difference in gender roles that commonly lend the wrong impression to those from the West. While it is more common for a woman to have a more hidden role in the community; that does not mean she does not have powerful influence over the men around her.
Through experience’s with the sheikh’s wives, Mohammed’s mother and many other women during her stay Fernea learned to not only properly act herself, but also the importance of these customs in each individual’s life, regardless of their sex.
A woman would commonly be in charge of insuring guests of every importance received the proper welcome for their status; the correct raising of children; attending to the needs of the husband, and thus ensuring happiness and peace in the home; preparations for the holy days; and the marriage of sons and daughters alike, regardless of age or whether it was a first or second wife for her son.
Along with these great responsibilities there were certain stigmas, rules, and regulations tied to the sex. While the younger generations were more “liberal” in their dress and choice of traditional vanities, all women carried a considerable load with the combination of tradition and work.
Usually seen as the soul cause of infertility or the lack of male heirs, women who were not “blessed” with one or more sons were often worn down both physically and emotionally by multiple pregnancies, miscarriages, and still births, and they could also be socially ostracized to varying degrees depending on their initial community status and that or her husband. These women ran the risk of being divorced, abandoned, or replaced by second wives that were seen as being more fertile than the first.
Women were also expected to accept the difficulties of a marriage as their lot in life regardless of whether they were happy or safe in these circumstances. Removed from society by tradition women were allowed to gather in large groups only during major holy fests where is was their right to request to either attend or hold a kraya. These events lead by female spiritual leaders called, mullahs, were passionate a re-telling of the murder of the martyr Hussein and could be followed by a reading from the Koran if the hostess had been taught to read, but more often they would officially end after the mullah had read her required readings from her book of krayas. These events served as much anticipated and needed social outlets for women that devoted their life to the welfare of their family.
Fernea showed through her visitations to sheikhs, different wive’s recounting their husbands lives, and her own observations, as well as that of her husbands that women were not alone in possessing large work loads. Men were frequently tied to the will of the land and a difficult growing season or harvest could bring more difficult work with little profit to show for the effort. These men would be forced o find jobs in cities to provide for their often large extended families. This could cause harsh living conditions for a man who out of tradition and affection shoulders the responsibility of his extended family. Men who have to travel to distant cities for work may not be able to return for many months and only send the cash back to the family he had to leave behind.
There were special filial responsibilities to Sheiks and other traditional rulers that expect to be paid homage during holidays each year. They were also expected to deal with guests and businessmen as the head of the family’s household. At times standing to gain or lose depending on the situation and who was being attended to as a guest.
On the other hand their more open role in society allowed them the benefit of being freely accepted and they had the comfort of their home to return to after a trying day, where women would have previously prepared and readied the household in preparation for his return. Possessing this role allowed men to more freely choose for themselves, though tradition and family were very likely to play a major role in any decision making.
In the end, both genders held heavy responsibilities, and while one may have looked weighty in one light the other may have the same quality ay a certain given time. The prescribed details and patterns of life flowed into a daily routine of joy and sorrow, just as it does for the rest of the world.
Looking into the social circumstances of those who lived this rural life it is easy to catch the relationships that exist between cause and effect, and how such circumstances exist in more than just this part of the world. Using my own culture as an example it is simple to name off the rural Midwestern people who are religious and live their life conservatively; the women existing for the home and family and the men living each day in their job longing for the moment when they can return home to the comfort of familiarity and warmth.
The Modern History of Jordan
Traditionally, Jordan has a long history among travelers and the Bedouin who have used the trade and pilgrimage routes that criss-cross the country, following the natural contours of the land, for centuries. To those traveling from Arabia present day Jordan was known as masharif al-Sham – The approaches of Syria. To those traveling back towards the peninsula the land was called masharif al-Hijaz – The approaches of the Hijaz.
One trail to the west followed the outline of the mountains of the Hijaz to reach Syria through Maan; while another followed the coast of the Hijaz and passed through Aqaba before reaching Maan. It was at this point that these two trails formed the infamous, “Kings Highway,” or Via Nova Trajana to the Romans. In Islamic times this route was part of what came to be known as Darb al-Hajj or Tariq al-Hajj – The pilgrimage road taken yearly by the faithful to Damascus on their way to Mecca.
The capital of Jordan, Amman, began its modern day revolution in 1908 when it became a main station in the Hijaz Railway that had been newly created by the Ottoman Turks to make pilgrimage route more accessible from Damascus to Medina.
Bearing these trade routes in mind one can easily see that Jordan has long been of prime strategic importance: As early as the Biblical Moabite kingdom and the Nabatean kingdom in Petra; to the Greeks, Romans, and Islamic Dynasties; being followed by the Ottoman Empire of the Turks; the British; and then finally today the ruling Hashemite monarchy – All have struggled for control of this valuable land where all roads in the Middle East intersect, but few have lasted in this land that has been deemed an ungovernable by so many.
Today’s present Jordan began with the leadership of the Ottoman Turks who had subdivided then called, Transjordan, into three divisions. In 1894 after forty years of rebellion in the region of Bilad al-Sharat the Ottoman Empire finally sent troops into Transjordan to establish garrisons and maintain the law and order. Rebels were granted a general amnesty and sheikhs were assigned monthly stipends to secure their collaboration. Ottoman administration was re-established through councils where all provinces, regions, and districts were represented. Soon minor agricultural prosperity returned and new villages were built where others had been abandoned.
Two revolts broke out against the Turks in 1905 and then again in 1910. At times the Turks intentions of establishing law and order clashed with the traditional way of life, as well as with local interests, especially when the officials were rude and acted thoughtlessly towards local custom. More over, modernization was seen as a threat to the power that was traditionally enjoyed by the sheiks. After seven years of revolt the Ottoman Empire granted an amnesty throughout the empire and the uprisings died down. When WWI broke out in 1914 the Turks had just gained a firm control over Transjordan.
In 1916 Sharif Hussein declared the Great Arab Revolt and Arabs from all over the Middle East came to join his forces that were backed by the British government. It is important to state that Sharif Hussein and his two sons, Abdullah and Feisal, were devotedly followed into battle against the ruling Turks because of more than the Arabs general displeasure with those who governed them. Hussein was a Hashemite, or descendant of the prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and first cousin Ali (Alids) and their son Hassan.
Shiite Muslims believed only descendants of the Prophet could be legitimate caliphs, while the Sunni Muslims merely accepted that they were a part of history and the most qualified person for a position should be used regardless of their ancestry. Both sects of Islam gave the Hashemites special reverence, because throughout history they had been sought out for leadership with all forms of complicated matters as the best representatives of Islam. This aspect, as well as a historical emirate outside of Mecca which was unique to the Ottoman Empire, made them key leaders when Arab Nationalism first began to become of interest to urban Arabs in Syria at the turn of the 20th Century.
Sharif Feisal is historically more recognizable for the large role he played in the Arab Revolt and later in history, as well as his personal magnetism, which he commonly used for his own political purposes. Abdullah on the other hand was frank with those around him, including his father, and always felt less favored. He was the son that Hussein would consult on both private and public matters, but he frequently felt as if he was the lesser of the brothers (Hussein also had an elder son, Ali, that was had poor health).
Abdullah was described as being open and at times transparent, and unable to keep a secret, but this later would come one of his most valuable virtues in working with both the Arabs and British, though it won him nothing in the beginning. T.E. Lawrence also described him as being, “too balanced, too cool, too humorous” and was “a tool too complex for such a simple purpose,” referring to the kingship in Syria. With that in mind Feisal was appointed king of a Syria that had been divided to the French during the WWI. Abdullah went to the Hijaz as his father’s foreign minister and field marshal.
On March 8, 1920 the Syrian Congress named Feisal king of Syria and Abdullah king over Iraq. When the French invaded Damascus that July Feisal fled to Europe leaving Transjordan in disarray, and Abdullah decided that it was time to resign from his father’s services and board a train bound for Syria with the purpose of regaining what his brother had lost. On November 11, 1920 Abdullah arrived in Mann, while his brother headed into Iraq to claim its kingship. In the end Abdullah would only succeed in regaining control over the small part of the Syrian kingdom that today is Jordan.
