By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Far fewer Jordanians use mobile phones than previously estimated, according to a recent Arab Advisors Group survey.
The study, conducted by the Amman-based research and consultancy company, reveals that less than half the population use cellular phones.
“Multiple line use by the same individuals and the presence of expatriates outside official population figures, set Jordan’s Effective Mobile Penetration Rate at around 48 per cent,” the survey says.
This figure is 26 percentage points lower than the 74.2 per cent penetration rate given by mobile operators at the end of 2006, based on the number of lines (4.15 million) divided by the population.
The Arab Advisors’ survey employs what the company describes as the “Effective Mobile Penetration” measure in order to gain a “more accurate analysis of cellular markets”.
According to Jawad Abbasi, the company’s founder and general manager, the survey takes into account the growing trend of individuals owning multiple lines and estimates the population, including expatriates and migrant workers, to be half a million more than official statistics.
“The Effective Mobile Penetration Rate considers the percentage of individuals with one or more mobile lines and is calculated by dividing the number of the estimated individual mobile users [and not mobile lines] by the estimated actual population figure [including expatriates and migrant workers],” he said in a press statement.
“Based on the survey findings, the ratio of the number of lines to the number of mobile users is 1:4. Applying this ratio to the reported total number of mobile lines, the actual number of individual mobile subscribers in Jordan was estimated at 2.9 million subscribers by end of 2006,” he added.
The survey says the trend of having more than one line is mainly driven by the desire of individuals to capitalise on the different plans, offers and promotions of the operators. A total of 28.5 per cent of cellular users have two lines while 5.7 per cent have three lines.
Just over 58 per cent of respondents who have more than one mobile line state cost saving as the reason.
“On the individual level most respondents own one mobile line: 63.5 per cent of respondents own a single line while 36.5 per cent of respondents own more than one mobile line,” the survey finds.
The Jordan Cellular Users Survey 2007 was conducted through interviews with 509 respondents from different households in Amman, Irbid and Zarqa. The survey has an error margin of less than 6 per cent.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Iraqi exiles celebrate Asian Cup victory
Iraqis in Amman celebrate their team's first Asian Cup triumph (Photo by Nader Daoud)
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Thousands of Iraqis poured onto the capital’s streets last night to celebrate their national team’s victory in the Asian Cup final.
However, the festivities were marred by several incidents of violence when security forces armed with wooden batons broke up large gathernigs of cheering fans.
In Gardens Street traffic came to a virtual standstill for hours after the match as hundreds of Iraqi exiles packed into cars beeped their horns and waved national flags in celebration at their squad’s historic 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
“The team has proved what the human spirit is capable of against all the odds,” said Iraqi engineer Dafar Bashar, currently in Jordan visiting his daughter who is studying at the Amman Ahliyyah Private University.
Jordan is host to some 750,000 Iraqis, who over the past four years have sought refuge from the daily violence racking their country.
“This victory disproves the myth that Iraq is divided along sectarian lines. If only the government could unite Iraqis like this we would be in a much better situation,” added Bashar.
Iraq’s team, which includes a mixture of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, reached the final after knocking out tournament favourites Australia and South Korea in Wednesday’s semifinal.
Hassan, an Iraqi student, who fled to Jordan with his family two years ago, said the victory was a rare moment of happiness in their lives.
“Today we are all Iraqis, we are all Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. We are one people struggling to be free,” he said, adding that his joy was tempered by feelings of sadness at the everyday plight of poor Iraqis both inside and outside his country.
Since the US-led invasion of March 2003, over two million people have fled Iraq, mostly to Jordan and Syria. Millions more are internally displaced.
In one incident, celebrations were marred as security forces broke up a peaceful gathering of hundreds of cheering Iraqis outside a furniture store in the centre of West Amman.
Police officers kicked and beat the crowd with wooden batons as people panicked to flee to saftey. Some youths were taken away by intelligence officers in unmarked cars. Security forces then proceeded to smash up the drums and tamborines that lay discarded on the pavement. The crowd included many women and children.
“Why did they do this? They just started attacking people for no reason. They took away my friend and all he was doing was having fun for a change,” said Ahmad, an Iraqi doctor working in Amman.
A police officer on the scene told The Jordan Times the gathering was broken up due to reports of people firing guns into the air.
However, local shop owners denied these claims.
“I have been watching this celebration from my apartment since the game finished and there has been no firing of guns,” said one local resident, who declined to give her name.
Another officer said police were forced to intervene after revellers had blocked the main road, a claim refuted by eyewitnesses.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Support for Al Qaeda plummets in Jordan
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Support in Jordan for the Al Qaeda network has dropped sharply over the past four years in line with an increasing rejection of extremism across the Muslim world, a global poll revealed on Tuesday.
The decreasing support for Islamic extremism was also reflected in a drop in Osama Ben Laden’s approval ratings, with just 20 per cent of Jordanians expressing a lot or some confidence in the Al Qaeda leader, down from 56 per cent four years ago.
“Among the most striking trends in predominantly Muslim nations is the continuing decline in the number saying that suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilians are justifiable in the defence of Islam,” said the survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre.
Support for suicide bombings had declined by half or more in Lebanon, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, revealed the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey, based on polling data from 47 countries.
Ibrahim Saif, head of the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS), said the poll’s findings reflect a growing repugnance among Jordanians and the wider Muslim world towards the daily slaughter of civilians by suicide bombers in Iraq and elsewhere.
“The unfolding events and mass killings by people allegedly linked to Al Qaeda are forcing people to sit back and take stock. They are realising that these actions are not in line with Islam or any human morals,” he said.
Public opinion in Jordan towards Al Qaeda shifted dramatically following the November 2005 suicide attacks against three of the capital’s hotels. The bombings, claimed by the group’s Iraq wing, killed 90 people and injured hundreds more.
A study published by CSS a month after the attacks revealed that only 20 per cent of Jordanians continued to regard Al Qaeda as a legitimate resistance group, down from 67 per cent in 2004.
Saif said the group’s image had also been dented by its inability since September 11, 2001 to launch attacks against high-profile targets.
He also said a campaign by influential clerics in the Arab world to discredit extremist ideology was making inroads. “More voices are now opposing this interpretation of Islam through the media and they are gaining more followers.”
However, the global survey revealed that in the Palestinian territories suicide bombings continue to enjoy wide popular support, with 70 per cent of the people believing such tactics against civilians can be often or sometimes justified.
The poll also revealed that the majority of people in Muslim countries continue to regard the United States as the biggest threat.
AMMAN — Support in Jordan for the Al Qaeda network has dropped sharply over the past four years in line with an increasing rejection of extremism across the Muslim world, a global poll revealed on Tuesday.
The decreasing support for Islamic extremism was also reflected in a drop in Osama Ben Laden’s approval ratings, with just 20 per cent of Jordanians expressing a lot or some confidence in the Al Qaeda leader, down from 56 per cent four years ago.
“Among the most striking trends in predominantly Muslim nations is the continuing decline in the number saying that suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilians are justifiable in the defence of Islam,” said the survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre.
