After the Confusion of Languages at Babel, Shem’s son Arphaxad and his descendants, who still spoke the original language, probably Hebrew or Aramaic, populated most of the Middle East: Israel, Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Nth-Africa Syria, Yemen and Oman.

Jordan is very much tied to the Bible’s history that its very name comes from the biblical river.  Jordan’s border today, as the crow flies, is only twenty miles from Jerusalem.  In 1Sa 14:47 all three kingdoms (map to the left) are mentioned: “So Saul …fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, …Ammon, and against Edom…”. 

During the Exodus, Israel wanted to enter the Promised Land via the Kings Highway through Edom.  But Edom refused passage (Nu 20:17-20). Bad move!!  The prophet Malachi predicted their downfall. (Mal 1:2-4)  We can still see the stone edifices of the Nabataeans who eventually replaced them, including their deserted, but still-magnificent, capital at Petra.

After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WW I, the League of Nations mandated Britain to take responsibility for large parts of the Middle East.  Let’s not forget what the term Palestine means: Titus, when he raised Jerusalem, ploughed it level, and forbade Jewish presence, renamed the land of Israel ‘Syria Palaestina’, according to the arch enemy of Israel, the Philistines.  Palestine is a geography term, NOT a country or State or distinct people.  Let’s fast forward to 2/11/1917 The Balfour Declaration.  At the right hand Map we see the original area allocated for the Jewish National Home at the San Remo Conference in 1920, i.e. both sides of the Jordan River

However, in the early 1920s, Britain separated a semi-autonomous region from Palestine, with the name Transjordan.  The region became independent in 1946 and the Hashemite Kingdom was established.  From 1953 King Hussein governed the kingdom for most of the 20th century.  In 1967 Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the Six Day War.  King Hussein permanently relinquished claims to the West Bank in 1988 and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.  After Hussein’s death in 1999, his eldest son King Abdullah II succeeded him.  Compared to other countries in the region, Jordan is one of the last islands of relative calm for Christians.  The government narrative is inclusive of Christians, the king himself promotes interfaith dialogue and tolerance, and for their small number Christians are well-represented in politics, the army and the economy.  State-recognized Christian communities can live relatively freely if they abstain from proselytization.  However, the state will put pressure on non-recognized groups and monitor their activities, especially if they actively evangelize.

Any Christian who is active in evangelism, is known to support converts from Islam, belongs to an unrecognised church, or is a convert from Islam, can experience pressure.  Christians who convert from Islam and are open about their new faith can face threats of beating and killings, especially from their families and communities.  If their conversion becomes known, all official documents (including marriage certificates, mortgages, etc.) they have signed will automatically become invalid.

All Christian women in Jordan experience some level of pressure to adopt Islamic rules around dress and are at some level of risk for sexual harassment.  But women who convert from Islam are far and away the most vulnerable to persecution, usually from their own families.  Converts from more radical Islamic families can face house arrest, isolation, beating, sexual harassment and even death (though so-called ‘honour’ killings are punished in Jordan).

Though Christian men can occupy high positions in Jordanian society and government, many believers report some level of discrimination, particularly Christians who are converts from Islam.  If their faith in Jesus is discovered, converts can lose their jobs or security clearance.  Because men in Jordan are traditionally the financial providers for their families, forced job loss can create a devastating economic impact on families of converts.