In 1921 the British decided to allow Abdullah to be the emir of Transjordan as long as he did not try to liberate all of Syria. It was also in this year that the allied forces officially finished drawing the lines of the political map of the Middle East that for the most part still apply today. In many cases grouping together regions that had previously been separate countries, and separating others that had been one.
During that year Abdullah officially handed over his claim of Iraq to his brother Feisal, and it would be a mere year later that Iraq would receive it’s independence from Britain. Jordan on the other hand went through several stages, first Britain officially recognized the Hashemite government in 1923 in London; then in 1928 the Anglo-Transjordanian agreement was agreed upon in Jerusalem, which transferred it from being a mandated territory to an official imara in its own right; but it wasn’t until February of 1946, after the conclusion of WWII that the British granted Transjordan full independence. It was at this time that King Abdullah changed the name of the country from Transjordan to Jordan.
Just months after Jordan gained its own independence the British mandate in Palestine came to an end, and the British troops pulled out without leaving any form of a government. The Jews quickly began to claim land that had not previously been agreed upon, so Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan sent in troops to help the Palestinians who were being murdered by the Irgun and Stern groups, and to reclaim land. Abdullah was in charge of these troops, but of the forces that had been sent only the Iraqi soldiers would follow his orders, and the troops in the end caused more harm than good. Of all the troops the Jordanian soldiers took the most land and later what is now the West Bank in Israel was granted to Jordan for the Palestinian people.
From the beginning of the fighting countless Palestinians began to cross the border to Jordan, which was the closest place for them to find safety. After Israel declared itself a country Jordan was the only country that granted these refugees citizenship, as well as a place in the Jordanian parliament, but many of them saw it as a political move on Abdullah’s part and were angry that they had lost their citizenship in Palestine. It was this anger and blame that ended in the death of Abdullah on Friday, July 20, 1951 when a young Palestinian man stepped out from a crowd in Jerusalem and killed Abdullah instantly with a shot to the head. His grandson Hussein had been the only family member to accompany him on this trip to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem that day.
Initially, Abdullah’s son Talal was named his successor to the throne, but he suffered from schizophrenia and soon his son would take his place. When Hussein was appointed king he was still 17, and had to wait for one year before he could officially take over the throne. The Arab Nationalists, Baath party, and communists made it difficult for Hussein to practice as much open democracy as he would like. Within a short time period he had to send a message to get through to them that he would not allow them to take over the public opinion and the monarchy. Tensions in the country did mount until there were riots in Amman in 1954 and 1955; it was at this time that Hussein made the decision for a major change in policy. The British were completely dissociated with the military that up until that point they had still trained, and there were many changes in government officials and policies.
On April 13 1957 General Abu Nuwar planned an assassination attempt on King Hussein, but his movements had been under watch for some time and his plans were easily thwarted within hours. He was allowed to leave Jordan the following day, first he went to Egypt where he lived for almost 10 years. As a show of support the U.S. government sent fourteen units from the Sixth Fleet that was stationed in Italy as a sign of support for the King.
Since the early 1950’s King Nasser of Egypt had been seen as the man who would reunite the Middle East into a Pan-Arabic state, and this was not something that would easily fade. His support of the Palestinians and attempts of treaties between Syria and Iraq only strengthened his opinion among the Arab peoples, and soon Nasserism was a full-fledged obsession among many. It was this devotion that lead to another attempt on the King’s life with 13 of his military officers while he was in London, but as before they were caught before their plans were able to be brought forth.
King Hussein made several attempts to enter into agreements with Nasser, but it wasn’t until after Nasser began to lose favor with his involvement in the Yemani war and failed Egypt-Syrian-Iraqi treaty that he began to see himself as being equal with the other leaders of the region. In 1964 a conference was called in Cairo to discuss the growing issue with the Israeli’s intentions of using the water from the Jordan River to irrigate the Negav Desert; the general conclusion was to try to restrict water access to Lake Tiberius where the Israeli’s were going to drain the water from. The leaders that had come together also discussed the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), placing Ahmed Shukairy as the leader. Shukairy was a lawyer who had worked with the former Palestinian leader, Hajj Amin al-Husseini. As a show of support King Hussein hosted the first Palestinian National Congress in Jerusalem on May 28, 1964 with over 400 delegates present.
From this point on Palestinians clamored for the king to hand control of the West Bank over to the PLO. Other countries supported this notion, and it was not until May 28, 1966 that King Hussein chose to reopen contacts with Nasser. Hussein proposed offering the Jordan military into an agreement with Egypt and Syria if there should be a war against Israel. This agreement was accepted on May 30, 1967, as long as Hussein accepted the PLO leader and agreed to take him back to Amman with him on his aircraft. Syria refused to stand by this agreement and denounced it as a betrayal to the Arab cause. King Hussein announced this on June 3rd at a press conference along with an expected attack from Israel, two days later Israel attacked and by June 11th Israel had overtaken the West Bank, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, and the Sinai (which they would later return to Egypt) in only six days.
After the Six Day War Hussein and Jordan were blamed for the losses the Palestinians had suffered. The United Nations attempted to intervene by bringing Israel and the Arab nations to the table. In the U.N.’s Resolution 242 Israel was to return occupied territories to the Palestinians, but it was never specified which territories, and the Palestinians were left feeling more frustrated than ever before. Eventually, the Sinai Peninsula would be returned to Egypt, but that would be the only part of the occupied lands that would be returned until 2005. While tackling this political problem Jordan also had to deal with the influx of Palestinian Refugees that were pouring into the country, making the population more than 50% Palestinian.
It was at this time that Palestinian resistance (musqawama) and the Palestinian revolution (thawra) began to take an openly defiant stand without any political backing. The Jordan government was not strong enough to keep the Palestinian fedayeen from operating at their border, but they felt competent they could handle the issue. Constant Israeli bombing soon made these groups more inward and the Wahadat and Husseini refugee camps in Amman became separate republics housing not only Palestinians, but supporters from surrounding countries.
In October of 1968 there was a radio broadcast that began a clash between a group called the al-Nasr (the Victory) and the police. Tahar Dablan, the leader, was captured and sentenced to death. After that the Palestinians did not trust the Jordanian authorities and the Jordanians simply did not want the Palestinian fedayeen in their country. These fedayeen actions did awaken for the first time a Jordanian national pride in the populace, where previously it had not existed.
In 1970 the government began to limit the freedom of the fedayeen organizations and in return they began to defy these efforts. Agreements had been reached by both sides on June 8th, 1970, but the next day the fedayeen opened fire on the Mukhbarat (Jordanian secret service) headquarters in Amman. When the king came to investigate the issue his motorcade came under serious fire and one of his soldiers was killed. Immediately the refugee camps were shelled and the conflict between the two forces lasted for three days. While this was taking place another Palestinian group kidnapped fifty-eight foreigners from two hotels in Amman, and demanded that the shelling of the camps stop before they would be released. On July 10th a new agreement was drawn up and signed by Yasser Arafat for the PLO. The terms agreed upon were that the Jordanian government would recognize a Palestinian “central committee” and permit the fedayeen free movement in the country, as long as they disbanded their bases and arms depots within the cities, and stopped carrying their weapons in the streets. Arafat urged the Palestinian organizations to stay clear of all Jordanian politics in fear that the much stronger Jordanian military would seek retribution.
On September 6th, the fedayeen hijacked three international airline flights. A Pan-Am flight was landed in Cairo, and after all of the passengers and crew were released it was blown up. The other two aircraft, TWA and Swissair were landed north-east of Amman at a desert airstrip called Dawson Field. These 310 passengers were not released and the PFLP threatened to blow up the aircrafts if the fedayeen imprisoned in Western Europe and Israel were not released within seven days. On September 9th another aircraft was hijacked, a BOAC airliner, with 115 passengers and crew on board and taken to Dawson Field. All 425 passengers were allowed to disembark from the planes on September 12th, and then the aircraft were blown up. 371 of these people were freed immediately, while 54 were kept as hostages for around two weeks.
