Population
4.6 million
Arab
Circassians
Chechens
Armenians
Capital City
Amman
Leadership
Head of State
King Abdullah bin
Al-Hussein (Hussein II)
President
Ali Abu al-Ragheb
Religion
96% Sunni Muslim
4% Christian
Jordan
Ambassador
to the
U.S.
His Excellency
Karim Kawar
Embassy of the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan
3504 International Drive,
N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Phone: (202) 966-2664
Fax: (202) 966-3110
Email:
HKJEmbassyDC
@aol.com
BIO
Jordan could be credited for being some-what atypical and more western in comparison to its
middle eastern neighbors, having housed millions of
refugees fleeing more dire conditions in their mid-east
homelands. However, it still maintains the title of a
predominantly Muslim nation, and that label isn't confined
to religious preferences, but has leaked into various
aspects of government. Courts are ruled by Muslims,
and persons of other faiths face a multitude of obstacles
in achieving rights equal to those of their Muslim
countrymen.
One
particular case that CSW has been following is that
of Siham Qandah, a young mother of two
whose now
deceased husband apparently secretly
converted to
Islam prior to his death. This revelation
from government
officials creates a problem for Siham in
seeking to collect
her husband's army benefits. But more
importantly it has
placed her custody of her own children in
jeopardy, the
government declaring her "unfit"
because she chooses
to raise them as Christians. A full report
on Siham's case
can be found in "CSW Reports on
Jordan."
(see link at right)
Can you recommend some
other Jordan websites?