Support for suicide bombings had declined by half or more in Lebanon, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, revealed the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey, based on polling data from 47 countries.
Ibrahim Saif, head of the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS), said the poll’s findings reflect a growing repugnance among Jordanians and the wider Muslim world towards the daily slaughter of civilians by suicide bombers in Iraq and elsewhere.
“The unfolding events and mass killings by people allegedly linked to Al Qaeda are forcing people to sit back and take stock. They are realising that these actions are not in line with Islam or any human morals,” he said.
Public opinion in Jordan towards Al Qaeda shifted dramatically following the November 2005 suicide attacks against three of the capital’s hotels. The bombings, claimed by the group’s Iraq wing, killed 90 people and injured hundreds more.
A study published by CSS a month after the attacks revealed that only 20 per cent of Jordanians continued to regard Al Qaeda as a legitimate resistance group, down from 67 per cent in 2004.
Saif said the group’s image had also been dented by its inability since September 11, 2001 to launch attacks against high-profile targets.
He also said a campaign by influential clerics in the Arab world to discredit extremist ideology was making inroads. “More voices are now opposing this interpretation of Islam through the media and they are gaining more followers.”
However, the global survey revealed that in the Palestinian territories suicide bombings continue to enjoy wide popular support, with 70 per cent of the people believing such tactics against civilians can be often or sometimes justified.
The poll also revealed that the majority of people in Muslim countries continue to regard the United States as the biggest threat.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
British authorities charge Jordanian doctor over failed terror attacks
By Paul Tate and agencies
AMMAN – A Jordanian doctor arrested in the wake of the failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow was remanded in custody on Friday charged with conspiracy to cause explosions.
Mohammad Asha, 26, appeared before the City of Westminster magistrates court in London and was charged with conspiring with Bilal Abdullah, Kafeel Ahmad "and others unknown" to cause explosions and damage to life and property.
He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on July 27.
Doctor Asha was arrested with his wife on June 30 on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, England. His wife, Marwa, 27, was released without charge on July 12. The couple have an 18-month-old baby.
The trainee neuro-surgeon is the fourth person to be charged in connection with the alleged attacks, which involved two car bombs that failed to detonate in central London on June 29 and an attack on Glasgow airport the following day.
The suspect's father, Jamil Asha, declined to comment. He had previously protested his son's innocence and called on Jordan's King Abdullah to personally intervene.
The first person to be charged in connection with the attacks was Iraqi doctor, Bilal Abullah, 27. Abdullah was charged on July 6 with conspiring to cause explosions after a jeep he was allegedly driving rammed into the main terminal of Glasgow airport. He is also due to appear at the Old Bailey on July 27.
His alleged accomplice in that attack, Kafeel Ahmad, remains critically ill in hospital under armed guard after suffering sever burns.
On Monday, Sabeel Ahmed, 26, appeared at City of Westminster magistrates court charged with withholding information that could prevent an act of terrorism. He was arrested in the northwest city of Liverpool on June 30.
Prior to his arrest he was employed at Halton hospital in Runcorn, Cheshire. He was remanded in custody and the case will be reviewed at the same court on Monday, before a committal hearing on August 13.
The fourth person to be indicted is Mohammed Haneef, 27, a distant cousin of the Ahmad brothers. Haneef, an Indian doctor, was charged in Brisbane, Australia, with providing support to a terrorist organisation.
A total of eight people were detained following the botched attacks. Three have been released without charge.
AMMAN – A Jordanian doctor arrested in the wake of the failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow was remanded in custody on Friday charged with conspiracy to cause explosions.
Mohammad Asha, 26, appeared before the City of Westminster magistrates court in London and was charged with conspiring with Bilal Abdullah, Kafeel Ahmad "and others unknown" to cause explosions and damage to life and property.
He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on July 27.
Doctor Asha was arrested with his wife on June 30 on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, England. His wife, Marwa, 27, was released without charge on July 12. The couple have an 18-month-old baby.
The trainee neuro-surgeon is the fourth person to be charged in connection with the alleged attacks, which involved two car bombs that failed to detonate in central London on June 29 and an attack on Glasgow airport the following day.
The suspect's father, Jamil Asha, declined to comment. He had previously protested his son's innocence and called on Jordan's King Abdullah to personally intervene.
The first person to be charged in connection with the attacks was Iraqi doctor, Bilal Abullah, 27. Abdullah was charged on July 6 with conspiring to cause explosions after a jeep he was allegedly driving rammed into the main terminal of Glasgow airport. He is also due to appear at the Old Bailey on July 27.
His alleged accomplice in that attack, Kafeel Ahmad, remains critically ill in hospital under armed guard after suffering sever burns.
On Monday, Sabeel Ahmed, 26, appeared at City of Westminster magistrates court charged with withholding information that could prevent an act of terrorism. He was arrested in the northwest city of Liverpool on June 30.
Prior to his arrest he was employed at Halton hospital in Runcorn, Cheshire. He was remanded in custody and the case will be reviewed at the same court on Monday, before a committal hearing on August 13.
The fourth person to be indicted is Mohammed Haneef, 27, a distant cousin of the Ahmad brothers. Haneef, an Indian doctor, was charged in Brisbane, Australia, with providing support to a terrorist organisation.
A total of eight people were detained following the botched attacks. Three have been released without charge.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
British police given more time to question Jordanian terror suspect
By Paul Tate and agencies
AMMAN — A judge in Britain granted police an additional week on Saturday to question a Jordanian doctor over the failed bomb attacks in London and Glasgow.
Mohammad Asha, 26, was detained with his Jordanian wife Marwa, 27, on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, England, on June 30.
He is currently being held at London’s high security Paddington Green police station along with two other trainee doctors aged 25 and 28, whose identities are still unknown.
His wife, Marwa Asha, a laboratory assistant, was released on Thursday night without charge.
Under UK anti-terrorism legislation, police have up to 28 days to question suspects before charging them, but must seek periodic permission from a judge to continue their detention.
Mohammad’s father, Jamil Asha, told The Jordan Times yesterday he had no knowledge of the judge’s decision.
“I haven’t spoken to Mohammad for five days now and the only news we get is through the television,” he said.
He also said Marwa’s family had not heard from their daughter since her release on Thursday night.
“We are waiting by the phone for news but so far we haven’t heard anything,” he said.
Marwa’s family were not available for comment.
Before his arrest, Mohammad Asha was working at North Staffordshire Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, in northwest England. The couple have an 18-month-old son.
So far, three people have been charged in connection with the failed London and Glasgow car bombings.
Britain’s Metropolitan Police yesterday charged Sabeel Ahmad, 26, with possession of information which could have prevented an act of terrorism. He will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Monday.
Ahmad, from Bangalore, India, was apprehended in the northwest city of Liverpool on June 30.
Also on Saturday, Indian doctor, Mohammad Haneef, 27, appeared in an Australian court charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation, the British Press Association reported.
Haneef, who works at the Gold Coast Hospital, is charged with supporting terror suspects Kafeel Ahmad and Sabeel Ahmad.
