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November 14, 2010

Words and Photography by: Minister of Photography

Diltiazem cream online without prescription, Identity is a central element of elections, this is ever so present in Jordan, and with over 50% of our population coming from Palestinian backgrounds, the Palestinian issue is a dominant one in Jordanian politics. The fact that a lot of candidates chose to run on Palestinian issues is a reflection of how many Jordanians feel about their role in society. These candidates and their supporters are second and third generation Jordanians, they were born here, they went to school and work and marry and breed here. So what does it mean when this segment of society speaks of itself as "the homeless" in election banners. Buy diltiazem cream online, The aspiration to return to a homeland different to the one where the voters and candidates live and practice their political rights, is not problematic, but for it to be the focal point on the platform of candidates is.

[caption id="attachment_7518" align="alignnone" width="500"]Poster on the right : There is no alternative to Palestine but Paradise, diltiazem cream online without prescription. Poster on the left: People who leave jihad will be disgraced . Both posters have a picture of the candidate burning the Israeli flag, he received the largest number of votes in the country.

The banner reads : All the support and aid for the proponent of the homeless, diltiazem cream cost.

"The people of Jordan and Palestine sing; Khalil Hussein (The Candidates Name) the creator of glory and morale lifter, Yafa, Haifa, AL-Lid , Al Ramla and AL Khalil ( All Palestinian town and cities) are calling on us, Cheap diltiazem cream, there is no replacement for us . Diltiazem cream online without prescription, No matter how long the days get and how prolonged our absence from relatives is, victory is coming despite our shortcomings and failures , the blood on the martyr lives in our veins"

For these types of feelings and sentiments to prevail so powerfully, is worrying and troubling. These candidates seem to seriously imply that such issues are at the heart of the Jordanian Parliament. Which would more or less mean that the candidate believes he has a chance to become a member of the most powerful political entity in the world. Also alarming is the fact that most of the supporters come from lower income part of the capital where issues of poverty, sanitation, health, unemployment, order no rx diltiazem cream, and public services are very serious issues, yet the electoral platform is built on the promise of a better tomorrow, in a different country. This, I think , Diltiazem cream overnight delivery, speaks volumes about the levels of uncertainty and despair significant segments of society feel about their future in the country.

"All three pictures were taken in Downtown Amman"

"Those who curse the mothers of the believers are not believers, a fitting campaign slogan in response to the conditions illustrated above."

This candidate gathered more votes than any other in the kingdom, diltiazem cream online without prescription.

The appeal of the Palestinian cause and the increasing shift towards religion by certain segments of society have also been utilized heavily by the Islamists. Officially, the Muslim Brotherhood announced their boycott of the elections, however this led to an internal conflict within their ranks and subsequently a lot of members resigned and ran either under other Islamic parties or as independents.

While some nationalists tried to utilize the appeal of a better tomorrow in a different homeland, the Islamists focused instead on the appeal of time travel, lowest price for diltiazem cream, as was illustrated by the political support rally with an apocalyptic theme and name: the big crawl.

"Shot at an election event for an Islamic candidate. Real nice people."

Diltiazem cream online without prescription, The Big Crawl, al zahf al kabeer in Arabic, was held in support of a candidate of the Islamic Middle Party. It attracted a considerable crowd of 5000 people, less than 100 of which were women. In adherence to what the organizers view to be Islamic customs that go back 1500 years, Order diltiazem cream no prescription required, these women were quarantined in a separate section at the venue. Beards were long and untidy also in accordance with what these supporters believe early Muslims practiced.

A sheikh assumed the role of giving the welcoming speech and introducing the speakers. He had mentioned that the speeches were going to be short because there were 30 speakers, none of whom were women, diltiazem cream online without prescription. The speakers ranged from retired schoolteachers who were aided by the candidate to obtain a lower income electric bill plan, to engineers and local leaders of spoke of the high integrity of the candidate.

Since a considerable number of Islamists and clerics had declared the participation in elections as a forbidden act in Islam, the candidate needed to justify his participation in religious terms and as such, diltiazem cream no rx required, the host soon declared that a prominent religious speaker was going to take the podium next. A few moments after that declaration, the host informed the guests that the religious scholar had fallen ill and had instead sent an audio tape in which he explains how it was permissible for the candidate to run. The rationale it seemed was that scholars view elections and participation in them as haram because the system on which they are based and the laws and regulations that oversee the election were not Islamic and thus were Haram. Diltiazem cream online without prescription, He then proceeded to explain that such corrupt laws need to be changed into Islamic ones and thus he had lent his support to the candidate in the hope that once in power he will be able to alter election laws to adhere to Islamic laws.

With the watchful eye of the police close by, Generic diltiazem cream online, the rally speakers and the host walked a very tight rope of political correctness, as required by the laws and regulations; the rally started with the national anthem followed by a short speech by the host, welcoming guests, pledging allegiances to the king and the Hashemite regime and to the Palestinian resistance i.e. Hamas who has been accused by the Jordanian government of meddling in internal affairs and smuggling weapons in recent years . Whether these accusations are true or not is irrelevant, the Islamists, diltiazem cream non prescription, at least in their political speech, can and do pledge allegiances to conflicting forces.

The more interesting element of the Islamists and their supporters is the fact that they don’t seem to advocate specific changes; the only visible banner was on that read "Islam is the solution". What sort of Islam and what exactly they are advocating is visibly and deliberately missing, and for a very good reason, diltiazem cream online without prescription.

"The Lawyer, the Haj (a man who has gone through Islamic pilgrimage) Yahya Mohammad Al Saoud , Buy cheap diltiazem cream, the Islamic Direction party Candidate."

The reason I decided to venture to this event, was because of a troubling banner I saw earlier in the day.

Strategically placed banner out side a church in the East side of the city by the same candidate reads: "Stop them, for they are responsible, Islam is the Solution."

It is not a surprise that these Islamists don’t venture much into explaining their aims and ideology, for its real aim is to install a vision of separation, us vs, cheapest generic diltiazem cream online. them. Muslims vs. Diltiazem cream online without prescription, Christians. Liberal, secular and moderate Muslims vs. militant Muslims. Diltiazem cream free sample, One has to ponder, if these are Muslims who broke rank with the Muslim Brotherhood because they viewed the MB as too extreme, what are the visions of those Islamists.

The fact that both featured candidates won is troubling in many aspects, having a significant number of citizens believing and aspiring to have a better future in some other homeland and running on a religiously militant Islamic platform that promotes exclusion and "us vs. the world" mindset is not good news for this country, diltiazem cream online without prescription.

However there are some serious problems in society that led to this sort of thinking and application. Newspapers, fda approved diltiazem cream, TV stations, magazines and websites have failed miserably in scrutinizing candidates and their platforms. At the Islamists' event, I did not see a single photographer or a journalist, and if there were any, Diltiazem cream vendors, I seriously doubt they covered the event with the sort of critical eye needed to fully relate to the voter what their candidates are all about. The incitement of hate and segregation in Jordan is forbidden by the constitution and the media has a huge role to put pressure on the government to adhere to its own laws. Diltiazem cream online without prescription, I am sure the churchgoers and the priests and nuns of this particular church had seen the banner, and the fact that it was not removed, is mind-boggling.

The fact that these sort of candidates generated considerable support is also indicative of the failure of tribal Jordanians, left parties and East Bankers in general to put forward any sort of inclusive, progressive political platforms that 1) attracts significant following that cuts through social status, religion and background 2) Confronts such agendas with adequate, alternative ones that seek to solve this country’s problems instead of exporting them to dreamland elsewhere, buy diltiazem cream from india. The Government in Jordan has a huge role to play in this process. With very strict controls and restrictions on the activities of political and social activists ,the government has in effect emptied the political scene from any sort of political opposition, and while Palestine first and Islamists do have a considerable following, the fact is most Jordanians of different backgrounds have not fallen under that spell ( as illustrated by the low voter turn out of 35 % and the fact that even the candidate that received the most votes only got 14000 votes ), Order diltiazem cream without prescription, however the political scene remains there to be captured by both forces as long as the government policies stand in the way of the formation and development of alternative political, social and economic parties, groups and activists.

Tribal Jordanians ran on platforms that almost entirely rely on the appeal of tribal loyalty, with no clear political, social or economic agendas expect the promise of serving the tribe, this approach is most certainly not an inclusive one nor one that puts the interest of society before ones tribe, cheap price diltiazem cream, that is not to say that some tribal candidates who won are actually not good candidates, but because they chose to run on tribal lines, they gather very little appeal and support from outside the tribe.

"The candidate , with the white head dress , is a tribal leader, he had over 70 banners hanging in his HQ, all announcing loyalty to him, none had any political or social messages."

