While I never thought I would face physical danger for not being Muslim, I admit I was unsure about how to identify religiously while on this trip: would it be better to identify as “Catholic” since I was raised as one or frankly express my atheism? Maybe I should just stay as far away from the subject as possible… So far, I’ve taken on 3 religious personas and have had similar results, albeit with different demographics. This isn’t a scientific study, so we’ll just be mindful of the added variable and look at the results anyway!
SIT frequently reminded us that Jordan’s Christian and Muslim populations live side-by-side with no trouble at all; the muezzin issues the call to prayer openly when it is time for Muslims to pray and church bells ring openly when it is time for Christians to pray; no one gets upset. I certainly believed them, but I still wanted to experience this for myself. That /is/ why I’m here after all. Perhaps the most memorable such experience I had happened last weekend on a cab ride home one evening. I introduced myself to the taxi driver and told him where I was headed and he started speaking to me in lightning-fast Arabic. I picked out one or two words, but had to laugh, mildly, and tell him “Shooay Shooay!” (“slowly”). I told him I was a student of Arabic from Venezuela (this is something else I am testing out: how do different people react based on my national origin? Still working on this one). He replied that he thought I was an Arab because I look it. I laughed and said “thank you” and said “no, I’m Hispanic, that’s why.” He then proceeded to ask if I was Muslim, to which I replied “no, I was raised Catholic.”
His response was “oh! Ahlan wa Sahlan (“Hello/greetings/welcome”) welcome to Jordan!” He shared that he was Muslim, but lived in a Christian-majority neighborhood with his family; he said “you know, in Jordan, Christian and Muslim the same, mish mushkila (“no problem”). We are friends.” He explained that there are several churches as well as mosques in Amman (though the mosques definitely outnumber the churches, given that Christians are but a 6% minority). We continued meeting halfway between Arabic and English and he told me a little about his family until I got back home.
Another relevant experience occurred my first night with my homestay family. We went to them on a Thursday (Friday here, since the workweek begins on Sunday), so my 29-year-old host brother had plans to go out with his friends. After arriving at my host home and meeting the family, I briefly unpacked and headed out with my host brother. We went to his best friend’s house to meet up with another friend and later go out for ice cream (very different from the typical “Friday night out” back home). My host brother is Muslim and his two best friends are Christian.
We went out for ice cream (Nutella ice cream, actually) and had a jolly time, but on the way back to car, I saw something else that goes to support what SIT had told us about religious difference in Jordan. My host brother and his friends started to playfully give each other a hard time and were going between Arabic and English so I went in and out of understanding, but I did manage to catch from my Muslim host brother something along the lines of “you know, guys, if you keep talking like that, I will turn you in if D’aesh (the Arabic slang for ISIS) ever comes to Jordan,” followed with a universal playful give-your-bro-a-hard-time laughter. His friends replied something like “oh yeah?! Wouldn’t expect anything less from you!” and continued walking, arms linked (linking arms is common between male friends in Amman. Homosexuality is seriously frowned upon, so this gesture to them is purely one of friendship).
I enjoyed seeing that because its one thing to have friends of a different religion and simply “respect their right to have their faith” and either just not talk about your religious differences or tread lightly when doing so that it is to befriend a person and just plain not care about what God they worship or how they do so, talking about religion openly and even joking with each other because the chance of a joke or bro-play being perceived as an insult is so low.
In an experience yesterday, I pulled out the “I don’t know if there is a God; I’m still learning and exploring” card with a cab driver who seemed really in love with Islam. Same as above, he assumed I was Arab, I explained I was Venezuelan, and he asked me if I was Muslim, so I replied with “I was raised Catholic.” He also offered a welcoming “Ahlan wa Sahlan.” He shared that he does research for a journal of some sort and that he focuses on finding connections between the Qur-An and scientific principles. He continued to tell about what he’s found, etc. and out of the blue, he inquires “who is the creator of all things?” Knowing that he was expecting me to say “God,” I replied with an “I don’t know enough about the world to know that. I’m still figuring it out.” He was very confused. I got a “What do you mean you don’t know? Who created that tree?” My response (probably a little snarkier than was due, in hindsight) was “well, whomever planted it.” He then proceeded to explain that God created the tree and all things, etc. But he was still puzzled: “but you are Catholic, you believe in God too, right?” (notice the inclusion in his word choice. We would be no different if I believed in God but called myself Catholic instead of Muslim, but not believing in Him/Her/It seemed problematic). I explained that I was /raised/ Catholic, but did not follow or practice Catholicism. I told him it was a part of my culture, not my religion (all true things). He understood.
We were silent the rest of the way, but there was no tension or awkwardness in the air. I felt as though we’d reached an understanding and were content with our conversation. When I got to school, I exited the taxi and paid him, when he offered “Go with peace, I hope I did not make you uncomfortable.” I replied “no, no! Mish Mushkila, go with peace.”
The third card I have pulled is the straightforward “I don’t believe in a God” card, but I have only ventured to do so with educated Jordanians, professors, and my host family. Everyone so far has been accepting of this difference, but I do notice a change in demeanor. I have never gotten push-back, but I feel like the conversation about religion stops as soon as I say I’m atheist. I am curious to see how an everyday person at a cafe or in a taxi would react, but I want to be more comfortable with Arabic before I put myself in that situation. Maybe I will make a future post about it.
My experiences regarding religious difference in Amman have all been positive; I have learned something from each one, and almost all of them have gone to validate the point that Muslims and Christians live side-by-side in Jordan without problem. Oh, and no, they don’t kill Christians here.
Bonus Content!
There is no religion-based violence, hatred, tension, or sensitivity, but because there is religious difference, there is religious /difference/. I don’t wish for my reflections above to seem sterile and naive. Consider, for example, that Christians are guaranteed 6 seats in the Parliament, but that’s it. Even if a Christian candidate receives more votes than a Muslim one after the 6 seats have been filled, the Christian candidate cannot win. Also, the Jordanian Constitution states that “Islam is the religion of the state,” though no part of its language makes this exclusive. There are special religious courts in which Jordanians may choose to resolve their disputes, though both parties must agree to use a religious court.
Consider also this interesting experience I had with my host brother’s friends. While we were out and about my first night here, one of my host brother’s friends received a news article via email, which they all discussed at length in the car. Needless to say, I didn’t understand a word, but they then explained in English what it was about. It turns out a local TV station was being sued for airing a satirical skit (รก la SNL) in which a woman was pretending to read a children’s book, but was actually reading a sexually suggestive story to the audience. She would read in a funny voice, as if she was reading to children, and she would stop flat before she read anything with explicitly sexual content. Imagine “once, there was this man, and he missed his wife so much that when she got home one night, he hugged her tight and grabbed her and threw her on the bed. Then…” And the reader stopped. Something along these lines. The piece was clearly satirical and not meant for children. It was a commentary on social conservatism in Jordanian culture. My host brother’s friend explained (and my host brother agreed) that the TV station was being sued because the owner was Christian, and the complainants interpreted the TV segment as threatening to children’s innocence and “Haram” (“forbidden” by Muslim principles).
As a closing remark, Muslims and Christians here don’t exactly sit together every night and sing Kumbaya (though they do occasionally get together and make absolutely delicious grill-outs, in which I had the pleasure of partaking), but they live side by side, accept each other, and learn from each other. If you are Christian, you can come to Jordan. You will be greeted warmly, with an “Ahlan wa Sahlan wa MarHaba!) and probably be offered a cup of coffee by a random stranger on the street–yep it happens.