The third suspect, Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdullah, 27, is accused of conspiracy to cause explosions and was remanded in custody last week at Westminster Magistrates Court.
Abdullah, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted. He is due to appear at London’s Old Bailey Court on July 27 for an initial hearing.
Kafeel Ahmad, 27, also from Bangalore, is currently under armed guard at specialist burns unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
He was arrested along with Abdullah after a Jeep was driven into the doors of Glasgow International Airport’s main terminal building and burst into flames on June 30.
The attack happened 36 hours after police discovered two cars in central London packed with fuel, gas tanks and nails. Police believe all three incidents were linked.
AMMAN — A judge in Britain granted police an additional week on Saturday to question a Jordanian doctor over the failed bomb attacks in London and Glasgow.
Mohammad Asha, 26, was detained with his Jordanian wife Marwa, 27, on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, England, on June 30.
He is currently being held at London’s high security Paddington Green police station along with two other trainee doctors aged 25 and 28, whose identities are still unknown.
His wife, Marwa Asha, a laboratory assistant, was released on Thursday night without charge.
Under UK anti-terrorism legislation, police have up to 28 days to question suspects before charging them, but must seek periodic permission from a judge to continue their detention.
Mohammad’s father, Jamil Asha, told The Jordan Times yesterday he had no knowledge of the judge’s decision.
“I haven’t spoken to Mohammad for five days now and the only news we get is through the television,” he said.
He also said Marwa’s family had not heard from their daughter since her release on Thursday night.
“We are waiting by the phone for news but so far we haven’t heard anything,” he said.
Marwa’s family were not available for comment.
Before his arrest, Mohammad Asha was working at North Staffordshire Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, in northwest England. The couple have an 18-month-old son.
So far, three people have been charged in connection with the failed London and Glasgow car bombings.
Britain’s Metropolitan Police yesterday charged Sabeel Ahmad, 26, with possession of information which could have prevented an act of terrorism. He will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Monday.
Ahmad, from Bangalore, India, was apprehended in the northwest city of Liverpool on June 30.
Also on Saturday, Indian doctor, Mohammad Haneef, 27, appeared in an Australian court charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation, the British Press Association reported.
Haneef, who works at the Gold Coast Hospital, is charged with supporting terror suspects Kafeel Ahmad and Sabeel Ahmad.
The third suspect, Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdullah, 27, is accused of conspiracy to cause explosions and was remanded in custody last week at Westminster Magistrates Court.
Abdullah, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted. He is due to appear at London’s Old Bailey Court on July 27 for an initial hearing.
Kafeel Ahmad, 27, also from Bangalore, is currently under armed guard at specialist burns unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
He was arrested along with Abdullah after a Jeep was driven into the doors of Glasgow International Airport’s main terminal building and burst into flames on June 30.
The attack happened 36 hours after police discovered two cars in central London packed with fuel, gas tanks and nails. Police believe all three incidents were linked.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Archaeologists call for urgent plan to preserve Petra
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — As Jordan basks in Petra's glory in becoming one of the world's new seven wonders, leading experts are warning that urgent action is needed to preserve the ancient site against the expected influx of tourists.
According to some of the country's foremost scholars in Nabataean studies, Petra currently faces an array of challenges, ranging from a lack of basic infrastructure and tourism facilities to the growing black market trade in stolen artifacts which are sold openly on the city’s streets.
"We welcome Petra's nomination but the real question is: What next? If we are expecting a big increase in visitors then we need to provide adequate services and take measures to safeguard the site," said Khairieh Amr, deputy director for technical affairs at the Jordan Museum.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Monday said it expected annual tourist numbers to double as a result of Petra’s nomination, which was announced in the early hours of Sunday in Lisbon, Portugal. Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, already attracts around 400,000 visitors per year, making it the jewel of the country's tourism industry.
But despite increasing tourism and growing international attention, experts say little has been done to improve the site's facilities, provide better information to visitors, or preserve its historical monuments.
"We have a situation where a lack of proper regulations and the absence of clearly defined tourist tracks are causing damage to the site. This will only get worse as visitor numbers increase," said Amr, considered one of the world's foremost experts in Nabataean studies.
Specialists such as Amr and Professor Ziad Salamin, the director of the Centre for Nabataean Studies at Al Hussein Ben Talal University in Wadi Musa, stress they are not against more tourists and are aware of the site’s contribution to the country’s economy.
But what they do want, they say, is for the government to outline a clear strategy for Petra’s future development, one that brings together all concerned parties.
Among new measures they would like to see introduced are: clearly defined pathways, better signposting and information boards, adequate car parking facilities, the opening of a new exit to relieve pressure on the Siq, better trained tour guides and more security to prevent the increasing problem of illegal digging.
They also say more attention should be given to the surrounding area, which is rich in archaeological treasures stretching back over 10,000 years from the Epipaleolithic time through to the Islamic period.
"The problem is that the ministry does not coordinate with us or even within its various departments. The end result of this is a lack of facilities, tour brochures that contain factual errors, and guides who are not even aware that over the past year there have been ten new excavation digs," said Salamin, who has lived and studied in the area all his life.
No government officials were available to comment. In a press conference on Monday, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Osama Dabbas said a strategy to address these problems had been in place for several months and would result in "a new edge to the visitor experience". He gave no further details.
Salamin said yesterday his university knew nothing of the plan. "We have seen a lot of projects on paper and heard much talk but what we haven't seen is practical steps on the ground,” he said.
"They even held celebrations to mark Petra's nomination and didn't bother to inform us. We urgently need to strengthen ties and unify our efforts following Petra's victory in order to meet future challenges," he added.
University of Jordan Archaeology Professor Safwan Tel, who headed the ministry's Department of Antiquities from 1990-1994, said the reason for so little progress in upgrading the site was a lack of coordination between his old department and the ministry itself, which he said had the last word on all matters.
"I know from my own experience about the absence of effective cooperation. I believe if we are to make any progress the department should be given some form of autonomy… This is a big moment for us to act, but unfortunately so far the government has not taken things seriously," he said.
AMMAN — As Jordan basks in Petra's glory in becoming one of the world's new seven wonders, leading experts are warning that urgent action is needed to preserve the ancient site against the expected influx of tourists.
According to some of the country's foremost scholars in Nabataean studies, Petra currently faces an array of challenges, ranging from a lack of basic infrastructure and tourism facilities to the growing black market trade in stolen artifacts which are sold openly on the city’s streets.
"We welcome Petra's nomination but the real question is: What next? If we are expecting a big increase in visitors then we need to provide adequate services and take measures to safeguard the site," said Khairieh Amr, deputy director for technical affairs at the Jordan Museum.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Monday said it expected annual tourist numbers to double as a result of Petra’s nomination, which was announced in the early hours of Sunday in Lisbon, Portugal. Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, already attracts around 400,000 visitors per year, making it the jewel of the country's tourism industry.
But despite increasing tourism and growing international attention, experts say little has been done to improve the site's facilities, provide better information to visitors, or preserve its historical monuments.
"We have a situation where a lack of proper regulations and the absence of clearly defined tourist tracks are causing damage to the site. This will only get worse as visitor numbers increase," said Amr, considered one of the world's foremost experts in Nabataean studies.