"Supporters of a tribal candidate in Madaba, dancing away to national songs about the army and king, with no obvious indicators of the candidates political view, the dancing crowd were waving posters of the candidates name, only."

"Though a highly qualified candidate , the reliance on tribal votes , forced tribal candidates to run on " lame" slogans such as this one: Yes, the nation is for everyone."

"Yes its true, all the respect, diltiazem cream online without prescription. only in Jordan would a bunch of words thrown together form a political slogan, he might as well write : Fish, Diltiazem cream, blue, Bart Simpson."

Candidates who ran on some real-life agendas have managed to get considerable support that transcends tribal and religious boundaries . As illustrated by the picture taken by friend of mine .

"A christian mother , celebrates her son's election with a muslim friend."

Candidates and platforms like this, ones that are inclusive and focus on real problems faced by all Jordanians are the only way we, as a society, price of diltiazem cream, can achieve any sort of reform. The responsibility lies on civil society and the government to nurture and promote such agendas, otherwise the mass appeal of Islamists, tribal leaders and ultra nationalists will continue to grow and capture the minds and imagination of the masses. Diltiazem cream online without prescription, For three Fridays before the election, I spent my afternoons with a young group of guys that hail from the lower income areas of the capital. They launched a facebook initiative that entailed them cleaning up a different part of the city each Friday. Most of them are also of Palestinian background. Their group on facebook has more than 75,000 members, (a telling number when many candidates won by gather 3000 and 4000 votes only). These guys are socially active, and have a decent command of English and social media tools, and a decent level of education. The median age in Jordan is 23 and most of these guys were in that age group, diltiazem cream online without prescription. Not a single one of them voted in this last election, mainly because they don’t feel that there are any candidates that address their problems, concerns and aspirations. When I asked one of them what he thought of the Palestine First and Islamists agenda he replied "This is all B.S, before we even think of Palestine we need to fix this place up”.

Most Jordanians share this view I think and the attitude of the youth towards elections, candidates and reform in the country is best summarized by the posture and look of this man.

"At a rally for a tribal candidate with hundreds of participants dancing to nationalistic songs , the man to me symbolizes the political apathy Jordanians feel."

Young Turk

Badly-written article, but it has great content. Ya3teek el 3afeyeh. =D

I’m too worried now.

Cypher

cool name

Jor.in.Lith

I agree with @young turk: badly written yes. I mean the content doesnt really go well with the photography and the writing style it is “rakeek”. The ideas presented are interesting though n are worth circulating around.

Ya3teek el 3afyeh!
Regards from Lithuania
cypher

Could be mistaken but I think the fact that the captions are not separated from the photos is causing some confusion, or it could be that I am simply a bad writer. thanks though guys , much appreciated.
http://www.facebook.com/shaden.abdulrahman Shaden Abdul-Rahman

I enjoyed reading what Nasser had to say about the campaigns and his personal analysis was right on most of the time!

Thanks a lot for sharing this on 7iber.
Hamzeh N.

Small correction to something mentioned twice in the article:

Khalil Atiyyeh received the highest number of votes in Amman (13,238), but he did not receive the highest number of votes in the country. Mijhim Al-Sqour in Irbid’s 7th district (the Northern Jordan Valley) did with 15,326 votes.

Thanks
Basharabukhader

badly written and the content is not researched; with zero intellect
Lina

Really enjoyed it! you’re absolutely right on so many points!
Ilhaam

wow, are all the people here who are commenting “badly written – zero intellect” maybe following one of the parties who have been criticised in the article?! even if you argue that the writer still has some skills to learn, he had so many important points – thank you! i appreciate your work!
mailman

wicked messages in the lines be careful people

AmT

I agree..! very offensive messages too..!

Youse80809

the scary part is when non-Palestinians, both Arabs and Muslims, consider Palestine “another country.” This contradicts a 1400-years-old unbreakable bond, political and religious, between Arabs and Muslims from all walks of life and the holy land.

The issue of identity is such a fake one it often reeks of shallowness, hidden agendas, and neo-tribalism. Instead of defining Jordanian identity through civic duty, respect for the law, innovation, volunteerism, humanitarian outlook, we boil it down to those who care for Palestinian human rights and those who don’t. That someone should worry about campaign slogans that show concern for justice and human rights bet it for Palestinian or Iraq or even Gypsies in France shows an amateurish outlook on identity politics.

cypher

I suggest you read the article again, I clearly stated that there is nothing wrong with caring or championing Palestinian causes, my objection was for Palestinian issues to be the focal issue on which candidates run on.

here is a link to our project on Gaza.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/365amfilm/365-am-documentary

http://twitter.com/Omar_S_Hafez Omar S. Hafez

You clearly don’t get it, do you?Leaving the 1400 year-old unbreakable bond aside, has anyone told you before that Palestine used to be under the Jordanian rule for quite some time before they got separated?This alone means that: A) The bond between the Palestinian and Jordanian peoples is way bigger than your narrow-mindedness can imagine.And:B) If Palestine was not an appropriate focal issue on which a candidate can run, then I really don’t know what is.

cypher

interesting that the only bond is islamic , no? only 1400 years?

here are several things that could be a focal point of a candidates platform,

1- being one of the poorest ten countries in the world in water resources, maybe a lil something on that?

2- the unemployment levels ? the fact that we live in the most expensive city in the arab world?the inflation rate? the taxes that no one seems to know where they go? the education system that has been falling apart for the last two decades? government and social corruption? the rise of violence in society at large and at universities in particular?the failed child foster system? the cancer rates? the fact 50% plus of kids in school smoke? poverty in the south? the failure of the industrial zones? our national debt?

AmT

The worst possible view of the elections, arrogant, very much tribal, and atrociously anti-religious, or at least anti-muslim.

7iber.com is turning into a very anti-religious tribune..!

Khalil Atieh got the most votes in the country because he gives so much to the people in the refugee camps.

The people in refugee camps are homeless. Refugee camps are not homes! Getting your political rights does not mean you are at home. Most of these refugees fled Jordanian land in the west bank, to Jordanian land in the east. Remember? Jerusalem was a part of Jordan before 1967..! That is when they got their Jordanian citizenship! before 1967 in Palestine (or call it Jordan, I don’t mind)..! How ignorant can someone be?

You speak about Islam in a very disrespectful manner. I accept when Muslims are labeled as Islamists in the west. But What is the religion of 95% of Jordanian people? Aren’t we all Islamists?

cypher

correction, in ref to most of the people who voted for Khalil , it was their parents who became refugees in 1967 not them. I use the term Islamists to refer to those who want to run the country on Islamic rules and regulations exclusively .

AmT

Little boy, you cannot prance around with your little Nikon, take mediocre pictures, add a couple of uninformed, biased, extremist points to it and be happy that a mediocre-content website with similar views published you.

The price of your camera would feed two refugee camp families for two months, and they would have extra.

Now I would love it if you can rent a room in a refugee camp, and see if the kind of life you have there is suitable for a human being. These people were kicked out when our Jordanian army lost the west bank. They lost their spacious homes, and farms and streets on which their children and grandchildren were to grow up. Whether it is the people themselves or their grandchildren, they have the right to want to return to their villages and cities and to aspire for much more than a refugee camp. If they want to vote for someone who is one of them, I salute them.

The Muslim party is one to be respected. It is the only real opposition in Jordan. If you are a believer in democracy then you should accept that democracy mean the opinion of the majority rules. I hate to break it to you, but even though not all Muslims have long beards, all real Muslims want this country to be ruled by what God Almighty demands in the Quran, and what our dear Prophet (PBUH) orders. This will comes as a very basic principle in their faith, which is that the Quran is God’s message. If they believe in the Quran, then they believe that Islam is for all times and places and that Islam is what should govern their lives. Democracy in this country means that the law of Sharia will be followed. Without Islamic parties, without beards and frowns, this is what any true Muslim wants, what the majority wants.

Try to inform yourself more about the people of your country. Let people see more in you than a spoiled, uninformed, Palestinian hating, Muslim fearing bloke.

cypher

My mediocre photography is featured on the world best camera maker, leica, own website. Never mind that I am the only photographer to be featured more than once and that I am one of only two Arabs who have had their work featured, the other being my partner at Immortal.But I guess you know more about photography.

http://blog.leica-camera.com/interview/nasser-kalaji-beyond-documenting-the-arab-hip-hop-movement/

http://blog.leica-camera.com/interview/nasser-kalaji-“my-photography-is-rapping-through-images-”/

I spend most of my days in such areas shooting and working , so trust me I am very aware of these conditions. my objection is for the heavy focus on having a better future for citizens of this country somewhere else. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to solve the Palestinian issue and its many problems, thats why we are involved in this

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/365amfilm/365-am-documentary

I am very aware of what” real” muslims and the concept of majority rule, after all, Bush was elected not once but twice.