On September 16th the Jordanian government sent in its military for a final sweep of Palestinian groups. Open fire began on the two refugee camps where the fedayeen headquarters were based and once the initial attack was finished the military swept the city for 10 days. The death toll according to PLO figures in the first eleven days of fighting was 3,400. On September 20th Syria sent 200 tanks across the border to fight against the Jordanians. At the request of the United States Israel sent its troops to the Syrian border to show they would not allow any of this on their territory and the Jordanian air force went into swift action destroying 75 of the tanks.
In March of 1971 the Jordanian army drove the Palestinian fedayeen out of the town of Irbid and into the forests between Jerash and Ajlun. The PLO leadership complied quickly, but feeling humiliated for this action they proceeded to launch guerilla attacks on Jordanian army patrols and installations in the area. On July 13th the Jordanian army launched its final attack, and by July 18th it was over. The following day the PLO in Jordan ceased to exist. That fall the Jordanian prime minister, Wasfi al-Tall, was assassinated in Cairo by a new Palestinian commando group called Black September. Nearly a month later the Jordanian ambassador in London, Zeid Rifai, barely escaped an assassination attempt when his car came under heavy gun fire.
After 1971 the Hashemite Monarchy was mainly devoted to internal issues and national unity. After fifty years of leading Jordan the country was just beginning to experience a measure of peace. There were issues with the PLO, but they would not discuss reconciliation until their forces were allowed back into Jordan, so the talks never amounted to much. In 1973 Saddat released the murders of Wasfi al-Tall from prison, where they went directly to Lebanon for protection. King Hussein took this as a very unfriendly sign and consequently did not participate in the war between Israel and Egypt in 1974.
In 1982 United States President Reagan launched the Reagan Plan in September, calling for a self-governing Palestinian authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but would not recognize the PLO and refused to talk with its leaders. Between October 1982 and April 1983, Arafat visited Amman four times to discuss the implementation of the Reagan Plan with King Hussein. The discussions dragged on until 1985 when Arafat initialed an agreement with King Hussein. The Amman accord did little to help either party, and only raised Palestinian suspicions. As tensions had once built up before within Jordan, this time the explosion was within Israel with the first intifada in 1987. On July 31st, 1988 King Hussein formally renounced his claim to the West Bank in a televised speech. On November 8th, 1989 women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time and the fairness of the election was recognized by winners and losers alike.
From 1980-1988 Jordan would support Iraq against Iran in its war, and this position gave the country a great sense of nationalist pride. Most countries cancelled the debts Iraq had incurred throughout the eight years of war, but Kuwait demanded that the loans stay on the books. This action initiated a military move against Kuwait that was both regionally and internationally wrong. Last minute attempts at diplomacy failed, and while Jordan recognized that this was unacceptable they would not join forces with the United States against Iraq, though they did agree to the sanctions that the United Nations placed on Iraq at that time. This move lowered the relations of Jordan with the United States, but they still stand together as allies.
Overall, Jordan has made great strides that other countries have tried and failed at many times before and since. While, there may still be issued as of yet unresolved the country has a strong internal core, as well as a backing of international allies. The Hashemite monarchy has managed to successfully work along side his fellow Arabs and those from the West, and with this continued support they are sure to make it further still.
After reading this book I can greatly appreciate King Abdullah, and King Hussein. These men have put into action a democratic monarchy in a land where many governments can not find footing. I do think that perhaps this book is a little biased towards the Hashemites, as there is never mention throughout the book of any wrong done. Other countries and rulers frequently have their mistakes brought out, but as far as the monarchy of Jordan they seem squeaky clean from this narrative. Because I have worked with Amnesty International I know that Jordan has a reputation for torturing prisoners and letting off perpetrators of honor crimes out of a cultural relativistic viewpoint. I am very interested to see how all of this plays out in the history of Jordan from more than one perspective.
One trail to the west followed the outline of the mountains of the Hijaz to reach Syria through Maan; while another followed the coast of the Hijaz and passed through Aqaba before reaching Maan. It was at this point that these two trails formed the infamous, “Kings Highway,” or Via Nova Trajana to the Romans. In Islamic times this route was part of what came to be known as Darb al-Hajj or Tariq al-Hajj – The pilgrimage road taken yearly by the faithful to Damascus on their way to Mecca.
The capital of Jordan, Amman, began its modern day revolution in 1908 when it became a main station in the Hijaz Railway that had been newly created by the Ottoman Turks to make pilgrimage route more accessible from Damascus to Medina.
Bearing these trade routes in mind one can easily see that Jordan has long been of prime strategic importance: As early as the Biblical Moabite kingdom and the Nabatean kingdom in Petra; to the Greeks, Romans, and Islamic Dynasties; being followed by the Ottoman Empire of the Turks; the British; and then finally today the ruling Hashemite monarchy – All have struggled for control of this valuable land where all roads in the Middle East intersect, but few have lasted in this land that has been deemed an ungovernable by so many.
Today’s present Jordan began with the leadership of the Ottoman Turks who had subdivided then called, Transjordan, into three divisions. In 1894 after forty years of rebellion in the region of Bilad al-Sharat the Ottoman Empire finally sent troops into Transjordan to establish garrisons and maintain the law and order. Rebels were granted a general amnesty and sheikhs were assigned monthly stipends to secure their collaboration. Ottoman administration was re-established through councils where all provinces, regions, and districts were represented. Soon minor agricultural prosperity returned and new villages were built where others had been abandoned.
Two revolts broke out against the Turks in 1905 and then again in 1910. At times the Turks intentions of establishing law and order clashed with the traditional way of life, as well as with local interests, especially when the officials were rude and acted thoughtlessly towards local custom. More over, modernization was seen as a threat to the power that was traditionally enjoyed by the sheiks. After seven years of revolt the Ottoman Empire granted an amnesty throughout the empire and the uprisings died down. When WWI broke out in 1914 the Turks had just gained a firm control over Transjordan.
In 1916 Sharif Hussein declared the Great Arab Revolt and Arabs from all over the Middle East came to join his forces that were backed by the British government. It is important to state that Sharif Hussein and his two sons, Abdullah and Feisal, were devotedly followed into battle against the ruling Turks because of more than the Arabs general displeasure with those who governed them. Hussein was a Hashemite, or descendant of the prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and first cousin Ali (Alids) and their son Hassan.
Shiite Muslims believed only descendants of the Prophet could be legitimate caliphs, while the Sunni Muslims merely accepted that they were a part of history and the most qualified person for a position should be used regardless of their ancestry. Both sects of Islam gave the Hashemites special reverence, because throughout history they had been sought out for leadership with all forms of complicated matters as the best representatives of Islam. This aspect, as well as a historical emirate outside of Mecca which was unique to the Ottoman Empire, made them key leaders when Arab Nationalism first began to become of interest to urban Arabs in Syria at the turn of the 20th Century.
Sharif Feisal is historically more recognizable for the large role he played in the Arab Revolt and later in history, as well as his personal magnetism, which he commonly used for his own political purposes. Abdullah on the other hand was frank with those around him, including his father, and always felt less favored. He was the son that Hussein would consult on both private and public matters, but he frequently felt as if he was the lesser of the brothers (Hussein also had an elder son, Ali, that was had poor health).
Abdullah was described as being open and at times transparent, and unable to keep a secret, but this later would come one of his most valuable virtues in working with both the Arabs and British, though it won him nothing in the beginning. T.E. Lawrence also described him as being, “too balanced, too cool, too humorous” and was “a tool too complex for such a simple purpose,” referring to the kingship in Syria. With that in mind Feisal was appointed king of a Syria that had been divided to the French during the WWI. Abdullah went to the Hijaz as his father’s foreign minister and field marshal.
On March 8, 1920 the Syrian Congress named Feisal king of Syria and Abdullah king over Iraq. When the French invaded Damascus that July Feisal fled to Europe leaving Transjordan in disarray, and Abdullah decided that it was time to resign from his father’s services and board a train bound for Syria with the purpose of regaining what his brother had lost. On November 11, 1920 Abdullah arrived in Mann, while his brother headed into Iraq to claim its kingship. In the end Abdullah would only succeed in regaining control over the small part of the Syrian kingdom that today is Jordan.