Specialists such as Amr and Professor Ziad Salamin, the director of the Centre for Nabataean Studies at Al Hussein Ben Talal University in Wadi Musa, stress they are not against more tourists and are aware of the site’s contribution to the country’s economy.
But what they do want, they say, is for the government to outline a clear strategy for Petra’s future development, one that brings together all concerned parties.
Among new measures they would like to see introduced are: clearly defined pathways, better signposting and information boards, adequate car parking facilities, the opening of a new exit to relieve pressure on the Siq, better trained tour guides and more security to prevent the increasing problem of illegal digging.
They also say more attention should be given to the surrounding area, which is rich in archaeological treasures stretching back over 10,000 years from the Epipaleolithic time through to the Islamic period.
"The problem is that the ministry does not coordinate with us or even within its various departments. The end result of this is a lack of facilities, tour brochures that contain factual errors, and guides who are not even aware that over the past year there have been ten new excavation digs," said Salamin, who has lived and studied in the area all his life.
No government officials were available to comment. In a press conference on Monday, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Osama Dabbas said a strategy to address these problems had been in place for several months and would result in "a new edge to the visitor experience". He gave no further details.
Salamin said yesterday his university knew nothing of the plan. "We have seen a lot of projects on paper and heard much talk but what we haven't seen is practical steps on the ground,” he said.
"They even held celebrations to mark Petra's nomination and didn't bother to inform us. We urgently need to strengthen ties and unify our efforts following Petra's victory in order to meet future challenges," he added.
University of Jordan Archaeology Professor Safwan Tel, who headed the ministry's Department of Antiquities from 1990-1994, said the reason for so little progress in upgrading the site was a lack of coordination between his old department and the ministry itself, which he said had the last word on all matters.
"I know from my own experience about the absence of effective cooperation. I believe if we are to make any progress the department should be given some form of autonomy… This is a big moment for us to act, but unfortunately so far the government has not taken things seriously," he said.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
UN calls for more aid to refugee-hosting countries
By Paul Tate with agencies
AMMAN — The United Nations has made an urgent plea for more aid to countries hosting Iraqi nationals, saying Jordan and Syria are still awaiting assistance despite pledges of support.
“It is unconscionable that generous host countries be left on their own to deal with such a huge crisis,” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman, Ron Redmond, told a press conference in Geneva.
There are an estimated 750,000 to one million Iraqis now living in Jordan after feeling conflict in their war-torn country.
In Syria, the figure is as high as 1.4 million, with 30,000 new refugees streaming across the border every month.
The huge influxes have placed a massive strain on the two countries’ resources, particularly schools and medical facilities.
“The growing refugee population and the communities that host them are facing enormous hardships that will only get worse if the international community doesn’t put its money where its mouth is,” said Redmond.
The Jordanian government has put the cost of hosting Iraqis at around $1 billion a year.
So far, according to the UN, donors have given $70 million and pledged another $10 million at a conference in April.
A government commissioned report by the Fafo Foundation, a Norwegian research institute, is due to be released this month detailing the number of Iraqis in Jordan, their living conditions, and impact on the economy.
According to UN figures, around 30,000 Iraqis in Jordan have been given asylum-seekers’ documents and are currently awaiting a third country to host them.
However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Jordan Times on Saturday that just 900 Iraqis had so far received refugee status.
To date, Western countries have been slow to open their doors to the estimated two million people who have fled Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion to topple former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
According to the UNHCR, only 2,673 Iraqi refugees have been resettled in third countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States.
Although Jordan acknowledges that the influx of Iraqis has placed additional pressure on the state budget and the country’s scarce resources, a report released on Thursday by the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies said it was not the cause of the country’s soaring inflation.
“It is unsurprising that many Jordanians would associate the very visible arrival of almost a million Iraqis… with the serious economic issues that arose,” the report said.
Citing government figures, the study said inflation rose to 6.25 per cent in 2006 from 1.6 per cent in 2003.
“It appears that the end of subsidised fuel from Iraq, high international oil prices, exports of the domestic food supply and rising costs of food... have done far more to spur inflation in Jordan over the last two years,” said the study, adding that the return of Iraqis to their country “would do little to alleviate inflation”.
Before the US-led invasion in 2003, Jordan was dependent on Iraqi oil, importing 5.5 million tonnes annually, half of it for free and the rest at a preferential rate.
The study, however, noted that rural areas of the Kingdom have borne the brunt of the negative economic consequences of the war.
“Whereas business is brisk in Amman’s restaurants and hotels, which have benefited handsomely for the Iraqis' spending, rural areas have seen little of that economic growth,” it said.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
AMMAN — The United Nations has made an urgent plea for more aid to countries hosting Iraqi nationals, saying Jordan and Syria are still awaiting assistance despite pledges of support.
“It is unconscionable that generous host countries be left on their own to deal with such a huge crisis,” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman, Ron Redmond, told a press conference in Geneva.
There are an estimated 750,000 to one million Iraqis now living in Jordan after feeling conflict in their war-torn country.
In Syria, the figure is as high as 1.4 million, with 30,000 new refugees streaming across the border every month.
The huge influxes have placed a massive strain on the two countries’ resources, particularly schools and medical facilities.
“The growing refugee population and the communities that host them are facing enormous hardships that will only get worse if the international community doesn’t put its money where its mouth is,” said Redmond.
The Jordanian government has put the cost of hosting Iraqis at around $1 billion a year.
So far, according to the UN, donors have given $70 million and pledged another $10 million at a conference in April.
A government commissioned report by the Fafo Foundation, a Norwegian research institute, is due to be released this month detailing the number of Iraqis in Jordan, their living conditions, and impact on the economy.
According to UN figures, around 30,000 Iraqis in Jordan have been given asylum-seekers’ documents and are currently awaiting a third country to host them.
However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Jordan Times on Saturday that just 900 Iraqis had so far received refugee status.
To date, Western countries have been slow to open their doors to the estimated two million people who have fled Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion to topple former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
According to the UNHCR, only 2,673 Iraqi refugees have been resettled in third countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States.
Although Jordan acknowledges that the influx of Iraqis has placed additional pressure on the state budget and the country’s scarce resources, a report released on Thursday by the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies said it was not the cause of the country’s soaring inflation.
“It is unsurprising that many Jordanians would associate the very visible arrival of almost a million Iraqis… with the serious economic issues that arose,” the report said.
Citing government figures, the study said inflation rose to 6.25 per cent in 2006 from 1.6 per cent in 2003.
“It appears that the end of subsidised fuel from Iraq, high international oil prices, exports of the domestic food supply and rising costs of food... have done far more to spur inflation in Jordan over the last two years,” said the study, adding that the return of Iraqis to their country “would do little to alleviate inflation”.
Before the US-led invasion in 2003, Jordan was dependent on Iraqi oil, importing 5.5 million tonnes annually, half of it for free and the rest at a preferential rate.
The study, however, noted that rural areas of the Kingdom have borne the brunt of the negative economic consequences of the war.