People have turned to Islam because of the frustrations of everyday life, the failure of civil society to cater to its citizens basic human needs , reeks on the street.. And I seriously dont think that the early believers or their mothers would , based on the actions of Omar and Salahaldeen in relation to people of other faith, would condone that type of Islamic thinking advocated by most Islamic parties of today.Such as that banner.

Amt1

Do you really want to be on Bush’s side? Americans know now they were wrong TWICE..! Anyway, It seems you get your information on Islam from Fox news, it’s all very much stereotypical.

As for your snapshots, I think more Arabs should be sending leica, they seem to be quite lenient. Alright, you may be a good photographer, but I don’t like the ones here, but that really was not the main point.
Amt1

First, Palestine is not somewhere else, Jordan and Palestine are one people, separated by force. Al Karak is closer to Al Khalil than Amman is, and our grandparents used to travel freely to and from. This nationalism, as opposed to unifying thought is deadly! Tribalism is a much bigger driving force to the feelings of Palestinians being rejected from Jordanian life, for the sake of the tribes, than the force of hard living conditions. So in any case it’s not their fault, and there’s nothing wrong about wanting to free Palestine from Israeli occupation. In fact, even tribal slogans should stress that!

There is a bad message in your speech about my religion. You talked about the Islamist party in a very disrespectful manner, especially when you talked about the 1500 years ago thing. Nobody attacks a Christian if he wants to follow a 2010 year old religion, so you must watch your language.

Also, after displaying the not so nice banner, you go and caption another snapshot with “A Christian mother embraces a Muslim”. Ok that is lovely, but your message is.. look at the muslims and look at us… we’re nicer human beings.. this is a very extremist point of view… not good for any society, especially a muslim one..!
cypher

wow the assumption you make my man,

first of all I am a muslim and that attack is on Islamists not the religion.

secondly i am going to repost something because you clearly did not see it.

“I think what most reader missed, in ref to the Palestine issue being so dominant, is that I dont criticize these feelings and aspiration, God knows that if the situation was switched, I too would feel the same.

My criticism however was directed at us as a civil society and Government because of our failure as Jordanian ( regardless of origin) to make a significant segment of our society feel at home. These feelings and sentiments are found in areas where there is high levels of poverty and unemployment, where basic services like health, sanitation, education are seriously flawed. My argument is that because of our failures in providing for these people what is logically expected from us , they have given up on us and thus the appeal of a better future in this country sounds very foreign to them .”

And I would certainly take the opinion of the best camera makers in the world, who are going to publish my work in the elections , over yours, with all due respect.
Moab

the only one extreme around here appears to be you, AMT1 …. how on earth did you reach the conclusion about the two women celebrating ….”look at the muslims and look at us .. w’re nicer human beings …. blah blah blah …” THAT is extreme thinking …. and definitely not good for any society, especially a muslim one!
cypher

Or I could be getting my information about Islam due to the fact that I am a muslim and I have lived here for all my life ?
Amt1

A muslim who stands on bush’s side..! intriguing..!

My argument is still valid, meaning that the message you are conveying is still the same even if you are a muslim.. You attack the 1500 year old “customs” so you attack the religion not the islamists…!

I’m not the only person who sees the wickedness of your speech.. and the sheer arrogance in your approach..

and i don’t really give a damn about the photos.. i just don’t like them! it’s a free country! i can do that..!

I would rather judge your thought based on the original article, and not the patched up comment you included..
cypher

My exact words were ” in adherence to what the organizers think is Islamic customs than go back 1500 years, these women were quarantined in a separate section at the venue.”

the point I was trying to make is that these customs are not Islamic, after all khadija was an integral part of the prophets life , she was his boss, she had many business contacts with different men, she was his love , his confidant and his advisor. she was an active women who played a massive role in early Islamic history so for the new age Islamists to isolate women in this manner and claim it is Islamic is wrong.

secondly ,I made that point , the fact that I am attacking the conditions that lead to this sort of hopelessness in the country several times in the original article.

you can love or hate my photos all you like buddy, but I am too entitled to answer your opinion.

that picture with the angry stares was taken with a 24 fixed lens, which means there is no zoom , which means I had to position my self right in front of them to take that image. would like to see you try and do that.
http://twitter.com/Omar_S_Hafez Omar S. Hafez

For the sake of being honest, the part where you talked about Khadija (radya Allahu 3anha) is something that I would certainly agree with.
http://twitter.com/Omar_S_Hafez Omar S. Hafez

>”My mediocre photography is featured on the world best camera maker, leica, own website.”Sad to you tell this, but nobody really cares about that ya know. At least not on this page.Furthermore, it seems that your standards upon which to decide which is a mediocre photo and which is not are only limited to the physical quality, and this is quite stupid, in my humble opinion.
cypher

I would rather not start with the name calling and the insults, so kindly disagree with me all you want just stay away from calling me names.

The standard by which I judge myself is the industry, when the best in it chose to work with you , then you know . Hope it happens to you in whatever work you do.
http://twitter.com/Omar_S_Hafez Omar S. Hafez

Oh, I think you should at least pay a little more attention to what you’re reading, sir.
I was calling you names. I was saying that your STANDARDS are stupid.

Get it? your STANDARDS are stupid. Not YOU.
cypher

http://blog.leica-camera.com/guest-blog-post/nasser-kalaji-documents-the-jordanian-election/
cypher

Also , what you said is totally wrong and frankly stupid ,

Movement, courage, guts, heart, are all central parts of taking a good photo. how you stand, how close , where you chose to stand , all very important.

If it was not you would have seen at least one other photos similar to this one, in terms of approach and proximity , and the fact of the matter is , no one covering the Jordanian elections ,took such a picture , except for yours truly .

M.B.

I recently watched a 1995 french film called “La Haine” which means “The Hate” and it tries to analyze the Identity issue within the French society. A very interesting quote that is repeated throughout the film is:

“Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good… so far so good… so far so good. How you fall doesn’t matter. It’s how you land!”

It’s very clear that we are falling, I hope some will wake up before we land.

cypher

Its one of the best films I have ever seen.

Diala

This is a criticism of the only people who voted to someone who defends a cause they share!
The search for Zion? What’s with the title?
Islamists vote for people who share their goals and Palestinians vote for someone who shares their sorrows and aspirations.. Are those the ones we should be making fun of?
I have a huge amount of respect for the Islamic party, even though I do not share any of their ideas..!
Diala

This is a criticism of the only people who voted to someone who defends a cause they share!
The search for Zion? What’s with the title?
Islamists vote for people who share their goals and Palestinians vote for someone who shares their sorrows and aspirations.. Are those the ones we should be making fun of?
I have a huge amount of respect for the Islamic party, even though I do not share any of their ideas..!

cypher

So there is nothing wrong with people who support Islamists who hang intimidating , racist banners in front of churches.

Bob

dang, you must be a while American or Israeli to make such stupid generalizations

cypher

thank you for your critical insight.

Bob

your shallow generalizations are far more insightful…DUH!
cypher

dude, you misread my comment, nowhere did I say that this behavior is that of the majority .
Bob

dude, of course you did. go read your own article. it reeks with restrained hatred.
Bob

dude, of course you did. go read your own article. it reeks with restrained hatred.
cypher

highlight where u think i have made such generalization, cause going over it again , there was no such thing.
mailman

and you think your beliefs are common?
cypher

no sir , I dont.
mailman

so you believe the majority are wrong and you are right and you wish that people are civilized like you ?
cypher

huh?

Dina

Cut the guy some slack. The text is normally written, and it’s not supposed to be an interesting thriller! There are a few things one would disagree with but in general he is right, as much as Palestine is an important issue to all of us it cannot be the only thing someone has when running for the parliament. The parliament basically does nothing of value, so let’s not pretend that by wining the elections any guy will get us all back home.
Arabiyeh

Actually, regardless of “style”, he made some very good points. Most of the slogans were actually meaningless and just playing on the “sympathy” of the masses, exploiting religion, Palestine, or just plain meaningless like “na3am sa7ee7. kol el e7teram”… That banner next to that church is especially offensive; Christians are a mere 6% in the country but they are not invisible (or are they?). And as for “Al-Islam howa el-7al”, again what about the 6% Christians in the country?? Besides, last time I checked Jordan had a constitution.
Rawan

I applaud you, sir. WORD to everything you said. I am baffled by all the commenters giving bad reviews; they either do not understand what’s written or are supporters of this fiasco. I, for one, thought it was *very* well written, thank you for speaking the truth.
Haters to the left!
http://twitter.com/ahmad_hamdan Ahmad Hamdan

so if people supported Palestine it will be a problem for you and no wonder we can’t get a piece of that land back. honey as you want people to put the slogans you like they are also allowed to put the slogans they like. the problem in Palestine is affecting every Arabic country in one way or another and shame on every Arabic, Muslim, Christian who thinks otherwise. Whats your problem with Islam is the answer, Al-Sahabeh followed it and they were able to build the greatest nation ever, if it wasn’t for Islam the answer Omar Bin Al-Khatab couldn’t free Palestine, “نحن قوم أعزنا الله بالإسلام فمتى ما إبتغينا العزة بغيره أذلنا “. and on a related note Since you have a problem with the slogan about Islam being near a church because it’s disrespectful, i will be waiting for a post by you showing how disrespectful it’s to open a night club or bar near a mosque or why such places are allowed in a country whose both religions(Islam and Christianity) are against such places.