In 1921 the British decided to allow Abdullah to be the emir of Transjordan as long as he did not try to liberate all of Syria. It was also in this year that the allied forces officially finished drawing the lines of the political map of the Middle East that for the most part still apply today. In many cases grouping together regions that had previously been separate countries, and separating others that had been one.
During that year Abdullah officially handed over his claim of Iraq to his brother Feisal, and it would be a mere year later that Iraq would receive it’s independence from Britain. Jordan on the other hand went through several stages, first Britain officially recognized the Hashemite government in 1923 in London; then in 1928 the Anglo-Transjordanian agreement was agreed upon in Jerusalem, which transferred it from being a mandated territory to an official imara in its own right; but it wasn’t until February of 1946, after the conclusion of WWII that the British granted Transjordan full independence. It was at this time that King Abdullah changed the name of the country from Transjordan to Jordan.
Just months after Jordan gained its own independence the British mandate in Palestine came to an end, and the British troops pulled out without leaving any form of a government. The Jews quickly began to claim land that had not previously been agreed upon, so Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan sent in troops to help the Palestinians who were being murdered by the Irgun and Stern groups, and to reclaim land. Abdullah was in charge of these troops, but of the forces that had been sent only the Iraqi soldiers would follow his orders, and the troops in the end caused more harm than good. Of all the troops the Jordanian soldiers took the most land and later what is now the West Bank in Israel was granted to Jordan for the Palestinian people.
From the beginning of the fighting countless Palestinians began to cross the border to Jordan, which was the closest place for them to find safety. After Israel declared itself a country Jordan was the only country that granted these refugees citizenship, as well as a place in the Jordanian parliament, but many of them saw it as a political move on Abdullah’s part and were angry that they had lost their citizenship in Palestine. It was this anger and blame that ended in the death of Abdullah on Friday, July 20, 1951 when a young Palestinian man stepped out from a crowd in Jerusalem and killed Abdullah instantly with a shot to the head. His grandson Hussein had been the only family member to accompany him on this trip to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem that day.
Initially, Abdullah’s son Talal was named his successor to the throne, but he suffered from schizophrenia and soon his son would take his place. When Hussein was appointed king he was still 17, and had to wait for one year before he could officially take over the throne. The Arab Nationalists, Baath party, and communists made it difficult for Hussein to practice as much open democracy as he would like. Within a short time period he had to send a message to get through to them that he would not allow them to take over the public opinion and the monarchy. Tensions in the country did mount until there were riots in Amman in 1954 and 1955; it was at this time that Hussein made the decision for a major change in policy. The British were completely dissociated with the military that up until that point they had still trained, and there were many changes in government officials and policies.
On April 13 1957 General Abu Nuwar planned an assassination attempt on King Hussein, but his movements had been under watch for some time and his plans were easily thwarted within hours. He was allowed to leave Jordan the following day, first he went to Egypt where he lived for almost 10 years. As a show of support the U.S. government sent fourteen units from the Sixth Fleet that was stationed in Italy as a sign of support for the King.
Since the early 1950’s King Nasser of Egypt had been seen as the man who would reunite the Middle East into a Pan-Arabic state, and this was not something that would easily fade. His support of the Palestinians and attempts of treaties between Syria and Iraq only strengthened his opinion among the Arab peoples, and soon Nasserism was a full-fledged obsession among many. It was this devotion that lead to another attempt on the King’s life with 13 of his military officers while he was in London, but as before they were caught before their plans were able to be brought forth.
King Hussein made several attempts to enter into agreements with Nasser, but it wasn’t until after Nasser began to lose favor with his involvement in the Yemani war and failed Egypt-Syrian-Iraqi treaty that he began to see himself as being equal with the other leaders of the region. In 1964 a conference was called in Cairo to discuss the growing issue with the Israeli’s intentions of using the water from the Jordan River to irrigate the Negav Desert; the general conclusion was to try to restrict water access to Lake Tiberius where the Israeli’s were going to drain the water from. The leaders that had come together also discussed the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), placing Ahmed Shukairy as the leader. Shukairy was a lawyer who had worked with the former Palestinian leader, Hajj Amin al-Husseini. As a show of support King Hussein hosted the first Palestinian National Congress in Jerusalem on May 28, 1964 with over 400 delegates present.
From this point on Palestinians clamored for the king to hand control of the West Bank over to the PLO. Other countries supported this notion, and it was not until May 28, 1966 that King Hussein chose to reopen contacts with Nasser. Hussein proposed offering the Jordan military into an agreement with Egypt and Syria if there should be a war against Israel. This agreement was accepted on May 30, 1967, as long as Hussein accepted the PLO leader and agreed to take him back to Amman with him on his aircraft. Syria refused to stand by this agreement and denounced it as a betrayal to the Arab cause. King Hussein announced this on June 3rd at a press conference along with an expected attack from Israel, two days later Israel attacked and by June 11th Israel had overtaken the West Bank, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, and the Sinai (which they would later return to Egypt) in only six days.
After the Six Day War Hussein and Jordan were blamed for the losses the Palestinians had suffered. The United Nations attempted to intervene by bringing Israel and the Arab nations to the table. In the U.N.’s Resolution 242 Israel was to return occupied territories to the Palestinians, but it was never specified which territories, and the Palestinians were left feeling more frustrated than ever before. Eventually, the Sinai Peninsula would be returned to Egypt, but that would be the only part of the occupied lands that would be returned until 2005. While tackling this political problem Jordan also had to deal with the influx of Palestinian Refugees that were pouring into the country, making the population more than 50% Palestinian.
It was at this time that Palestinian resistance (musqawama) and the Palestinian revolution (thawra) began to take an openly defiant stand without any political backing. The Jordan government was not strong enough to keep the Palestinian fedayeen from operating at their border, but they felt competent they could handle the issue. Constant Israeli bombing soon made these groups more inward and the Wahadat and Husseini refugee camps in Amman became separate republics housing not only Palestinians, but supporters from surrounding countries.
In October of 1968 there was a radio broadcast that began a clash between a group called the al-Nasr (the Victory) and the police. Tahar Dablan, the leader, was captured and sentenced to death. After that the Palestinians did not trust the Jordanian authorities and the Jordanians simply did not want the Palestinian fedayeen in their country. These fedayeen actions did awaken for the first time a Jordanian national pride in the populace, where previously it had not existed.
In 1970 the government began to limit the freedom of the fedayeen organizations and in return they began to defy these efforts. Agreements had been reached by both sides on June 8th, 1970, but the next day the fedayeen opened fire on the Mukhbarat (Jordanian secret service) headquarters in Amman. When the king came to investigate the issue his motorcade came under serious fire and one of his soldiers was killed. Immediately the refugee camps were shelled and the conflict between the two forces lasted for three days. While this was taking place another Palestinian group kidnapped fifty-eight foreigners from two hotels in Amman, and demanded that the shelling of the camps stop before they would be released. On July 10th a new agreement was drawn up and signed by Yasser Arafat for the PLO. The terms agreed upon were that the Jordanian government would recognize a Palestinian “central committee” and permit the fedayeen free movement in the country, as long as they disbanded their bases and arms depots within the cities, and stopped carrying their weapons in the streets. Arafat urged the Palestinian organizations to stay clear of all Jordanian politics in fear that the much stronger Jordanian military would seek retribution.
On September 6th, the fedayeen hijacked three international airline flights. A Pan-Am flight was landed in Cairo, and after all of the passengers and crew were released it was blown up. The other two aircraft, TWA and Swissair were landed north-east of Amman at a desert airstrip called Dawson Field. These 310 passengers were not released and the PFLP threatened to blow up the aircrafts if the fedayeen imprisoned in Western Europe and Israel were not released within seven days. On September 9th another aircraft was hijacked, a BOAC airliner, with 115 passengers and crew on board and taken to Dawson Field. All 425 passengers were allowed to disembark from the planes on September 12th, and then the aircraft were blown up. 371 of these people were freed immediately, while 54 were kept as hostages for around two weeks.
On September 16th the Jordanian government sent in its military for a final sweep of Palestinian groups. Open fire began on the two refugee camps where the fedayeen headquarters were based and once the initial attack was finished the military swept the city for 10 days. The death toll according to PLO figures in the first eleven days of fighting was 3,400. On September 20th Syria sent 200 tanks across the border to fight against the Jordanians. At the request of the United States Israel sent its troops to the Syrian border to show they would not allow any of this on their territory and the Jordanian air force went into swift action destroying 75 of the tanks.