“Whereas business is brisk in Amman’s restaurants and hotels, which have benefited handsomely for the Iraqis' spending, rural areas have seen little of that economic growth,” it said.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Father of terror suspect denies British media reports
By Paul Tate
JABAL ZAHOUR - The father of a Jordanian doctor being held on suspicion of involvement in the failed UK terror attacks denied media reports Wednesday that he was friends with the father of the Iraqi national arrested after ramming a jeep into Glasgow airport.
Jamil Asha, whose 26-year-old son Mohammad is currently being questioned by police at Paddington Green in England along with his wife Marwa Dana, 27, said he had never met Abdullah's father and had no Iraqi friends.
Speaking at his home in the Jordanian capital, Mr Asha said: "These reports are all lies. I have never met this man and neither has my son, adding that there are no Iraqis living in his neighbourhood and he had never visited Iraq.
The Times of London on Wednesday quoted intelligence sources as saying that Dr Abdulla had met Mohammed Asha through their fathers, who were friends.
"The two young doctors kept in touch after they came to Britain two or three years ago," the paper said.
Mr Asha said he hopes the whole ordeal will be over by July 12, when his son and wife were due to fly back to Amman.
"We are hoping it will all be cleared up by then and our family will be reunited, he said, adding that his two-year-old grandson, Anas, is currently being looked after in foster home in England.
"If we have to we will fly over to Britain to collect the child we will. We have been in touch with the foreign office and they have assured us he being taken care of."
JABAL ZAHOUR - The father of a Jordanian doctor being held on suspicion of involvement in the failed UK terror attacks denied media reports Wednesday that he was friends with the father of the Iraqi national arrested after ramming a jeep into Glasgow airport.
Jamil Asha, whose 26-year-old son Mohammad is currently being questioned by police at Paddington Green in England along with his wife Marwa Dana, 27, said he had never met Abdullah's father and had no Iraqi friends.
Speaking at his home in the Jordanian capital, Mr Asha said: "These reports are all lies. I have never met this man and neither has my son, adding that there are no Iraqis living in his neighbourhood and he had never visited Iraq.
The Times of London on Wednesday quoted intelligence sources as saying that Dr Abdulla had met Mohammed Asha through their fathers, who were friends.
"The two young doctors kept in touch after they came to Britain two or three years ago," the paper said.
Mr Asha said he hopes the whole ordeal will be over by July 12, when his son and wife were due to fly back to Amman.
"We are hoping it will all be cleared up by then and our family will be reunited, he said, adding that his two-year-old grandson, Anas, is currently being looked after in foster home in England.
"If we have to we will fly over to Britain to collect the child we will. We have been in touch with the foreign office and they have assured us he being taken care of."
Family shocked by son's arrest over UK terror plots
The Asha Family home in east Amman
By Paul Tate
JABAL ZAHOUR, AMMAN - The Asha family home in the Jabal Zuhour district of east Amman is much like any other in this largely rundown working-class neighbourhood, the only distinguishing feature being a large cage to the left of the building's main entrance where the family breeds chickens.
But on Monday this two-storey house became the focus of world media attention after it emerged that a family member had been arrested in connection with the failed terror attacks in London and Glasgow.
Mohammed Jamil Abdel-Qader Asha, a 26-year-old neurologist, was detained along with his wife, Marwa Dana, 27, on the M6 motorway in England after police forced their car to pull over on the hard shoulder.
The couple have been living in the UK for the past couple of years, where Dr Asha is on a scholarship training to become a surgeon. In order to support his wife and two-year-old son, Anas, Dr Asha has also been working at a hospital near his rented property in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
His brother and neighbours in Jordan expressed shock at the news of his arrest, saying he was a hard-working and conscientious person who never exhibited any extremist views.
“Mohammad was only focused on his studies. It is not possible that he could be caught up in anything like this. He was religious but not in a fanatical way," said his 31-year-old brother Ahmad, who is also a doctor and has a Russian wife who is a practsing Christian.
Like many residents of Jabal Zahour, the Asha family is of Palestinian decent and left Hebron in the West Bank in 1948 following the creation of Israel.
The parents, both teachers, spent most of their life in Saudi Arabia, where Mohammad was born, and returned to Jordan in 1990 following the outbreak of the Gulf war when Palestinians were expelled on mass for their perceived support of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
By all accounts Dr Asha was a gifted student from an early age. He excelled in secondary school and was quickly enrolled at the prestigious Jubilee School in Amman, an independent coeducational boarding school for gifted youngsters set up by Queen Noor and the late King Hussein.
It was at this school where he met his wife, Marwa.
The two went on to higher education with Mohammad graduating top of his year with a degree in medicine from the University of Jordan and his wife receiving a degree in Laboratory Science from the Jordan University of Science and Technology.
Students who remember them described the pair as polite but slightly introverted.
"They were from one of the poorer neighbourhoods of Amman and did not mix much with other students, said one of Marwa's former classmates.
Along with his elder brother Ahmad, Dr Asha has two sisters and three brothers, one of whom is also a doctor.
Speaking at the family home, Ahmad said he was "completely shocked" by news of the arrests, as he proudly showed-off certificates of his brother's academic achievements.
"Mohammad was only interested in his studies. He has spent his whole life working to be a surgeon. It is impossible that he could be caught up in something like this," he said.
"He always brags to us about his British friends and sends us photos of himself with them …. We spoke to him three days ago and told us he will be coming on July 12 and asked us if we needed anything from there."
Across the road from the family home, the owner of the local grocery store, Abu Khalid, 62, said he had known Dr Asha for 16 years and always thought of him as polite and hardworking.
"Any father would be proud to have a son like that. I do not believe this young man who I have known all these years is involved in something like this. He was a source of pride for his family.
"He was timid boy and kept to himself. I have never seen him arguing with anyone or expressing any signs of violence."
Another neighbour, 34-year-old truck driver, Ahmad Hussein Afanah, expressed his disbelief at the news.
"It is impossible that he has done it. He was always a very shy boy and well liked by everyone."
Jordanian authorities also voiced surprise about the arrest, saying he had no intelligence record or previous criminal background.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Washington still needs Blair
By Paul Tate
The only possible logic behind former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's appointment as Middle East envoy must be: if you break something then you have a duty to try and put it back together again. How else could a man who has spent the best part of his second term in office waging illegal wars in the Middle East be assigned such a role?
Of course, Blair does have some experience in peacemaking, although arguably much more in warmongering.
He should take some credit for bridging the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland and bringing old adversaries into a power sharing agreement, albeit after the groundwork had already been laid by his predecessor, Conservative Party leader John Major.
But in terms of the Middle East, Blair’s track record has been one of failure on a monumental scale. It was his ill-judged adventures in this region and his growing unpopularity with the British electorate as a result that forced him to hand over the reins of power to Gordon Brown in the first place — something he did only begrudgingly after a long drawn out process.
As well as being discredited among his own people, Blair is loathed in every Arab capital from Baghdad to Rabat.
He is loathed for his part in the illegal invasion of Iraq, for his refusal to speak out against Israeli policies in the occupied territories, and for his backing of Israel’s 2006 assault on Lebanon.