Dina

A pub or a bar is not a direct attack from one religion to another, how can you even begin to compare that to a slogan about Islam being the solution put right in front of a church? And tanian, if the pub did not have people going in then it would have closed, meaning sha3bak kolo byishrab. And i’d also like to get your attention to that fact that not all human beings are religious, and just like you have a right to park in the middle of the street and pray then others have the right to go to whatever place they want.

guest

it is indeed an attack..! a slogan about islam in front of a church is an attack! Hell, woman! did you ever see how close the church and the mosque are in al abdali? should there be a christian only area around churches??

Sha3bek mu kullo byeshrab… bas ma3arfek yimken..!

guest

sorry i mean ” a slogan about islam in front of a church is an atack??”

cypher

a slogan telling the worshippers of another religion that they are wrong and to imply that they responsible for the conditions that we live in , in front of their own place of worship is not offensive ? on what planet?
guest

ba3eed.. tool 3umro sot il adan bidawi bil kana2es fi 3amman wil quds kaman.. 2u tool 3umro sot il 2ajras bidawi bil masajed…

mafi mushkileh min hai il shi3arat 2u wen ma tkoon tkoon..! kul wa7ad ilo jumhooro 2u hai dimoqratieh…
Dina

Yes true we have churches 2 meters away from mosques and i have nothing to say on that, but go read what that slogan was and tell me if it’s fine. ‘Al islam howa al 7al’.. i never knew there was a problem in the first place that any religion could solve. there you go.
guest

Al Islam Howa Al 7al….. tab3an!

3ala kullen al islam howa al 7al does not mean that christians converting to islam howa al 7al..! I really hope people do not think that is what it means…!!

Al Islam howa al 7al… shi3ar mawjood fi kul il tajamo3at il 2islamieh.. bi ma3na ino.. tarkna lal qawaneen il wad3ieh… wa rojoo3na la il shari3a illi 3imlat minna 2ummeh mo7tarameh.. howa il 7al…

Al Islam howa al 7al… ya3ni tatbeeq il zakat… tu3′ni il fuqara2…

Al Islam howa al 7al… ya3ni tazweej il shabab… yuqallel 2illet il 2adab…

Al Islam howa al 7al… ya3ni nib3ed 3an inno nfarre2 ben ba3ad hada salti 2u hada karaki…

it is really a very broad slogan…!! This is only partly what it means..!

It does not target christians… regardless of what this stupid guy wanted..
Dina

2ummeh mo7tarameh? oh i wish i had those frames you’re looking at the world through.
cypher

Dont you just love broad slogans like that?

the solution in the most expensive arab city , with increasing inflation and unemployment where a salary of 800 $ is considered poverty line income, is for more young people to get married , so that they increase the financial burden on themselves and their future children and because having 8 people living in two bedrooms is always healthy,lets get more people married because the divorce rate in this country is only 55% and we seriously need to increase that level, 3eib .

lets stay away from discriminating a karaki from a salti , as long as we do it to liberals, seculars, christians , leftist and anyone that does believe that Islam is the solution.

cypher

You obviously did not bother reading the article properly , I clearly states “The aspiration to return to a homeland different to the one where the voters and candidates live and practice their political rights, is not problematic, but for it to be the focal point on the platform of candidates is.”

also my production company is heavily involved in this project about Gaza .

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/365amfilm/365-am-documentary

and you are right bars should not be open besides mosques or churches or schools, however that has nothing to do with a political banner being posted infront of a place of worship. if a christian party did that , I would object to it.
Mahas822

“if it wasn’t for Islam the answer Omar Bin Al-Khatab couldn’t free Palestine” He freed Palestine from what exactly?the rule of its original inhabitants?

guest

hmm.. the rule of the roman empire.. not the original inhabitants.. the roman empire treated all the people it conquered as slaves.. except for those who were “true romans” it’s like they had a “roman passport” in today’s terms.. the inhabitants were actually happy for the new rule.. the jizieh was much less than the roman taxes they had to pay..
they saw the true islam and embraced it…
Educate yourself…

cypher

Much like Bush liberated Iraq from Saddam?

guest

lol..! tamaman.. fata7 fire3 la sijen abu ghreib..! mishan illi 5alagak roo7 ifta7 ktab gabel ma ykoon 3indak “2ara2″
insa inno il 3′arbyeen nafshom byish-hadulo.. ya 3ammi it3allamlak shwai..
ba3den iza bte3raf 3an wasaya il rasool salla allahu 3alahi wa sallam 2u qawaneen il 7arb fil islam…
ba3den kul il dwal il 3othma lazem titwassa3.. hada min shuroot 7ayatha.. il muhim 2usloob il tawaso3 2u taree2et il ta3amol ma3 il sukkan…!

arabiyeh

The two examples are not very similar. One is blatant expressed provocation; How would you feel if a Christian candidate posted a sign saying “Christianity is the solution” at the entrance to a mosque? I’m sure you would be offended, no? Beliefs are personal so why not leave them out of the elections?… The banner is exactly in front of the gate of the church telling Christian church-goer’s that “Al-Islam howa el 7al”.

As for alcohol and bars, I dont think anyone will be standing at a door of a mosque selling alcohol.. By the way, I don’t drink, and I don’t go to bars, and I couldn’t care less if all the bars in the country closed. Actually that would be better…. So, how is the fact that there is a bar in the same street as a mosque related to that banner?
arabiyeh

regarding : “Whats your problem with Islam is the answer, Al-Sahabeh followed it and they were able to build the greatest nation ever,” >> My problem is that Jordan has a constitution… Mish m3abi 3eno el dustour el-Ordoni?? so if you could kindly explain what that candidate even means by that slogan: solution for what? Is he suggesting tearing up the constitution and imposing Sharia law like Iran?

guest

our constitution says.. al islam deen il dawleh..! LOL

so nirja3 lal constitution.. ma mniz3al.. bas 3a fikra.. dustoorna il quran wil sunneh.. mish kalam il faransieen..

Arabiyeh

True… Because the Muslims are the majority. But the constitution recognizes people pf other religions as well. Dustourna is the Jordanian constitution w be3aref el 7uqouq wel wajebat lal jamee3, regardless of religion. `Al Quran wel sunneh is your “personal belief” as a Muslim. Those are 2 different things.. Matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance only are left the religious courts (both Muslim and Christian). So again, dostourak w dostouri w dostourna kolna is the Jordanian Constitition…

Article 6 (i) Jordanians shall be equal before the law. There shall be no discrimination between them as regards to their rights and duties on grounds of race, language or religion.
(ii) The Government shall ensure work and education within the limits of its possibilities, and it shall ensure a state of tranquillity and equal opportunities to all Jordanians.

Article 102 * The Civil Courts in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan shall have jurisdiction over all persons in all matters, civil and criminal, including cases brought by or against the Government, except those matters in respect of which jurisdiction is vested in Religious or Special Courts in accordance with the provisions of the present Constitution ** or any other legislation in force.

Article 103 (i) The Civil Courts shall exercise their jurisdiction in respect of civil and criminal matters in accordance with the law for the time being in force in the Kingdom, provided that in matters affecting the personal status of foreigners or in matters of a civil or commercial nature which in accordance with international usage are governed by the law of another country, such law shall be applied in the manner designated by the law.

(ii) Matters of personal status are those which are defined by law and in accordance therewith fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Sharia Courts where the parties are Moslems.

guest

No, not just because Muslims are the majority. Saying that Islam is the religion of the state means that we are not a secular state. The west has a Christian majority, but they are secular. Even Turkey is secular.

Islam being the religion of the state means that it is a source of jurisdiction.

Sharia does not disallow man-made rules by the ruler that are suitable for a current state. However, the Quran and Sunnah have a higher authority since they are the reference.