In March of 1971 the Jordanian army drove the Palestinian fedayeen out of the town of Irbid and into the forests between Jerash and Ajlun. The PLO leadership complied quickly, but feeling humiliated for this action they proceeded to launch guerilla attacks on Jordanian army patrols and installations in the area. On July 13th the Jordanian army launched its final attack, and by July 18th it was over. The following day the PLO in Jordan ceased to exist. That fall the Jordanian prime minister, Wasfi al-Tall, was assassinated in Cairo by a new Palestinian commando group called Black September. Nearly a month later the Jordanian ambassador in London, Zeid Rifai, barely escaped an assassination attempt when his car came under heavy gun fire.
After 1971 the Hashemite Monarchy was mainly devoted to internal issues and national unity. After fifty years of leading Jordan the country was just beginning to experience a measure of peace. There were issues with the PLO, but they would not discuss reconciliation until their forces were allowed back into Jordan, so the talks never amounted to much. In 1973 Saddat released the murders of Wasfi al-Tall from prison, where they went directly to Lebanon for protection. King Hussein took this as a very unfriendly sign and consequently did not participate in the war between Israel and Egypt in 1974.
In 1982 United States President Reagan launched the Reagan Plan in September, calling for a self-governing Palestinian authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but would not recognize the PLO and refused to talk with its leaders. Between October 1982 and April 1983, Arafat visited Amman four times to discuss the implementation of the Reagan Plan with King Hussein. The discussions dragged on until 1985 when Arafat initialed an agreement with King Hussein. The Amman accord did little to help either party, and only raised Palestinian suspicions. As tensions had once built up before within Jordan, this time the explosion was within Israel with the first intifada in 1987. On July 31st, 1988 King Hussein formally renounced his claim to the West Bank in a televised speech. On November 8th, 1989 women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time and the fairness of the election was recognized by winners and losers alike.
From 1980-1988 Jordan would support Iraq against Iran in its war, and this position gave the country a great sense of nationalist pride. Most countries cancelled the debts Iraq had incurred throughout the eight years of war, but Kuwait demanded that the loans stay on the books. This action initiated a military move against Kuwait that was both regionally and internationally wrong. Last minute attempts at diplomacy failed, and while Jordan recognized that this was unacceptable they would not join forces with the United States against Iraq, though they did agree to the sanctions that the United Nations placed on Iraq at that time. This move lowered the relations of Jordan with the United States, but they still stand together as allies.
Overall, Jordan has made great strides that other countries have tried and failed at many times before and since. While, there may still be issued as of yet unresolved the country has a strong internal core, as well as a backing of international allies. The Hashemite monarchy has managed to successfully work along side his fellow Arabs and those from the West, and with this continued support they are sure to make it further still.
After reading this book I can greatly appreciate King Abdullah, and King Hussein. These men have put into action a democratic monarchy in a land where many governments can not find footing. I do think that perhaps this book is a little biased towards the Hashemites, as there is never mention throughout the book of any wrong done. Other countries and rulers frequently have their mistakes brought out, but as far as the monarchy of Jordan they seem squeaky clean from this narrative. Because I have worked with Amnesty International I know that Jordan has a reputation for torturing prisoners and letting off perpetrators of honor crimes out of a cultural relativistic viewpoint. I am very interested to see how all of this plays out in the history of Jordan from more than one perspective.
First Letter
Hey Everyone!!!
Sorry that it has taken me so long to write everyone! Life here has been crazy, but of course a blast :o) I've officially been in Jordan now for 8 or 9 days and I have loved every moment of it. The people are very friendly and will literally give you the shirt off of their back.
Hmmm…Where to start… I really don't know, there are so many things that I could say, so I suppose I will start off with saying a little about the structure of my life. I am with a program called SIT-Study Abroad (www.sit.edu/studyabroad); we have our own office in the Abdoun region of the city. For anyone who knows Amman it is the rich area of the city and all of the embassies are located here. School runs on a Muslim work week of Sunday-Thursday and we have class beginning at 8.30am. My family doesn't want me going the whole way alone in the morning, so they drive me to the main part of the city at 7am and then I take a taxi the rest of the way to Al Leetani St. We have Arabic lessons every day from 8.30 – 11.45am, lunch, and then we have a lecture in the afternoon. 3 days a week we study the hasty of the society from top speakers in the Muslim world and 2 days a week we focus on the techniques of field study. I am doing very well with my Arabic, and it always surprises me how quickly you pick something up when you are thrown into a strange situation. From the second day on I understood the Arabic numbers and how to communicate with cab drivers.
My family lives in the Khalda region of the city and it is mainly Christian, as is my family. I am still a little disappointed that I was placed with a Christian family, because I was very anxious to learn about Islam and Ramadan is coming on October 5th. The family is very nice though, and I have 3 sisters (Elaine, Grace, and Merna) that are my age, and a cousin (Raim) from Yemen that is visiting. They are Greek Orthodox, and very very very religious, but it is the Middle East and everyone stands by what they say they believe. The mother has a muscle disease that is similar to that of my mother's, so there are a lot of similarities there as well. The mother and father both speak very little English, but the sisters and cousin are fluent. Hospitality means everything to these people, and really that is because their lives have been built around a tribal system that survived on these principles. We have coffee when we first wake up, breakfast, and then later tea, and then about 2pm lunch which is the biggest meal. There is another tea of coffee break after that and then dinner is generally around 8 or 9pm, followed by fruit for dessert and more coffee or tea. It doesn't matter if I say no (la) they still put more food on my plate and demand that I eat more. It is traditional to refuse the food several times before they stop forcing food down your throat, and I spent this last weekend sick to my stomach with the amount of food… That and when I told them I was lactose intolerant they told me to try it and if I got sick then they would not make me drink milk anymore, so yeah I spent an afternoon sick and then they believed me. It is very important for them to believe that you are not refusing their hospitality, and in some tribal areas I've been told that if you refuse to eat with a family they may force you by gun point to sit down. So yeah, basically shut up and eat the food while thanking them profusely. Lol, it's a way of life to get used to, and I am adjusting. You have to initially take smaller portions and eat as slow as possible, so that they will not refill your plate. ;o) There are always ways around the game.
My first night with my family they took me to a traditional Jordanian wedding…It was Christian, so not entirely traditional, but otherwise very traditional. We started at the bride's house around 4pm where all of the female guests gathered to sing ancient tribal songs, scream, and wish the bride well with dancing (I was drug out to dance and you can imagine my humiliation – This white girl has no moves). After a couple of hours the groom came and took the bride away and everyone followed them out. The men were shooting off their guns and I was busy looking for the bullets that had to eventually come down.
At the church there was more dancing in front of the church and then the bride and groom headed in for the ceremony which was exactly like the one in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Since my family is the immediate aunt and uncle we had to stay till the very end when the million guests left and they took pictures.
Afterwards, I thought that we would be heading to the reception, but we went home to change into even fancier clothes for the reception that was at the Radisson Hotel. Once again there was dancing, from the lobby to the ballroom. The men were dressed in the traditional caftan and military regalia and the drumming, foot stomping, and singing was deafening.
The reception itself last until after 2.30am, but we went home then. There was modern dancing, traditional dancing, and lots of food. More than anything the people are about food!!!
So that was the first major cultural experience. This weekend we are going to Jerash, Bethany, and Madaba, and the week after I will be staying alone with the Bedouin for a week – No one will speak English. If I had more time I would write more, but I have to go to a café and it costs me. Write me with specific questions, and I will try to answer this next time.
Also, if you had something that you wanted to mail me the address is different than what I was originally told:
E-mail to get adress!!
The above address is for packages only, and you should use DHL, UPS, or FEDEX world air mail.
If you do plan on mailing me anything, please stop by October 31st, because it generally takes about a month for it to get to me, and I will not get it after I leave for my independent study.
Ok, I think that is it for now. I will try to get pictures up on-line and things in the mail, but I do not even know where the post office is. Also write to this address, because it is easier for me.