And now this same politician — with an arrogance indicative of his ilk —believes he is the right man to finally bring peace to the Middle East and solve the Israeli-Palestinian question once and for all. Blair aims to put right what Balfour got wrong. So what qualifies him for this post?
It is usual practice when applying for a new job to submit a CV of past achievements relevant to the position, together with a covering letter explaining why you are suited to the job.
But even a man of Blair's considerable persuasive talents would have trouble here. A Blair CV of foreign policy achievements in the Middle East would make interesting reading indeed.
One wonders whether he would attempt to omit his role as Bush's cheerleader for the Iraq war; and his use of fake evidence about weapons of mass destruction? How could he explain how he managed to take a stable state and turn it into a hotbed of extremism and sectarianism? How could a man applying for the position of peace envoy explain that his policies over the past four years had resulted in the deaths of 650,000 Iraqi civilians?
It seems the Blair philosophy is that peace can only be obtained through war. He said as much during the Lebanon crisis of 2006 when he refused to call for a cessation of violence on the grounds that it was “premature”. So the bombing continued and hundreds more people died because the new man of peace thought more deaths would increase the chances of a permanent solution.
Of course, we all know now that allowing this conflict to continue merely escalated sectarian tensions in Lebanon which continue to this day.
But the reality is that Blair did not have to submit his CV for his new post as peace envoy. His old master in Washington had already seen to it that the position was his.
And this is the rub of the matter. Blair may have handed over the UK premiership on Wednesday to Gordon Brown, but George W. Bush is not finished with him yet.
Friday-Saturday, June 29-30, 2007
The only possible logic behind former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's appointment as Middle East envoy must be: if you break something then you have a duty to try and put it back together again. How else could a man who has spent the best part of his second term in office waging illegal wars in the Middle East be assigned such a role?
Of course, Blair does have some experience in peacemaking, although arguably much more in warmongering.
He should take some credit for bridging the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland and bringing old adversaries into a power sharing agreement, albeit after the groundwork had already been laid by his predecessor, Conservative Party leader John Major.
But in terms of the Middle East, Blair’s track record has been one of failure on a monumental scale. It was his ill-judged adventures in this region and his growing unpopularity with the British electorate as a result that forced him to hand over the reins of power to Gordon Brown in the first place — something he did only begrudgingly after a long drawn out process.
As well as being discredited among his own people, Blair is loathed in every Arab capital from Baghdad to Rabat.
He is loathed for his part in the illegal invasion of Iraq, for his refusal to speak out against Israeli policies in the occupied territories, and for his backing of Israel’s 2006 assault on Lebanon.
And now this same politician — with an arrogance indicative of his ilk —believes he is the right man to finally bring peace to the Middle East and solve the Israeli-Palestinian question once and for all. Blair aims to put right what Balfour got wrong. So what qualifies him for this post?
It is usual practice when applying for a new job to submit a CV of past achievements relevant to the position, together with a covering letter explaining why you are suited to the job.
But even a man of Blair's considerable persuasive talents would have trouble here. A Blair CV of foreign policy achievements in the Middle East would make interesting reading indeed.
One wonders whether he would attempt to omit his role as Bush's cheerleader for the Iraq war; and his use of fake evidence about weapons of mass destruction? How could he explain how he managed to take a stable state and turn it into a hotbed of extremism and sectarianism? How could a man applying for the position of peace envoy explain that his policies over the past four years had resulted in the deaths of 650,000 Iraqi civilians?
It seems the Blair philosophy is that peace can only be obtained through war. He said as much during the Lebanon crisis of 2006 when he refused to call for a cessation of violence on the grounds that it was “premature”. So the bombing continued and hundreds more people died because the new man of peace thought more deaths would increase the chances of a permanent solution.
Of course, we all know now that allowing this conflict to continue merely escalated sectarian tensions in Lebanon which continue to this day.
But the reality is that Blair did not have to submit his CV for his new post as peace envoy. His old master in Washington had already seen to it that the position was his.
And this is the rub of the matter. Blair may have handed over the UK premiership on Wednesday to Gordon Brown, but George W. Bush is not finished with him yet.
Friday-Saturday, June 29-30, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Jordan braces for heatwave
Electricity demand to reach record levels
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — A huge increase in demand for electricity to power fans and air-conditioning systems is expected over the weekend as the Kingdom faces its first heatwave of the summer.
A hot mass coming from the Arabian Peninsula is expected to reach the country on Friday, raising temperatures in Amman to around 39ºC.
The heatwave, which is expected to last until the middle of next week, will peak on Sunday with temperatures soaring as high as 41ºC, said Abdul Halim Abu Hazim, acting director of the Jordan Meteorology Department.
The official denied media reports that it will be the hottest in 65 years, adding that the highest recorded June temperature in the capital was in 1942 at 42.8ºC.
The National Electric Power Company insisted yesterday that there was no risk of blackouts resulting from an upsurge in demand to power fans and air-conditioning systems.
Khaled Said, the company’s acting managing director, said: “We are well-prepared for events such as this and are not expecting any problems. Our generation units’ availability is very high and can be operated immediately if required.”
Power demand is expected to peak on Sunday as citizens return to their workplaces, many of which, unlike homes, are fitted with air-conditioning systems.
“We are expecting output to reach a record 1,900 megawatts,” said Said, adding that average is usually around 1,700 megawatts.
Supermarkets yesterday said they were prepared for any potential power failures and had stockpiled extra supplies of cold water and drinks.
“All our branches have diesel-powered generators so we are well-prepared for such conditions,” said Mohammad Shteiwi, manager of the Amman Mall branch of C-Town.
The general manager of Nestle Jordan, Rasem Dabbas, said the company had doubled its capacity of bottled water in preparation for the hot weather front.
“We are expecting a huge surge over the next week with our daily sales of bottles rising from 20,000 to 28,000,” he said.
Heatwaves claim thousands of lives each year, killing more people than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined.
The World Meteorological Organisation estimates that the number of heat-related deaths across the globe will double in the next 20 years, with the elderly most at risk.
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — A huge increase in demand for electricity to power fans and air-conditioning systems is expected over the weekend as the Kingdom faces its first heatwave of the summer.
A hot mass coming from the Arabian Peninsula is expected to reach the country on Friday, raising temperatures in Amman to around 39ºC.
The heatwave, which is expected to last until the middle of next week, will peak on Sunday with temperatures soaring as high as 41ºC, said Abdul Halim Abu Hazim, acting director of the Jordan Meteorology Department.
The official denied media reports that it will be the hottest in 65 years, adding that the highest recorded June temperature in the capital was in 1942 at 42.8ºC.
The National Electric Power Company insisted yesterday that there was no risk of blackouts resulting from an upsurge in demand to power fans and air-conditioning systems.
Khaled Said, the company’s acting managing director, said: “We are well-prepared for events such as this and are not expecting any problems. Our generation units’ availability is very high and can be operated immediately if required.”
Power demand is expected to peak on Sunday as citizens return to their workplaces, many of which, unlike homes, are fitted with air-conditioning systems.