Sharia (not just our constitution) recognizes people of other religions.
So, my (and I’m sure many others’) constitution can be summarized in:
وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهوا

As for a constitution that allows bars, and Tiesto and g-like parties then God be my witness I do not accept it. Hopefully, in the future we will have a parliament that can make amendments, for our constitution to be more consistent with: Al-Islam deen al dawlah.

I don’t need the preaching with the articles..! Thank you very much!
arabiyeh

All of what you said still does not make a banner saying “Islam howa el 7al” at the gate of a church OK, simply because it is clear provocation of the church-goers. Again if the situation were reversed and the banner were in front of a mosque saying “Al-Masee7iyeh hiya el 7al”, I’m sure you would take it offensively.

Bars, Tiesto, and these parties you refer to are not Christian either.. So its not about deen el dawla.. Its about ethics.. That is the point… Later..
guest

Lol..! later? no now!

who said bars and parties are Christian? I’m only the saying the constitution allows it while sharia doesn’t and therefore, I’m against it.

Second, the banner is not the nicest thing, I agree, but dustoorek ma byimna3..! (daleel 2a5ar 3ala 2inno il dustoor il insani qaser, because sharia does not allow such provocation.. and i’m against it) so deal with it, just like i’m dealing with bars and parties..!
arabiyeh

The constitution allows it because it leaves room for “expression” that would include common sense and personal decisions and being held accountable for them…

Like you said, the banner is not the nicest thing, therefore that candidate’s common sense (if he has any) and if he had any understanding of his own religion should have both gave him an indication that what he is doing is not really the nicest thing. The fact that dustoori ma bymina3 does not negate ethics… Whats the use of his belief in the Qur’an and sunneh and sharia law which as you said does not allow such provocation, if he does it anyway? So much for his faith….

For the record, I’m dealing with bars and parties too, but after all they are free to drink and we are free not to participate. Thats why I still don’t think you can compare the banner with the bar. But then again, we can just agree to disagree… Happy Eid.
Arabiyeh

Bottom line is ethics and mutual respect of others even if they have different beliefs. If he does not have them as a part of his character, no religion can force-feed this into his little head.
guest

When you talk about current, man-made law, you must always remember that it is strictly script-related. No ethics are included. Ethical perspective differs between individuals, and ethical behavior is far too dependent on the situation for a man-made law to include regulations for each case.

So the constitution does not include any “common sense” part, meaning that even if a judge in a court of law sees something as unethical, he or she cannot judge except for within the constitution, which is intrinsically incomplete.

If YOU have any understanding of your own religion, you should be very upset with the mere existence of night clubs, and what not. Our religion does not accept the idea of: “You can open a bar in the countries of Islam.” They are not free to drink! Muslims being ruled in an Islamic state are NOT free to drink, but according to Sharia, Christians can, within their own religion’s teachings (which, by the way, does not allow them to get drunk).
guest

The mere existence of these places in an Islamic community is far much more painful to a true Muslim’s feelings, than a stupid temporary and opportunist slogan, is to a Christian. A few weeks from now, nobody would even remeber those stupid signs.

It does not matter if they do not sell Khamr in front of a mosque, the existence of such places, and the dangers it produces to the faith of a Muslim, being tempted by sexually uninhibited women, and what he imagines the lives of his children would be in a promiscuous, Godless, society are the actual “unethical” problems.

It is painfully funny to hear a Muslim woman who reads the verses that disallow the use of alchohol and who (hopefully) knows about how the Muslim society was run by our Prophet (PBUH) and who (hopefully) understands that Islam is for all times and places, it is painful to hear such a woman creating her own set of regulations, just because she feels they are politically correct.

Since you are so, pro-Christian, you may really want to check out what sort of ideology is fed to the minds of Christian youth in camps like Jelaad; not much “ma7abbeh” spreading out in there. You should also inform yourself about the techniques used by American, and European “Tabsheerieen” living in our own country!
guest

Then again, our Quran says: “ولن ترضى عنك اليهود ولا النصارى حتى تتبع ملّتهم”
so for your own sake, be careful if you find yourself extra-accepted, as when you die, it will be God who judges you, not Jordanian constitution.

Christians in Jordan are a very strong and rich minority. Finances for churches, for example, comes from Europe. (Imagine what would happen if Muslim gets finances for a mosque from outside!) Christians are represented in the parliament by a percentage that is higher than their population percentace. They are strong, and very close to the Ruler.

So don’t try to beg for sympathy. I said the sign is not good, period.

Islam is the basis of our ethics, not political correctness. Your (probably) globalized upbringing, is misguiding you.

If you are saying the slogan holder does not have respect for others, then to some extent I agree. I mean there is no street in Jordan where only Christians pass, and the picture might have shown a deliberate perspective, who knows, maybe there is a mosque 100 feet away!

If however, you are preaching ethics and mutual respect to me! then, you are in no position to talk to me like that. If you have nothing nice to say, then keep your discussion related to things, not people.
arabiyeh

I am not preaching ethics to you. I am talking about moron who posted the sign. I am saying that the fact that there is no law saying “it is not allowed to post inflamatory signs in locations that can be interpreted as “attack” ” does not mean it’s OK. And I am speaking as a Jordanian Christian, who would be offended if I have to enter that church every Sunday and read the sign. Again the “they/we” complex. We are all one people, you know.
arabiyeh

By the way, you are making VERY BROAD generalizations about Christians… For one thing I am one of them, so:
- not all of us Christians drink. I hardly ever drink even though I am allowed to (and neither does anyone in my family), and if I do its just a sip in rare social occasions, and never ever ever to get drunk. Thats disgraceful.
- not all of us Christians go to bars. Personally, I think they are disgusting places, and just an attempt to blindly copy the west because some people think thats “cool”.
- some Muslims I know drink
- some Muslims I know go to bars
- drinking, going to bars and promiscuous behavior is not restricted to a certain religion. I know of SEVERAL Muslims who display not so “polite” behavior, and the same goes for some Christians. Having a religion does not automatically equal ethics. Thats why I am saying bringing religion into politics and trying to use it to fix problems becomes force-feeding which can back-fire. If you have no conviction, it would be just an act and hypocrisy (which is already sadly the case), just to preserve “appearances” of a conservative society.
- not all of us Christians are “strong and filthy rich”. we are normal people who have to work and get up every morning just like you and make a living.
- not all finances for churches come from Europe (assuming you can prove that in the first place). Church goer’s donate to the church. Jordanian people who are well off donate to churches as well. It’s not a conspiracy theory
- Tabsheer is not allowed by law in Jordan anyway!
- I know a Muslim sheikh who gets finances to build mosques from the states so if there is one then there must be more. Besides whats wrong with that? Its donations!
- If you have an issue with the percentage we get in Parliament, well I guess you should take that up with the authorities. and why is that a problem for you anyway?
guest

If you go to what I said before, my problem is with muslims who drink and who go to bars, and my problem is the existence of promiscuous places, in a community which labels itself as Islamic.. when these things are not allowed in Islam..!

Indeed, I am talking broadly. You do not have to explain to me whether you drink or not, you don’t owe me an explanation. It seems you and I have more thought in common than I do with a lot of Muslims, I respect you for your ideas.

However, as a Muslim, I do firmly believe that religion is not to be seperated from politics.

Good behaviour is not restricted to a certain religion. In fact, if our community had “true” christians and “true” muslims, there would be no problems with bad behaviour! All Jordanian have religions on their IDs, but not all of them are religious, I think we both agree on that point.

Tabsheer is not allowed by Jordanian law, but I know an American one who lives next to my uncle, so go figure!

What’s wrong with a muslim who tries to get donations is that they are always thought to be “suspiciously related” to terrorists.. that’s the problem!

I am not a supporter of appearances i agree with all of what you said about hypocrisy.. I am talking about ideals.. things to strive to make the community reach.. instead of the hatred messages that the article writer proposed with his captions and tribal thought.

You can’t deny that christians in Jordan are generally well-off.. there’s nothing wrong with that.. but I do not accept people suggesting that the likes of the slogan up there is everywhere.. we do not have oppressed people here..
arabiyeh

Ok, now I can say we agree. And I never said Christians are oppressed. That’s not true. I just think our society is eroding from within and is pretending to be conservative because of appearances. I would rather that people were authentic instead of being so because “they are expected to” or “forced to” or because of “honor” or “reputation” or “law”. Thats my whole point. Being a decent human being out of conviction is alot more poweful than being a decent human being out of fear. It was nice having this discussion with you, and I also respect your opinions although we might not necesarily see eye to eye on all the issues. Good night and Happy Eid once again.
arabiyeh

I am not pro-Christian. I AM Christian, and that doesn’t make me any less Jordanian than you are so enough with the “they”. and “we”. You seem to have a problem with Christians now? That’s very “interesting”!
guest

I never even slightly insinuated that being Christian makes you less Jordanian, and stating facts does not mean I have any problem with Christians. I just thought you were Muslim, my bad. I said, continuously, after all, that the slogan is not appropriate, though, legal!

