Jordan

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Official name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Area: Government: Official languages: Monetary unit: Cities:

DEMOGRAPHY Population: 6 million Population density: ECONOMY GDP (PPP): per person: </small>

LIFE & LIBERTY HDI

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Location 1.2 Climate 1.3 Natural Resources 2 Demographics 2.1 Peoples 2.2 Provinces 3 Life 4 Economy 5 Government 5.1 Terrorism 6 Religion 6.1 Islam 6.2 Buddhism 6.3 Christianity 6.3.1 History 6.3.2 Churches 6.3.3 Church and State Relations 6.3.4 Challenges for Christians 6.3.5 Mission 6.3.6 Broadcasting 6.3.7 Councils and Networks 7 Future Trends 8 For More Reading

[edit] Geography

• Jordan consists mostly of arid desert plateau in the east, with Highland area in the west. The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan and Israel.

[edit] Location

• Jordan is a country in the Arab World in West Asia, bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Saudi Arabia to the east and south. It shares with Israel the coastlines of the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

[edit] Climate

[edit] Natural Resources

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

[edit] Provinces

• The Provinces of Jordan

• The Cities of Jordan

[edit] Life

• Beginning of 2008: Travelling around you are amazed to see so many new Malls and modern villas going up everywhere. New road ways and bridges have been built to cope with the increased traffic and the many more cars on the road, still the traffic jams are unbelievable!. The government is working hard at making Jordan attractive to the outside world and in creating jobs for the people here. Food, gas and electricity prices are rising making it difficult for the poor especially now during this extremely cold weather. Sadly the big gap between rich and poor remains.

• The passing of the throne from King Hussein, the quintessential Arab moderate, to his son Abdullah in 1999 was a smooth transition, but difficulties lie ahead. The hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Palestine, Iraq, and Kuwait have intensified economic and political stress. Pray for the peace of this land and for the King and government. Pray for the preservation of religious freedom amidst the rising extremism of some Muslims. This nation is a centre for many Christian activities and ministries, and much Christian work in the Middle East would suffer were a setback to occur in Jordan.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Government

• King Abdullah II

[edit] Terrorism

• In its public statements, new legislation, security measures and court cases, the government of Jordan continued to place a high priority on its fight against extremism and terrorism, according to Country Reports on Terrorism 2007. Those efforts coincided with an apparent shift in public opinion against extremism as reflected in poll results.

• King Abdullah II used international national addresses and media interviews to denounce extremists and promote a tolerant, moderate brand of Islam. Speaking before the opening session of the new parliament in December 2007, for example, the King promised to combat extremist Islam and “stand up to anybody who tries to abduct our religion or to monopolize fatwas for political reasons, for the purpose of using religion as a tool to subdue others for the sake of special or suspicious agenda.”

[edit] Religion

• Jordan is comprised of 96.2% Muslims and only 2.8% of the population are Christians. Shari’a is applied in all matters relating to family law involving Muslims or the children of a Muslim father; and all citizens, including non-Muslims, are subject to Islamic legal provisions regarding inheritance. According to the law, all minor children of male citizens who convert to Islam are considered to be Muslim. Adult children of a male Christian who has converted to Islam become ineligible to inherit from their father if they do not also convert to Islam. In cases in which a Muslim converts to Christianity, the authorities do not recognize the conversion as legal, and the individual continues to be treated as a Muslim in matters of family and property law.

[edit] Islam

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

[edit] History

[edit] Churches

• There is a crisis in leadership among many Jordanian churches. May more people be called and trained for this challenge.

[edit] Church and State Relations

[edit] Challenges for Christians

Jordan is ranked No. 39 among nations that are the worst persecutors of Christians based on Open Doors 2008 World Watch List. The state religion is Islam. The government prohibits conversion from Islam and proselytization of Muslims. On April 29, 2007, government authorities reportedly deported Pastor Mazhar Izzat Bishay of the Aqaba Free Evangelical Church, an Egyptian national and long-time resident, to Egypt. It was reported that they had previously interrogated him and that they offered him no reason for his deportation. In November 2006 the authorities deported Wajeeh Besharah, Ibrahim Atta, Raja Welson, Imad Waheeb, four Coptic Egyptians living in Aqaba, to Egypt. It was reported that the authorities questioned them about their affiliation with the Free Evangelical Church in Aqaba prior to their deportation.

[edit] Mission

[edit] Broadcasting

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

• Wikipedia
• Joshua Project
• GRN