“We are expecting output to reach a record 1,900 megawatts,” said Said, adding that average is usually around 1,700 megawatts.
Supermarkets yesterday said they were prepared for any potential power failures and had stockpiled extra supplies of cold water and drinks.
“All our branches have diesel-powered generators so we are well-prepared for such conditions,” said Mohammad Shteiwi, manager of the Amman Mall branch of C-Town.
The general manager of Nestle Jordan, Rasem Dabbas, said the company had doubled its capacity of bottled water in preparation for the hot weather front.
“We are expecting a huge surge over the next week with our daily sales of bottles rising from 20,000 to 28,000,” he said.
Heatwaves claim thousands of lives each year, killing more people than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined.
The World Meteorological Organisation estimates that the number of heat-related deaths across the globe will double in the next 20 years, with the elderly most at risk.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Jordan River among world’s 100 most endangered sites
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — A lack of cooperation and political will among regional states is hampering efforts to address the worsening ecological condition of the Jordan River, environmentalists said on Sunday.
According to Friends of the Earth Middle East, a regional environmental organisation of Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians, poor regional water management has led to the complete demise of one of the world’s most famous rivers.
The comments came in response to the lower Jordan River’s inclusion last week in the top 100 most “Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites” by a leading international watchdog.
Announced every two years, the World Monuments Fund’s list aims to galvanise international public attention on threatened cultural sites across the globe.
“The watch list of the World Monuments Fund is now sounding the alarm bell loud and clear to all those who care about the River Jordan,” Mira Edelstein, the organisation’s Tel Aviv campaigner for the rehabilitation of the river said in a press statement.
According to the organisation, “90 per cent of the river’s natural flow has been diverted by Israel, Jordan and Syria for domestic and agricultural use, with sewage flowing in its place. The region’s current policies treat the river as a backyard dumping ground.”
Munqeth Mehyar, the organisation’s chairperson and Jordanian director, described the river’s inclusion in the list as “expected”.
“We have been campaigning for a long time now on this issue and we welcome this news. It is good publicity for our cause and may help us finally focus the attention of the world on the gravity of the situation.”
The activist said past efforts to lobby the respective governments had proved fruitless, despite the fact that both Israel and Jordan have signed agreements to preserve the environment along their shared border.
Under Article 18 of the Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty, both parties pledged to cooperate to conserve natural resources and protect biodiversity, including the “ecological rehabilitation of the Jordan River” and the environmental protection of water resources.
But Mehyar said the reality is that both governments are happy to shift the blame.
“When we talk to Jordanian officials they tell us if the Israeli side gives the go ahead, then we will follow suit and vice versa — meanwhile, nothing is done and the two countries continue to dump their waste into the river and divert water for agriculture.”
No one at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation was available to comment.
Mehyar said a comprehensive regional solution is now needed which encourages farmers to grow less water-intensive crops while focusing more efforts on exploiting the region’s tourism potential.
“The governments should have programmes in place to educate farmers on the benefits of growing drought-resistant crops like dates instead of continuing to use huge amounts of water growing citrus, tomatoes and bananas,” he said.
Despite the economic disadvantages, regional governments continue to subsidise farmers who grow water intensive crops.
Israel currently uses 65 per cent of its freshwater supplies for agriculture, which accounts for just 2 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, he said.
Similarly, Jordan’s agricultural sector contributes a mere 8 per cent to its GDP but uses 70 per cent of available water resources.
Mehyar said in cases where Jordanian farmers had diversified their crops, they had not only significantly reduced water usage but had increased revenues.
“We have a clear model to follow here, but sadly, officials have failed to convince other farmers to follow suit.”
After years of receiving no response from the concerned governments, two weeks ago the organisation sent a joint letter to the ministries of water and irrigation in both Jordan and Israel but have so far received no response.
The environmental organisation now hopes the inclusion of the river on the World Monuments Fund’s 100 most endangered sites will spur regional states into taking action.
“It is sad that only through international pressure will our governments act to rehabilitate this valley of cultural and natural heritage,” said Edelstein.
Political parties to fair badly in municipal elections
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — High voter turnout is expected in next month’s municipal elections with independent candidates winning out over political parties, according to a survey released on Sunday.
The poll, conducted by the Jordan Centre for Social Research, found that voter participation in some governorates will reach as high as 70 per cent.
It also revealed that almost two-thirds of respondents intend to vote for independent candidates as opposed to representatives of political parties, consistent with voting patterns in previous national elections.
The survey sampled a total of 1,500 individuals aged 18 years and above in the municipalities of Irbid, Karak and Zarqa. Questions ranged from the level of satisfaction with public services to the degree of interaction between constituents and their representatives.
According to pollster Musa Shteiwi, the renewed interest on the part of constituents in the July 31 elections is directly related to the recently approved Municipalities Law, which paved the way for the first fully elected councils in eight years.
The legislation, however, does not extend to Amman, which will continue to have an appointed mayor and half-appointed municipal council as was the case under the old law.
Shteiwi said this resulted in voter apathy, with participation in both Irbid and Zarqa falling below 50 per cent in 2003, while Karak recorded a 56 per cent turnout.
“The new law is a positive development. It restored the right of citizens to choose their representatives, lowered the voting age from 19 to 18 and provided a 20 per cent quota for women,” he said.
Voter turnout in Irbid is expected to reach 71 per cent next month, followed by Zarqa (68 per cent) and Karak (61 per cent), according to the poll.
However, despite renewed interest on the part of citizens, the survey revealed a general dissatisfaction about the performance of elected representatives and political parties.
Almost two-thirds of respondents in the three municipalities said they intend to vote for independent candidates, citing reasons relating to family and tribal affiliations.
Shteiwi said the findings do not bode well for the country’s transition to democracy.
“Citizens vote for independent candidates because the current political parties are weak and their ideologies are too narrow. Unless these parties merge and become more representative, the future doesn’t look good,” he said.
Less than 10 per cent of respondents said they would vote for a political party. Out of these, 64 per cent in Zarqa said they would vote for the Islamic Action Front (IAF), as compared to 45 per cent in Karak and 43 per cent in Irbid.
Most of the country’s 34 political parties, apart from IAF, which has 15 deputies in the Lower House, have less than 500 members.
The survey also revealed the absence of a general participatory culture resulting from a lack of accountability on the part of elected representatives.
More than 90 per cent of respondents in the three municipalities said they had never been contacted by a council member once elected.
“The level of contact and/or interaction between constituents and their representatives is generally low, with contacts being one way, i.e. constituents contacting their elected representatives,” said the survey, adding that once elected into office the representatives “neglect regular contact.”
The poll was carried out with the support of the International Republican Institute.
AMMAN — High voter turnout is expected in next month’s municipal elections with independent candidates winning out over political parties, according to a survey released on Sunday.
The poll, conducted by the Jordan Centre for Social Research, found that voter participation in some governorates will reach as high as 70 per cent.
It also revealed that almost two-thirds of respondents intend to vote for independent candidates as opposed to representatives of political parties, consistent with voting patterns in previous national elections.