The “we” and “they” is just an indicator of the different religions in Jordan, we are people of different faiths living together, there’s nothing wrong with discussion related to the different faiths how, then should how else I refer to Muslims in Jordan using “it”?!

Mish jayeb min 3indi ino il dustoor be7ki il Islam deen il dawleh mathalan.. If you have a problem with that, your problem is not with me..! Wala jayeb min 3indi ino il tamtheel il niabi 2a3la min il nisbeh bil sha3eb..! these are facts you can check yourself..!

Now, you can understand why Muslims have problems with bars and such.. regardless of the fact of whom I thought I was talking to.. the essence is still the same..!

When an Arab goes to the west they accept the rules of the west while living there, building mosques with minarets is not allowed in the whole western part of Europe..! Can you believe that? Most people look at the west and aspire to become like they are. Our inter-faith communication and living conditions are to be taught in the west.. but that does not make us less of a Muslim community..!
arabiyeh

When I said “we” and “they” before I was referring to people who drink vs people who don’t drink. When you replied you referred to “we” and “they” as Chrisitans and Muslims. I guess we were referring to different things so I took it sensitively, especially since I’m a Christian, but I’m a Jordanian first, so I’m sure you can understand why I would hate to be referred to as “they”.

About Muslims in the West, they are allowed to convert non-Muslims; in Jordan by law tabsheer is not allowed and apostasy is not allowed. In Saudi Arabia churches are not even allowed. In the west, the fact that a mosque is built (with or without a minaret) is actually something, wouldn’t you agree? Christians in Saudi Arabia or Iran or in the Middle East in general (in varying degrees) in my opinion have to make more sacrifices than a Muslim in the West, due to the West being secular and the Middle East being Muslim. Christians in Jordan have equal rights ensured by law, but it saddens me when the mentality of the “common man” shows through like that banner that guy posted in front of the church. You called it freedom of expression which is true but its also an indicator of something. Granted its not a “general” phenomenon, but this mentality exists here and there.
arabiyeh

and its dangerous when a person who in my opinion meant to be provocative by posting that banner in that particular location is running for parliament and assumes he and his mentality represent “the general population”. Now that is scary.
guest

it is dangerous i agree, but we can’t be sure he meant it.. we don’t even know if the candidate even knew were “his people” hung this sign…! it certainly does not represent the population.. Well, Iran and Saudi Arabia are not really sharia places either.. believe you me..! it’s just facades.. this is not what I would ever want..! but muslims don’t have it easy in the west.. remember the mosque thing in NY and the quran burning fiasco..? Anyway.. I’m glad we reached a conclusion where we agree on most things..! Thanks you for your wishes..! Enjoy the holiday!
arabiyeh

Here’s an example to show you what I’m talking about regarding “stupid common man” mentality: http://www.assawsana.com/portal/newsshow.aspx?id=36480

This was when a group of Jordanian Muslim men went and presented flowers to a church in Amman in response to the idiot Terry Jones who was threatining to burn the Qur’an. I was so proud of these Jordanian Muslim men because their behavior shows that they understand that Jordanian Christians are not an extension to a crazy fanatical nut job in America who dares to call himself a Christian…

Now, after you read the article, scroll down and read the comments: Start with comment number 3 and go down further. Can you feel the hate? I could. More “mentality”. That too for me is scary.
guest

Oh Shit! Now I understand why you find it scary!

Those comments are from very stupid and cowardly people! Extremism is not constrained to any religion or school of thought, there are extremist communists and extremist atheists and so on… these people are wrong..

if they were good muslims they would have known that the prophet said:
من آذى ذميّا فقد آذاني
which means whoever hurts a christian or a jew it is like he is hurting the prophet..!

But the problem is.. extremism breeds more extremism.. I mean hate is also from both sides.. from extremists on both sides.. and the voice of the right people gets silenced by the hate.. so the question is how can we stop it..?
arabiyeh

I don’t know what the solutions is. I was FURIOUS when I read those comments on that article in that link….

But maybe dialogue such as this helps. Considering Christians are only 6%, I am sure there are Jordanian Muslims who have never met a Christian in their lives and who are easily brainwashed by propaganda… (ie a Christian = Terry Jones!)… and these people would be easy targets to be brainwashed by extremists with sinister agendas.

Anyway, thank you for this conversation and I hope you understand now that I’m not one to make sweeping generalizations, but stupidity does exist and it has a voice – a loud one! That banner seemed like another example. So thats what made me comment on this link, and its nice to know that people who are intelligent, such as several of the people whose comments I have read on this thread also have a voice. Maybe intelligent people just need to make themsleves heard more often.

I assume I got my point across, and it was nice and very useful to engage in this sort of dialogue. Thank you again.. Best wishes…
Arabiyeh

One more thing came to mind that I thought I should add. Let’s say a handful of the guys who commented on that article with all the hate were passing by that same church with the banner in front of it. Due to the fact that they have ZERO understanding of their religion and what it says about how Muslims’ relationship with Christians is supposed to be this is what I imagine they will be thinking:

imaginary scenario begins: “Ok, let’s see… we have a church here, where those “koffar” like Terry Jones who burn the Qur’an pray, and we have a banner that says Al-Islam howa el 7al (so OBVIOUSLY the “koffar” have a “problem” this guy is giving them the “solution to their problem”. Yes, this guy is right! I am voting for him. It’s about time those koffar find a solution to their problem or iza mish 3ajebhom they can leave: ma bedna 7areqi el Qur’an fil balad!!”

^^^^ Now regardless of what that candidate actually meant by al-Islam howa el-7al, and regardless of if the placement of the sign was intentional, I am 100% sure that if the same guys spewing all the hate on that link about the Muslim youth giving flowers to the Abdali church passed by this church and saw the banner, something like the above would be materializing in their minds.. That to me is extremely scary. Especially since the candidates lately just put “general statements” w “3ebarat fadfadah” that can be interpreted in a million ways by a million people because many of the candidates have no definite agendas and they just want VOTES so are appealing to all the categories they can think of : women, youth, or using very general statements about Islam, or very general statements about Palestine. Maybe this guy meant no harm, or maybe he did, I don’t know. But when things are left very general, and the statement is placed in a context where there is another religion involved (ie a Church), he is leaving things open to interpretation, and since ppl with sick minds and zero understanding of Islam exist, then you never know where their sick, hating minds will take them upon reading his banner in that context.

guest

Thumbs up dude!

They think it’s a free country only when it comes to bars and night clubs.. but when it comes to religion.. oh hell no! they don’t want it to be free..!

and he said something about respecting Omar, which is good.. but I’m sure he ruled with sharia..!

mailman

this is a report made for certain western agencies and not for jordanians

guest

haha..! so true!
Bees2024

Absolutely right !!!

cypher

I think what most reader missed in ref to the Palestine issue being so dominant, is that I dont criticize these feelings and aspiration, God knows that if the situation was switched, I too would feel the same.

My criticism however was directed at us as a civil society and Government because of our failure as Jordanian ( regardless of origin) to make a significant segment of our society feel at home. These feelings and sentiments are found in areas where there is high levels of poverty and unemployment, where basic services like health, sanitation, education are seriously flawed. My argument is that because of our failures in providing for these people what is logically expected from us , they have given up on us and thus the appeal of a better future in this country sounds very foreign to them .
مسلم

سبحان الله
الرويبضة تتكلم
أصبح من يتمسك بدينه “متخلفا” وأصبح كلام البشر أولى من كلام الله في بلاد المسلمين
الفاسقون يسخرون من المؤمنين والحانات والملاهي الليلية مقبولة
يحبون أن تشيع الفاحشة

لا أؤيد رفع تلك اليافطة وغيرها ولا أؤيد الاستفزاز من أي طرف

كل عام وأنتم بخير
Bees2024

“these women were quarantined in a separate section at the venue.” -> Separating audience into men section and women section is normal in Jordan and practiced everywhere by all people. Looks like you live in another country.

Strategically placed banner out side a church in the East side of the city by the same candidate reads: “Stop them, for they are responsible, Islam is the Solution.” -> This is a general Quran verse and apparently was used as a general slogan. This slogan was printed and distributed randomly all over the city. I can see the author as the only one spreading hatred taking advantage of a coincidence.

number of citizens believing and aspiring to have a better future in some other homeland -> Have you considered that almost 50% of population came from that “other homeland”, does it sound that strange their desire to go back?