Lotsa Luv -Danie
Sorry that it has taken me so long to write everyone! Life here has been crazy, but of course a blast :o) I've officially been in Jordan now for 8 or 9 days and I have loved every moment of it. The people are very friendly and will literally give you the shirt off of their back.
Hmmm…Where to start… I really don't know, there are so many things that I could say, so I suppose I will start off with saying a little about the structure of my life. I am with a program called SIT-Study Abroad (www.sit.edu/studyabroad); we have our own office in the Abdoun region of the city. For anyone who knows Amman it is the rich area of the city and all of the embassies are located here. School runs on a Muslim work week of Sunday-Thursday and we have class beginning at 8.30am. My family doesn't want me going the whole way alone in the morning, so they drive me to the main part of the city at 7am and then I take a taxi the rest of the way to Al Leetani St. We have Arabic lessons every day from 8.30 – 11.45am, lunch, and then we have a lecture in the afternoon. 3 days a week we study the hasty of the society from top speakers in the Muslim world and 2 days a week we focus on the techniques of field study. I am doing very well with my Arabic, and it always surprises me how quickly you pick something up when you are thrown into a strange situation. From the second day on I understood the Arabic numbers and how to communicate with cab drivers.
My family lives in the Khalda region of the city and it is mainly Christian, as is my family. I am still a little disappointed that I was placed with a Christian family, because I was very anxious to learn about Islam and Ramadan is coming on October 5th. The family is very nice though, and I have 3 sisters (Elaine, Grace, and Merna) that are my age, and a cousin (Raim) from Yemen that is visiting. They are Greek Orthodox, and very very very religious, but it is the Middle East and everyone stands by what they say they believe. The mother has a muscle disease that is similar to that of my mother's, so there are a lot of similarities there as well. The mother and father both speak very little English, but the sisters and cousin are fluent. Hospitality means everything to these people, and really that is because their lives have been built around a tribal system that survived on these principles. We have coffee when we first wake up, breakfast, and then later tea, and then about 2pm lunch which is the biggest meal. There is another tea of coffee break after that and then dinner is generally around 8 or 9pm, followed by fruit for dessert and more coffee or tea. It doesn't matter if I say no (la) they still put more food on my plate and demand that I eat more. It is traditional to refuse the food several times before they stop forcing food down your throat, and I spent this last weekend sick to my stomach with the amount of food… That and when I told them I was lactose intolerant they told me to try it and if I got sick then they would not make me drink milk anymore, so yeah I spent an afternoon sick and then they believed me. It is very important for them to believe that you are not refusing their hospitality, and in some tribal areas I've been told that if you refuse to eat with a family they may force you by gun point to sit down. So yeah, basically shut up and eat the food while thanking them profusely. Lol, it's a way of life to get used to, and I am adjusting. You have to initially take smaller portions and eat as slow as possible, so that they will not refill your plate. ;o) There are always ways around the game.
My first night with my family they took me to a traditional Jordanian wedding…It was Christian, so not entirely traditional, but otherwise very traditional. We started at the bride's house around 4pm where all of the female guests gathered to sing ancient tribal songs, scream, and wish the bride well with dancing (I was drug out to dance and you can imagine my humiliation – This white girl has no moves). After a couple of hours the groom came and took the bride away and everyone followed them out. The men were shooting off their guns and I was busy looking for the bullets that had to eventually come down.
At the church there was more dancing in front of the church and then the bride and groom headed in for the ceremony which was exactly like the one in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Since my family is the immediate aunt and uncle we had to stay till the very end when the million guests left and they took pictures.
Afterwards, I thought that we would be heading to the reception, but we went home to change into even fancier clothes for the reception that was at the Radisson Hotel. Once again there was dancing, from the lobby to the ballroom. The men were dressed in the traditional caftan and military regalia and the drumming, foot stomping, and singing was deafening.
The reception itself last until after 2.30am, but we went home then. There was modern dancing, traditional dancing, and lots of food. More than anything the people are about food!!!
So that was the first major cultural experience. This weekend we are going to Jerash, Bethany, and Madaba, and the week after I will be staying alone with the Bedouin for a week – No one will speak English. If I had more time I would write more, but I have to go to a café and it costs me. Write me with specific questions, and I will try to answer this next time.
Also, if you had something that you wanted to mail me the address is different than what I was originally told:
E-mail to get adress!!
The above address is for packages only, and you should use DHL, UPS, or FEDEX world air mail.
If you do plan on mailing me anything, please stop by October 31st, because it generally takes about a month for it to get to me, and I will not get it after I leave for my independent study.
Ok, I think that is it for now. I will try to get pictures up on-line and things in the mail, but I do not even know where the post office is. Also write to this address, because it is easier for me.
Lotsa Luv -Danie
02 September 2005
My Hopes, Goals, Fears, & Expectations
Visiting the Middle East has been my dream since early childhood, and now my dreams are finally coming true. Though I only have 3.5 months to learn from these people it is my hope that they will be open in the sharing of their lives, and that I will be able to keep an open mind in what I learn from them. I hope to learn of the society and the people, and to find the humanity that lies behind the stereotypes and stigma that we so often see here in the Midwest United States. I hope that I will adapt quickly and that I will learn to be an observer that sees beyond the exterior of her surroundings.
It is my goal to visit, if not volunteer at a family planning clinic. I want to see how the average Jordanian, both male and female, responds to family planning, and to achieve a hands on knowledge of the daily life of those who run the clinic. I also have the same goals of visiting and possibly volunteering in a Palestinian Refugee Camp. I want to see how men and women live in these camps and what their hopes, goals, fears, and expectations are for the future. Often I hear that the Jordanian population see things vastly differently from what the government and monarchy portray to the rest of the world; I want to see if this is so, and how it differs.
I fear that the average American stereotype is somewhat true and that I will find I am ostracized and pointed out because of my race and gender. I fear that the men will pinpoint me as easy prey and make each day a trial. More than anything I fear that I am not strong enough to make it through these 3.5 months, and I will come home having wasted the government’s scholarship, and let down all those who have put so much faith in me.
Honestly, I do not know what to expect beyond having the basics (room and board, and studies) covered. I expect that I will learn more than I ever thought was possible and I will find that I am in for more than I bargained while I was in the safety of my home.
It is my goal to visit, if not volunteer at a family planning clinic. I want to see how the average Jordanian, both male and female, responds to family planning, and to achieve a hands on knowledge of the daily life of those who run the clinic. I also have the same goals of visiting and possibly volunteering in a Palestinian Refugee Camp. I want to see how men and women live in these camps and what their hopes, goals, fears, and expectations are for the future. Often I hear that the Jordanian population see things vastly differently from what the government and monarchy portray to the rest of the world; I want to see if this is so, and how it differs.
I fear that the average American stereotype is somewhat true and that I will find I am ostracized and pointed out because of my race and gender. I fear that the men will pinpoint me as easy prey and make each day a trial. More than anything I fear that I am not strong enough to make it through these 3.5 months, and I will come home having wasted the government’s scholarship, and let down all those who have put so much faith in me.
Honestly, I do not know what to expect beyond having the basics (room and board, and studies) covered. I expect that I will learn more than I ever thought was possible and I will find that I am in for more than I bargained while I was in the safety of my home.
My Prejudices
My feelings and prejudices about the Middle East are as mixed now as they have ever been - if not more so. Since I am not from this culture, and I have never spent time there, I do not feel that I have a right to judge them. I have spent my college career specializing on women’s rights, so when I hear of honor killings and prisons full of women whose charges are mere rumors or doing things that I take for granted my heart breaks.
I have never been a person to hate, but to seek out understanding, so in this issue I am doing the same. I want to understand what leads to such actions and if education, as we are taught in the West, is the key to "enlightenment". If women are given choices will they choose tradition, or an easier path for their lives? Will they be able to withstand the scorn of their communities for this choice? Are there men who would stand behind those decisions with them? … These questions and many others continue to swirl through my head and I wonder how many are based in my own biases and prejudices and how many are legitimate questions.
I work on my campus with Amnesty International and the Sierra Club’s population division, so I am constantly reminded of every person’s shared humanity. I know there are fundamentalists that seek to return Islam to what it once was, but I also know that there are the same factions within Christianity and Judaism, as other religions, that express their concern in their own unique and often terribly painful ways.
