Over the weekend, an educational conference, organized by the Konrad Adenauer
Stiftung in Jordan and the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, titled
“Christians and Christianity in the Middle East,” took place. The conference
discussed the current and future status of Christians and Christianity in the
Middle East.
اضافة اعلان
The importance of
the conference is highlighted for many reasons, the first being that it was
well-timed. As Christians are escaping violence and persecution in conflict
zones surrounding Jordan, the conference positioned Jordan as a safe and
welcoming destination marked with hospitality and grace for a conference
discussing the present and future of Christians in the Middle East. One participant
noted Jordan’s position after posing the question of whether such a conference
would be possible in other countries in the region. He concluded that it
probably was not a possibility due to intolerance, insecurity, lack of state
interest, and indifference to the plight of Christians across the region.
“Jordan has a genuine interest” in Christians and Christianity, he said.
Jordan’s aforementioned interest is confirmed by the
many policies it has pursued, from the Hashemite Custodianship of Muslim and
Christian sites in Jerusalem to the internal policies of inclusion.
Christians — referred to locally as the “salt of the land”
or the “spices of the land” — are migrating from the region in multitudes.
While some do so for economic reasons, many more escape it due to persecution.
Yet, despite all regional odds, the Christians of Jordan remained secure, safe,
and integrated.
Socially, they share tribal identities with other
Jordanians, and intermarriages are a common practice. Economically, they contribute
significantly to the economy (some estimated their business contribution to
reach 20–30 percent of the GDP). Politically their percentage of Cabinet seats
ranged between 7–14 percent, and in Parliament, they have nine seats (7
percent) allocated of the total seats in the current 19th House of
Representatives.
As Christians are escaping violence and persecution in conflict zones surrounding Jordan, the conference positioned Jordan as a safe and welcoming destination marked with hospitality and grace for a conference discussing the present and future of Christians in the Middle East.
Under the new election law, the previously allocated
nine seats have been secured. The cap was also removed, allowing them to
compete for more seats as representatives of political parties or independents
running in local districts.
During the conference, Jordan was also hailed by
senior participants and speakers as a “receiving (welcoming) country”. This
indicates that Jordan is a destination for refugees from all over the region, especially
Christians persecuted not only as part of civil wars that engulfed their
countries but also for their religious identities in conflict-torn countries
such as Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon.
On Friday, in Madaba at Kawon Café, I gave an exploratory
talk to conference participants about Christian Pilgrimage sites in Madaba and
its surrounding areas. There, I met a young Iraqi Armenian who came, alongside
his family, to live in Jordan as a final destination, cementing the notion of
Jordan being a welcoming country.
Participants also reflected positively on the fact
that many Christians were decorated by His Majesty King Abdullah during the
76th Independence Day celebrations, including Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem — who was also present at the conference and
expressed his appreciation of the gesture. Other Christian church leaders were
also decorated.
Jordan is also home to 34 discovered sites mentioned
in the Bible. In 1967 the Vatican recognized John the Baptist Church in Madaba
as a Christian Pilgrimage site; later, five more Christian pilgrimage sites
were identified and were Vatican-acknowledged. The diversity Jordan offers can
go far, and ensuring that it is presented is another highlight of the conference.
As an established destination for Christian
pilgrimage, Jordan can utilize its important position and encourage other
related types of tourism alongside religious tourism, including a Roman
cultural pilgrimage to the Decapolis and Via Nova Traiana, wellness, spiritual,
and meditative tourism, and biblical astrology to name a few.
Jordan has a story to be told, a story marking it as
a destination for faith and more.
The
writer is chairman of NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions. [email protected]
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