Although some points in this article are valid and worth highlighting, in my opinion this article is biased and relies on a distorted interpretation of facts. It’s clear that the author hates Palestine “other homeland”, Islam, Islamists, and promotes for religions conflict.

The author wants Jordanians to only care for the simplest daily issues and overlook the threats targeting their country, Palestine, and their freedom.

cypher

1- I went to many headquarters , while there was seperation in some, the women at a candidate ( Mulslim ) just out side amman were in clear visibility and were dancing as well, they were not segregated like they are some diseased beings.

2- Not in West Amman, stuff like this will not be tolerated in West Amman , in general mutual respect dictated that banners of candidates from other religion were not hanged infront of places of worship.

3- Its the opening paragraph in my own article. my beef is with local issues missing, people are living in tough times and u got candidates talking about the mothers of the believers.

and i guess i have to keep cutting and pasting

“The aspiration to return to a homeland different to the one where the voters and candidates live and practice their political rights, is not problematic, for it to be the focal point on the platform of candidates, is.”

Bees2024

1. Have you ever considered that the women want their section divided from men? I hope you respect their choice as you respect the dancing women. Otherwise I would say you are full of hatred against other cultures! To your information, let me not go far, my mum doesn’t agree to attend a mixed-men-women wedding although my father always insists, I might disagree with my mum or my dad, but I respect their choices. Apparently you lake such respect for others with different opinions, where your opinion is always right while others are “diseased beings” or living 1400 years-ago.. Dude, show some respect!!

2. I am 100% sure that particular hanging banner was there by coincidence and not intentionally. If you think otherwise, you could gently have a small chat with the candidate requesting him to remove his banner of front of the church and explain your reasons, I am sure he will remove it and thank you for your clarification. Apparently you have zero respect for that candidate, many other candidates and many other Jordanians and have zero trust in them. You just always assume they are full of bad.

3. I might partially agree with you in this point, it’s not expected for parliament candidates to talk about wives of the prophet (not moms of the believers for your info because “mothers of the believers” means wives of the prophet). However this sheds light over the big challenges of the people living in camps; their existence and their freedom are at risk, their country is taken, their homes are crap, Jordanian nationality of their relatives are withdrawn. How could you expect form these people to overcome their big threats. They will definitely go for the candidate who serves them better in their big challenges, and I am sure “Ateyyeh” is the best one for that regardless of his slogans. Considering his past experience in the parliament, he is the best man to represent camp’s people

I will not highlight other fallacies or biased interpretation of facts in this article as it has many. What I can say it’s full of hatred and disrespect for majority’s culture. Good job!

cypher

1- You cannot compare your parents choices in a social setting to that of women role at a political rally , 30 speakers and not a single women? why? you mean to tell me in the most over crowded part of the country there is not one single women who is qualified enough to speak on political , social and economic issues?

2- thats B.S , the church as you can see from the picture is not a baqaleh, its a huge building, whoever put this there could not have missed the church.

3-how is atteyeh serving the Palestinian cause? by burning the Israeli flag? is not addressing the local issues that people face in the camps part of the fight? why not a single slogan about anything to do with Jordan or the city or the camp? ya akhi 7arir filisteen la bokra il sobo7 but that does not mean you dont address any of the local problems.

Bees2024

1. I agree with you. That’s not healthy. But that’s not a top crime that worth all of your opposition. You can simply request female representatives to make the image brighter, it’s not an issue.

2. But it can happen unintentionally. You can’t just act as if they did that ma3 sabq el2esrar watrassod!

3. I agree with you that we need better representatives in the parliament. Ateyyeh, tribal leads or Islamic parties are not qualified enough. Can’t you see it’s a common failure, so instead of targeting everybody, you need to target the reason behind this failure. You just can’t blame all individuals. For example, having a quick look at the voting mechanism, you can simply notice that it favors tribal leads.

cypher

lastly, in ref to point 2 , here is the reply of some muslim scholar to recent tensions between muslims and christians in Egypt.over the wife of a priest who wanted to leave her husband and the rumors that she had become muslim.

It is therefore, a religious duty that Muslims, who are the majority, to do the following:

First: Quickly declare, in every way and method possible, a rejection of the destructive policy adopted by the egyptian church and the state’s apathy towards it.

Second: Take Legal action by suing the Egyptian Churh, requesting that it becomes subject to the authority of Law, that it is not above it, nor can it abandon or openly violate the state constitiution. Remove all Christian Judges from their posts.

Thirdly: All muslims from now on have to boycott any Christian entity with which the Church gains its strength: until the Christians repent and come to their senses, most important of which are:

1- Pharmacies – Hospitals – Private clinics operated or visited by Christians Muslims shall not buy their medicines from them, or enter them, as to not become accomplices in their crimes.

2 – Jewlery and Gold stores, most commonly owned and run by Christians in egypt.

3- Boycotting furniture stores owned by those Nasserites or frequently visited by them.

4- law, engineering and accounting firms.

5- Boycotting private schools owned and managed by them, those who stand quiet by their crimes and their Satan.

Bees2024

Reading these actions makes me laugh

As you mentioned, this is the reply of SOME muslim scholars, other scholars have completely different opinion. So please stop picking what you like and then generalize.
cypher

I am not but you are pretending that some Islamists are not a danger to our community and society and country. in my article, I am specifically addressing a certain segment of these islamists and specific actions that have a negative impact on society.

guest

Thank you very much Bees2024! I applaud you.. I actually wanted to take quotes and comment on them like you did but was too lazy!
I agree with you totally..!

easy

Great stuff
easy

Now and not tomorrow is the answer, whether it’s a Muslim or a Christian, male or female, Jordanian or Palestinian. Religion simply cannot be the answer to all the problems that we face in the 21st century. None of the leading countries in the world use their religion as a solution to economical, political, social issues. They tend to use what God has blessed them with and has given it each and every one of us; it sits in the head just behind what the eyes can see, and from what I can see it actually got them to the moon while we are still sitting waiting for the big bang to happen.

The writer felt that this issue should be addressed to the people; felt that taking pictures of the elections would illustrate what the situation is like, he was actually brave enough to stand and speak up on the behalf of many people who don’t have the guts to do what he did. I suggest saving energy and time criticising him and would urge you to try and do something about the current situation of this country before you feeling too lazy.
easy

The banners clearly highlight that some of the candidates running for parliament have the Palestinian topic as their main objective.

As a voter, as a citizen of this country and in many cases could be third generation Jordanian from a Palestinian origin was born, educated, raised, worked and married here. I would rather vote for someone who’s main agenda was to tackle everyday issues such as poverty, healthcare, and education as it a real concern for a lot of Jordanians, Palestinians, Christians, and Muslims living in Jordan. Focus on something that can actually be solved, something that would better the lives of you, me, and our children.

I am not in any way criticising anyone who wants to attempt to solve the Palestinian issue but it is not someone that I would vote for as we are clearly free falling from a building not knowing when or where we are going to land. The slogans talk about the far improbable, unpredictable, and uncertain future.

These candidates don’t address the current problems people are facing today and have used Palestine as a mere excuse to claim their vote.
easy

The majority in Jordan do hope for a better Palestine and hope for a solution and hope that someday someone from somewhere will do something about it. But that’s not the real problem in Jordan. The real problem is that the Jordanian government allows candidates to criticise other religions and claim theirs is right, for allowing someone who’s main Slogan is not to have one to run for parliament, for losing hope in its own people, for allowing someone whose vote tally doesn’t count for 0.1% of the population to be a real solution for the country.

Arabiyeh

Easy, I agree completely with every single word you said! Thank you!

Guest

and how could I not comment after all this?!

I think this type of debate is brilliant and perhaps the very point of the article I, for one, liked the article as it gave a view point not often seen or heard.

As a Jordanian living abroad I was very interested in the media coverage of the general elections – especially comparing it to the UK’s elections in May this year – I believe a lot of work was put into the organisation, presentation and execution of the elections. In today’s media dominated world lots more work is yet to be done.

However, not once did I see any information about what all the candidates stood for. Same as the slogans, banners and poster it was all catch phrases… Now, I may not have been looking hard enough, but surely at the root of an election are the policies!

Tolerance, mutual respect and belief in the greater good for all Jordan’s citizens (regardless of origin) should be in every candidate’s heart. If all policies were based on this then everyone’s a winner.

*step down off my soap box*

arabiyeh

Well put!

easy

Thank you, I find all your replies interesting, educated, and very well written.

Rather than, badly written bas by the way, ya3teek il 3afieh

arabiyeh

Thank you. I appreciate that. I think dialogue is important, ESPECIALLY where religion is concerned. I don’t know why discussing religion is considered taboo or has to be a confrontation in the Middle East. In general I truly believe religion should be personal and kept out of politics. You can’t control what people believe. Besides I’ve noticed there is a huge degree of hypocrisy in our society. What you see is not always the truth. It’s sad that we are more concerned about keeping those “conservative” appearances in a society that is eroding from within!

cypher

Thank you easy, I would like to add few more points.