As with any of my travels my concern is that my knowledge is purely academic in nature and while my work with AI has left my heart torn on the issues of occupied Palestine, all I know is what I have been able to glean from my very biased surroundings. Living in the Midwest those around me have a very stereotypical American idea of the Middle East and it’s people. In their minds each man, woman, and child of Arabic decent is of the same fundamentalist mindset, with no divisions in loyalties, beliefs, or morals.
I take all of these turns of the mind into myself and I wonder what is right- what I should believe. The quality of life of the everyday people is what I care about, so I do not spend my time worrying about terrorism, or other such issues that consume the American frame of mind. In saying then, my prejudice must be against the men of the Middle East. I know that they can’t all view their women through the same lens that demands their death in the name of honor, or others that practice illegal trafficking for a profit, but what of the ones that do? I fear that they are the majority of the men there, and that when I arrive I will be viewed as a being whose value is entirely based on sex. I have this fear that could be a prejudice that maybe; just maybe, women are fine with their lives and do not care to break free of their social bonds. I think I feel this way, because I see it in my own society, where women will not be as socially ridiculed for their choices.
I have never been a person to hate, but to seek out understanding, so in this issue I am doing the same. I want to understand what leads to such actions and if education, as we are taught in the West, is the key to "enlightenment". If women are given choices will they choose tradition, or an easier path for their lives? Will they be able to withstand the scorn of their communities for this choice? Are there men who would stand behind those decisions with them? … These questions and many others continue to swirl through my head and I wonder how many are based in my own biases and prejudices and how many are legitimate questions.
I work on my campus with Amnesty International and the Sierra Club’s population division, so I am constantly reminded of every person’s shared humanity. I know there are fundamentalists that seek to return Islam to what it once was, but I also know that there are the same factions within Christianity and Judaism, as other religions, that express their concern in their own unique and often terribly painful ways.
As with any of my travels my concern is that my knowledge is purely academic in nature and while my work with AI has left my heart torn on the issues of occupied Palestine, all I know is what I have been able to glean from my very biased surroundings. Living in the Midwest those around me have a very stereotypical American idea of the Middle East and it’s people. In their minds each man, woman, and child of Arabic decent is of the same fundamentalist mindset, with no divisions in loyalties, beliefs, or morals.
I take all of these turns of the mind into myself and I wonder what is right- what I should believe. The quality of life of the everyday people is what I care about, so I do not spend my time worrying about terrorism, or other such issues that consume the American frame of mind. In saying then, my prejudice must be against the men of the Middle East. I know that they can’t all view their women through the same lens that demands their death in the name of honor, or others that practice illegal trafficking for a profit, but what of the ones that do? I fear that they are the majority of the men there, and that when I arrive I will be viewed as a being whose value is entirely based on sex. I have this fear that could be a prejudice that maybe; just maybe, women are fine with their lives and do not care to break free of their social bonds. I think I feel this way, because I see it in my own society, where women will not be as socially ridiculed for their choices.
30 August 2005
The Situation in Jordan
The Security Situation in JordanHassan A. Barari (expert on Jordan security)
Unsurprisingly, terrorists have been planning to hit more than onecountry in the region and Europe especially after the publicity theygained in the wake of September 11. Like all countries in the MiddleEast and some European countries, Jordan is one of the targetedcountries. After what happened in London on July 7, all places aretargeted. Yet, by all yardsticks, the security situation in Jordan isfar better than the rest of the Middle Eastern countries and far better than the situation in the United States. Over the last twodecades only two foreigners were killed including Folly from USAID.
Seen from this perspective, the rocket attack in Aqaba in itself isinsignificant and has no repercussions on the security situation inJordan. Life is going as normal and Amman is full of foreign tourists.I have been to big malls and talked to some individuals and people are notpanicking and many said that these things are always expected everywhere.
The attack in Aqaba was carried out by Iraqis and against an Americanwarship and Israel. Had they sought to harm Jordan, they would havetargeted Jordanian civilians. Furthermore, the terrorists' ability tohit Jordan is far less than their ability to hit any other country inthe region or Europe. It is well known, that the Jordanianintelligence department is closely following terrorists activitiesall over the region. These fundamentalist groups are penetrated by theJordanian security apparatus and they have not managed to hit Jordan overthe last two decades.
Terrorists' main activities are directed against American and Britishtargets in Iraq. Jordan is watching closely these activities and ithas managed with great success to man its borders and prevented allterrorists from coming to Jordan. The security apparatus in Jordan andparticularly the intelligence department is probably the mostefficient and successful security apparatus in the region. It hasmanaged to foil several attempts in the past and frequently warns othercountries from possible attacks.
Additionally, Jordan is not a tempting place for terrorists as they regularlyseek places that give them prominence and visibility. Egypt is seen asa strong country that can check the Americans but does not do it. Forterrorists, this country should be 'punished' and that is why they focuson Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, there is a unifying front in Jordanwho all believe: the security situation is an asset tothe country that should be safeguarded.
For this reason terroists focus on the United States, Britain and Israel.In the Middle East, the focus is on Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. If Iwere an American, knowing the situation as I do now, I would cometo study in Jordan with less risk than studying in New York. Putdifferently, the possibility of a student being hurt is very low. Iwould strongly suggest that this program carry on as planned.
Unsurprisingly, terrorists have been planning to hit more than onecountry in the region and Europe especially after the publicity theygained in the wake of September 11. Like all countries in the MiddleEast and some European countries, Jordan is one of the targetedcountries. After what happened in London on July 7, all places aretargeted. Yet, by all yardsticks, the security situation in Jordan isfar better than the rest of the Middle Eastern countries and far better than the situation in the United States. Over the last twodecades only two foreigners were killed including Folly from USAID.
Seen from this perspective, the rocket attack in Aqaba in itself isinsignificant and has no repercussions on the security situation inJordan. Life is going as normal and Amman is full of foreign tourists.I have been to big malls and talked to some individuals and people are notpanicking and many said that these things are always expected everywhere.
The attack in Aqaba was carried out by Iraqis and against an Americanwarship and Israel. Had they sought to harm Jordan, they would havetargeted Jordanian civilians. Furthermore, the terrorists' ability tohit Jordan is far less than their ability to hit any other country inthe region or Europe. It is well known, that the Jordanianintelligence department is closely following terrorists activitiesall over the region. These fundamentalist groups are penetrated by theJordanian security apparatus and they have not managed to hit Jordan overthe last two decades.
Terrorists' main activities are directed against American and Britishtargets in Iraq. Jordan is watching closely these activities and ithas managed with great success to man its borders and prevented allterrorists from coming to Jordan. The security apparatus in Jordan andparticularly the intelligence department is probably the mostefficient and successful security apparatus in the region. It hasmanaged to foil several attempts in the past and frequently warns othercountries from possible attacks.
Additionally, Jordan is not a tempting place for terrorists as they regularlyseek places that give them prominence and visibility. Egypt is seen asa strong country that can check the Americans but does not do it. Forterrorists, this country should be 'punished' and that is why they focuson Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, there is a unifying front in Jordanwho all believe: the security situation is an asset tothe country that should be safeguarded.
For this reason terroists focus on the United States, Britain and Israel.In the Middle East, the focus is on Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. If Iwere an American, knowing the situation as I do now, I would cometo study in Jordan with less risk than studying in New York. Putdifferently, the possibility of a student being hurt is very low. Iwould strongly suggest that this program carry on as planned.
29 August 2005
Schedule
Program Schedule
(This schedule is subject to changes based on curricular, logistical or security purposes.)