1- That the candidates and their supporters actually think they can liberate Palestine, is indicative of the state of disillusion many of our people live in, candidates are actually telling their supporters that the Jordanian Parliament is stronger than the U.S congress, Israeli kennest and Lobby , THE Military Industrial Complex and the U.N ,,,,, COMBINED.

2-We can barely keep the streets clean , in areas where these candidates thrive. So Mr. Atteyeh cannot come up with programs to pick up the trash properly but he can offer ( Heaven or Palestine)

3- The Islamists I speak off, not the candidate that I covered , refused to call the victims of the Amman bombing , martyrs . Not only that , several of them went to Al Zarqawi family gathering and paid their condolences.

4-Islam, as a political system has been falling for almost 600 years, a third of its life span. more recent experiments have been nothing but a disaster , Iran, Taliban, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt to name a few.

5-Defenders will now jump on point four and claim that the reason these state failed was because what they implemented was not ” true ” Islam, adding one more version of ” true” Islam, to the ones held by 1.2 billion people in the world.

Bees2024

Let me clarify some of your wrong assumptions:

1. Liberating Palestine doesn’t mean standing against US congress, U.N, … etc. Palestine is an occupied land according to U.N and U.S laws. The quest to liberate Palestine goes in sync with U.N, U.S, and the whole international community. Please stop considering Palestine as non of our business, in fact it’s non of your business.

2. For your information Mr. Ateyeh has a program to pick up the trash the way you like it, however he has bigger and more important programs that his people are more concerned about that he choose to include to his slogan. You might not be interested in these bigger plans, so do don’t vote for him. Others care, and have the right to vote for him. So please stop acting as if these people are stupid and don’t know who to vote for. These people know Ateyyeh since years and know very well if he is good for them or not.

3. You are contradicting with your own words. What victims of Amman bombing or AlZarqawei has to do in the elections?! I guess you are the one who doesn’t want Palestine to be a slogan, so stop calling for more non-related slogans.

4. Islam is our religion, and we choose our own political system the way we like it. I guess everybody has the right to choose what is appropriate for him/her, whether you like it or not.

5. Defenders will jump and say we choose what we want to choose, this is the heart of democracy, so stop choosing for us and let us choose please.

cypher

1- Are you serious ? the U.S congress is standing with the Palestinian people? The Jordanian MP’s can deliver what the U.N has failed to deliver?

2- Where did you get this information from? that he has plans that address these issues? if he has why not include just one, not asking for more, just one banner about local issues.

3- So there is nothing wrong with MB members who went to pay their respect to a guy that killed fellow Jordanians and did not even bother going to the victims families and do the same, come on.

4- 100% and just as you have that right, I have the right to criticize it.

5- Choose whatever you want, but again dont expect me to stay silent when you choose wrong.

Bees2024

1. Yes very serious. The whole international community have recognized your rights in your occupied land. Both U.N and U.S congress identify Palestine as occupied land. I can see you are the only one opposing these rights!!

2. I got these info from previous statements by Ateyeh in previous parliament sessions. If you are interested in seeing such banners in his campaign, ask him for a permission to hang these banners under his name, I am sure he will agree and thank you for that. He might also pay you part of the cost or even all of it.

3. Absolutely wrong, totally agreed. But it has nothing to do with the elections.

4. Finally you are showing some respect. Thank you.

5. You have the right to criticize, argue, and dialogue; but you don’t have the right to deny people’s free choice or underestimate their ability to choose what’s right for them.

cypher

1- come again? the U.S congress that wants to move its embassy to the ” Israeli” capital of Jerusalem , sides with the Palestinians? and the billions of dollars they give the Israelis in the form of weapons that they use in Gaza and elsewhere is what?

2-Na3am ya khoy? let me get this straight, there is nothing odd or strange about a candidate running for the Jordanian parliament that does not have a single local issue on his banners?

3- How is this unrelated to the elections? they are the largest party in the country!!

5- where did I deny them the right to do so?

cypher

6-Islam , no doubt has many positive and constructive elements to it, however growing long beards, intimidating fellow citizens who adhere to different religious believes , and excluding women from political , social and economic contribution are hardly the kind of believes that represent the sort of Islam we need to see in the 21st century.

7- an ex-prime minister is destined to become the head of the Parliament in the next few weeks, not that I have anything against the man, but having loyalist head the Parliament is not a healthy prospect for the development of democracy and political life in Jordan. Why should we care , there are bars and night clubs in the country.

8-Steven Gerrard

9- as naseem pointed out on black-iris, there are more x ministers in the Parliament than there are members of political parties , but what do we care, there are more pressing issues , like imaginary figures who curse the mothers of the sahaba.

10- I will be releasing a video next week that contains a conversation between a man and a guy offering to buy his vote, along with another 50 votes.But never mind that, I write for western agendas.

Bees2024

You are still following with your wrong assumption:

1. Islam as a religion respects women, different religion believers, and personal choice, so does so-called “Islamists”. Long beards are personal choice that’s non of your business. You don’t have the right to judge people according to the way they dress.

7. 8. 9. 10. Not relevant.

cypher

1- Thats true in theory .

fine , corruption, the future Parliament lacking any serious opposition, and the fact that government officials are dominating the Parliament is not related to a discussion about elections .thats a nice planet, would like to visit one day.

Bees2024

1. That’s true in practice as well. You are only showing a selected and few cases then making generalizations that fulfill your goals . You need to be more fair in addressing this issue; I can show for example many cases of women and different-religion-believers respect in many aspects of Islamic behavior.

Your job in catching corruption in video and writing about lack of any serious opposition is very much respected and admired. I only disagree with the hatred against Islam, denying people’s choice in voting, the unjustified escalation of inter-religion conflict, and considering Palestine as the “other homeland on Mars”!

cypher

where did I show my hatred towards Islam? my post was very clear .I am against certain Islamists who do this country no good, just like I am against tribal leaders or leftist that do the same, my criticism included all three, I did not single out one of them.

Bees2024

You are still following with your wrong assumption:

1. Islam as a religion respects women, different religion believers, and personal choice, so does so-called “Islamists”. Long beards are personal choice that’s non of your business. You don’t have the right to judge people according to the way they dress.

7. 8. 9. 10. Not relevant.
Philip Madanat

Some observations were not found in most of the commentators on the campaigns, like the Islamist slogan hung in front of the church in eastern Amman, though I think it takes a deeper insight to come out with conclusions.
M.B.

Well I had to comment because I was deeply offended by point 8. Steven Gerrard is a great football player; and if he’d run in the next elections for the Jordanian parliament with the slogan “Jordan for the World Cup” I’d definitely vote for him. That would be much more reasonable than promising “Palestine or Heaven”, and much more relevant than the guy talking about “The mothers of Believers” and I don’t think anyone would be offended by it.

Leave Gerrard out of this discussion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27e0DF6xR04

Stratosphere

What an imbecile..!

Gharam79

I wasn’t able to explain what bothered me about this article and the discussion when I first read them. But this article represents exactly what I felt.

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/378/liberal-elite-discourse-and-the-realities-of-jordan
Nasser Kalaji

When I wrote about this MP back in November and when I posted my photos of his gathering prior to the election I was attacked from people on the Left and the right accusing me of being anti Islamic ,of being an elitist, of being anti Palestinian.That I was being biased and not objective

“It is not a surprise that these Islamists don’t venture much into explaining their aims and ideology, for its real aim is to install a vision of separation, us vs. them. Muslims vs. Christians. Liberal, secular and moderate Muslims vs. militant Muslims. One has to ponder, if these are Muslims who broke rank with the Muslim Brotherhood because they viewed the MB as too extreme, what are the visions of those Islamists?”

Feels so good to be able to say, told you so .
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Time can change most of things.
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Bahjat Tabbara

There is no consensus on how decision making and policy should be carried out in Jordan; and the current constitutional amendments are a ‘take-it’ proposition. The question is, are we ready to transition to elected governments; and the answer to that question is probably no.

Unfortunately the change (and winds of change) did not come from a willingness from the powers that be, but rather that wave of change that started in Tunisia. Whether we admit it or not, if it wasn’t for Tunisia, and Egypt, and all the clashes w/the police, we would not even be discussing political reform. Yet we shouldn’t reform because people now have broken the barrier to fight the police.

What we need is an admission of wrongs and a process of gradual reform with clear time targets. For example, a new constitution by 2018; where the PM+Cabinet (government) would be popularly elected, & where MPs are assigned by majority votes; and of course, fairer distribution.