September 2 Arrive in NYC
September 3 Leave NYC
September 4 Lay-over at London, Heathrow
September 5 Arrive in Amman (Queen Alia Int’l Airport)
September 6-8 Orientation Period
September 9 Homestay begins with Jordanian families in Amman
September 11-15 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study Seminar
September 17 Educational Excursion: Um Qais, Ajloun, Jerash
September 18-22 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study
September 23-29 Rural Homestay
September 30 De-Briefing / Reflection of Learning Experience – Dead Sea – Bethany Beyond the Jordan
October 2-6 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study Seminar
October 8 Educational Excursion: Madaba, St. George’s, Mt. Nebo, Bethany
October 9-13 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study Seminar
October 13-20 Educational Excursion to Syria (conditions permitting)
October 22 De-Briefing / Reflection of Learning Experience – Abu Khalil’s
October 23-27 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study Seminar
October 29 Educational Excursion: Wadi Mujib or Desert Castles
October 30- November 3 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study Seminar
November 5-11 Educational Excursion to Petra/Wadi Rum, Karak & Dana
November 12 De-Briefing / Reflection of Learning Experience - Pella
November 13-17 Intensive Arabic Language, Thematic Seminars, Field Study Seminar
November 18 Home-stay Period Ends / ISP Period Begins
December 12-13 ISP Presentations
December 14-16 Evaluation & Re-Entry in Aqaba
December 17 End of Scheduled Program - Return to US
December 18 Return to Missouri from NYC
Websites
Please read the State Department’s Consular Information Sheet on Jordan (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1149.html).
& please read the Jordan Times (www.jordantimes.com) for up to date information about Jordan and the surrounding areas.
Also: http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/jordan/index.do
& please read the Jordan Times (www.jordantimes.com) for up to date information about Jordan and the surrounding areas.
Also: http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/jordan/index.do
Hey Everyone :o)
AIM: gin and gloom
I am helping a teacher at my school with a class he is doing on peace and conflict mediation, so I will be sending him weekly updates on life in Amman, and to keep everyone else up to date I will be posting those letters on a separate blog at:
http://www.dsmentalmeanderings.blogspot.com
As always you can catch up with me at my other blog for more personal outtakes, but I do not know how much time I will have to post there…As everyone has seen I haven’t had time this summer really, so the trend may continue. I am going to try though.
If anyone has my cell phone number it will be my mother’s number for the time I am in Jordan. Cingular wanted to charge me $2.49 a minute to use their service in Jordan, so I will be getting a new SIM card when I enter the country. So if you call my number after the 2nd and you get my mother do not be alarmed! I will be back on that line when I return in December. For those of you that want my new cell phone number, just write me and I will give it to you, because it is free for me to receive ANY incoming call.
I have also started up a photo web community with photos from this past year, and I will continue to post photos from my travels on there as well, so check in for a view of my life in Amman.
http://community.webshots.com/user/epphnyskr
I think that is it from my end. If you do want to receive post cards from NYC and the Middle East you will need to write me ASAP, because my plane leaves at 8.30 am on Friday and I do not know when I will be able to check my mail again. Otherwise, have a great fall everyone and stay in contact!!! I will be back in Missouri on December 18th, so we will all have to catch up. *hugs*
Lotsa Luvings from this world traveler –
Danie
The beginning of my journey is drawing near, as I will be leaving for NYC this coming Friday (09/02), and then leaving the following evening for Jordan. I wanted to write and give everyone my contact information before I leave the US. I will be bringing my laptop, so whenever I do connect to the internet I will be on AIM for the brief time span that I am on-line.
My info is as follows:
E-mail me for my postal address
AIM: gin and gloom
I am helping a teacher at my school with a class he is doing on peace and conflict mediation, so I will be sending him weekly updates on life in Amman, and to keep everyone else up to date I will be posting those letters on a separate blog at:
http://www.dsmentalmeanderings.blogspot.com
As always you can catch up with me at my other blog for more personal outtakes, but I do not know how much time I will have to post there…As everyone has seen I haven’t had time this summer really, so the trend may continue. I am going to try though.
If anyone has my cell phone number it will be my mother’s number for the time I am in Jordan. Cingular wanted to charge me $2.49 a minute to use their service in Jordan, so I will be getting a new SIM card when I enter the country. So if you call my number after the 2nd and you get my mother do not be alarmed! I will be back on that line when I return in December. For those of you that want my new cell phone number, just write me and I will give it to you, because it is free for me to receive ANY incoming call.
I have also started up a photo web community with photos from this past year, and I will continue to post photos from my travels on there as well, so check in for a view of my life in Amman.
http://community.webshots.com/user/epphnyskr
I think that is it from my end. If you do want to receive post cards from NYC and the Middle East you will need to write me ASAP, because my plane leaves at 8.30 am on Friday and I do not know when I will be able to check my mail again. Otherwise, have a great fall everyone and stay in contact!!! I will be back in Missouri on December 18th, so we will all have to catch up. *hugs*
Lotsa Luvings from this world traveler –
Danie
21 June 2005
Nizar Kabbani
I found this poet in researching different Arabic literature. He has a lot of beautiful literature, but I love these two.
Women, The Knowledge of God
Tenderness fades in your eyes
Like circles of water,
Time, space, fields,
Houses, seas, ships
Disappear.
My face falls to the ground like a broken vase
That I carry in my hands,
Dreaming of a woman who will buy it,
But I am told
That women do not buy sad faces.
We reached the point
Where we did not know what to say
All subjects became the same
The foreground merged with the background.
We reached the peak of despair
Where the sky was a bullet,
Embracing was retaliation,
Making love was the severest punishment.
It is up to you to love me.
I do not know how to read your lips
To predict when
Water will explode beneath the sands,
I do not know
During which month
You will be more abundant
And fertile
Or on which day
You will be ready for
The communion of love.
I Will Tell You: I Love You
I will tell you: I love you
When all old love languages die
And nothing remains for lovers to say or do
Then my task
To move the stones of this world
Will begin.
I will tell you: I love you
When I feel
That my words are worthy of you
And the distance between your eyes
And my notebooks disappears,
I will say it when I am able
To evoke my childhood,
My horses, my troops
And my cardboard boats
And able to regain
The blue time with you
Upon Beirut’s shores
When you were tired,
Shivering like a fish between my fingers,
And I covered you
With a sheet made of summer stars.
I will tell you: I love you
When I am cured of my schizophrenia
And become a single person.
I will say it
When the city and the desert inside me
Are reconciled.
When all the tribes leave my blood,
When I will be free of the blue tattoo
Engraved on my body,
Free of old Arab remedies
Which I tried for thirty years
And which told me
To lash you eighty times
For being a woman.
Perhaps I will not say:
I love you.
It takes nine months
For a flower to bloom,
The night suffers a great deal
In giving birth to a star,
Humanity waits one thousand years
To produce a prophet,
Why don’t you wait then
To be my lover.
Women, The Knowledge of God
Tenderness fades in your eyes
Like circles of water,
Time, space, fields,
Houses, seas, ships
Disappear.
My face falls to the ground like a broken vase
That I carry in my hands,
Dreaming of a woman who will buy it,
But I am told
That women do not buy sad faces.
We reached the point
Where we did not know what to say
All subjects became the same
The foreground merged with the background.
We reached the peak of despair
Where the sky was a bullet,
Embracing was retaliation,
Making love was the severest punishment.
It is up to you to love me.
I do not know how to read your lips
To predict when
Water will explode beneath the sands,
I do not know
During which month
You will be more abundant
And fertile
Or on which day
You will be ready for
The communion of love.
I Will Tell You: I Love You
I will tell you: I love you
When all old love languages die
And nothing remains for lovers to say or do
Then my task
To move the stones of this world
Will begin.
I will tell you: I love you
When I feel
That my words are worthy of you
And the distance between your eyes
And my notebooks disappears,
I will say it when I am able
To evoke my childhood,
My horses, my troops
And my cardboard boats
And able to regain
The blue time with you
Upon Beirut’s shores
When you were tired,
Shivering like a fish between my fingers,
And I covered you
With a sheet made of summer stars.
I will tell you: I love you
When I am cured of my schizophrenia
And become a single person.
I will say it
When the city and the desert inside me
Are reconciled.
When all the tribes leave my blood,
When I will be free of the blue tattoo
Engraved on my body,
Free of old Arab remedies
Which I tried for thirty years
And which told me
To lash you eighty times
For being a woman.
Perhaps I will not say:
I love you.
It takes nine months
For a flower to bloom,
The night suffers a great deal
In giving birth to a star,
Humanity waits one thousand years
To produce a prophet,
Why don’t you wait then
To be my lover.
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