The survey sampled a total of 1,500 individuals aged 18 years and above in the municipalities of Irbid, Karak and Zarqa. Questions ranged from the level of satisfaction with public services to the degree of interaction between constituents and their representatives.
According to pollster Musa Shteiwi, the renewed interest on the part of constituents in the July 31 elections is directly related to the recently approved Municipalities Law, which paved the way for the first fully elected councils in eight years.
The legislation, however, does not extend to Amman, which will continue to have an appointed mayor and half-appointed municipal council as was the case under the old law.
Shteiwi said this resulted in voter apathy, with participation in both Irbid and Zarqa falling below 50 per cent in 2003, while Karak recorded a 56 per cent turnout.
“The new law is a positive development. It restored the right of citizens to choose their representatives, lowered the voting age from 19 to 18 and provided a 20 per cent quota for women,” he said.
Voter turnout in Irbid is expected to reach 71 per cent next month, followed by Zarqa (68 per cent) and Karak (61 per cent), according to the poll.
However, despite renewed interest on the part of citizens, the survey revealed a general dissatisfaction about the performance of elected representatives and political parties.
Almost two-thirds of respondents in the three municipalities said they intend to vote for independent candidates, citing reasons relating to family and tribal affiliations.
Shteiwi said the findings do not bode well for the country’s transition to democracy.
“Citizens vote for independent candidates because the current political parties are weak and their ideologies are too narrow. Unless these parties merge and become more representative, the future doesn’t look good,” he said.
Less than 10 per cent of respondents said they would vote for a political party. Out of these, 64 per cent in Zarqa said they would vote for the Islamic Action Front (IAF), as compared to 45 per cent in Karak and 43 per cent in Irbid.
Most of the country’s 34 political parties, apart from IAF, which has 15 deputies in the Lower House, have less than 500 members.
The survey also revealed the absence of a general participatory culture resulting from a lack of accountability on the part of elected representatives.
More than 90 per cent of respondents in the three municipalities said they had never been contacted by a council member once elected.
“The level of contact and/or interaction between constituents and their representatives is generally low, with contacts being one way, i.e. constituents contacting their elected representatives,” said the survey, adding that once elected into office the representatives “neglect regular contact.”
The poll was carried out with the support of the International Republican Institute.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Organ traffickers prey on poor
By Paul Tate
AMMAN- An increasing number of Jordanians are being lured into selling their kidneys as part of the growing illegal international trade in human organs, a top health official revealed on Tuesday.
Doctor Moumen Hadidi, spokesperson for the recently established National Commission to Promote Organ Donation, said a total of 81 cases of trafficking have been uncovered by authorities over recent months.
The official said authorities are working hard to track down brokers who prey on poor people in some of the Kingdom’s impoverished governorates.
Last month police arrested several men for allegedly enticing citizens in Ajloun and Salt into selling their kidney’s to clients outside the country, said Hadidi, adding that all of those arrested were Jordanians.
"These people work on a commission basis and prey on poor people in order to convince them to sell their kidneys and then facilitate their travel to a second country where the operations are performed," he told The Jordan Times.
Hadidi denied the increase in cases was directly related to poverty, but admitted that the profile of the typical donor is poor, unemployed and unskilled.
"Most of the donors are between the ages of twenty and forty years and are lured by the chance of making quick money," he said, adding that the going rate for a kidney is around $3,000.
The donation or selling and trading of organs for profit is strictly banned in Jordan with traffickers and brokers facing up to five years in jail and a JD20,000 fine.
Hadidi said the surgery to remove donated organs is carried out in a second country, and that brokers arrange all travel details and expenses.
He would not specify which country, but both Egypt and Pakistan are known to be regional hubs for the illicit trade due to social inequality and high poverty rates.
According the World Health Organisation (WHO), the trade in human organs is increasing globally, fuelled by growing demand as well as unscrupulous traffickers.
In Europe alone, there are currently 120 000 patients on dialysis treatment and about 40,000 people waiting for a kidney, a report by the European Parliamentary Assembly stated.
“There are no reliable data on organ trafficking — or indeed transplantation activity in general — but brokers reportedly charge between US$100,000 and US$200,000 to organise a transplant for wealthy patients”, according to the WHO.
A Ministry of Health official told The Jordan Times that a growing awareness about the seriousness of the problem led to the setting up of the commission, which in addition to investigating suspected cases has also started an awareness campaign to encourage Jordanians to donate their organs after death.
“About eight hundred people die every year in Jordan in road accidents. We should be encouraging the relatives of these victims to donate the organs of their loves ones. This way we can begin to reduce the demand,” said Hadidi.
AMMAN- An increasing number of Jordanians are being lured into selling their kidneys as part of the growing illegal international trade in human organs, a top health official revealed on Tuesday.
Doctor Moumen Hadidi, spokesperson for the recently established National Commission to Promote Organ Donation, said a total of 81 cases of trafficking have been uncovered by authorities over recent months.
The official said authorities are working hard to track down brokers who prey on poor people in some of the Kingdom’s impoverished governorates.
Last month police arrested several men for allegedly enticing citizens in Ajloun and Salt into selling their kidney’s to clients outside the country, said Hadidi, adding that all of those arrested were Jordanians.
"These people work on a commission basis and prey on poor people in order to convince them to sell their kidneys and then facilitate their travel to a second country where the operations are performed," he told The Jordan Times.
Hadidi denied the increase in cases was directly related to poverty, but admitted that the profile of the typical donor is poor, unemployed and unskilled.
"Most of the donors are between the ages of twenty and forty years and are lured by the chance of making quick money," he said, adding that the going rate for a kidney is around $3,000.
The donation or selling and trading of organs for profit is strictly banned in Jordan with traffickers and brokers facing up to five years in jail and a JD20,000 fine.
Hadidi said the surgery to remove donated organs is carried out in a second country, and that brokers arrange all travel details and expenses.
He would not specify which country, but both Egypt and Pakistan are known to be regional hubs for the illicit trade due to social inequality and high poverty rates.
According the World Health Organisation (WHO), the trade in human organs is increasing globally, fuelled by growing demand as well as unscrupulous traffickers.
In Europe alone, there are currently 120 000 patients on dialysis treatment and about 40,000 people waiting for a kidney, a report by the European Parliamentary Assembly stated.
“There are no reliable data on organ trafficking — or indeed transplantation activity in general — but brokers reportedly charge between US$100,000 and US$200,000 to organise a transplant for wealthy patients”, according to the WHO.
A Ministry of Health official told The Jordan Times that a growing awareness about the seriousness of the problem led to the setting up of the commission, which in addition to investigating suspected cases has also started an awareness campaign to encourage Jordanians to donate their organs after death.
“About eight hundred people die every year in Jordan in road accidents. We should be encouraging the relatives of these victims to donate the organs of their loves ones. This way we can begin to reduce the demand,” said Hadidi.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Residents up in arms over broken pavements
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Residents of an Amman neighbourhood criticised the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) this week for leaving a trail of debris and broken pavements following the removal of olive trees from the area’s sidewalks last week.
“How can they just come and take away the trees without returning and sorting out the mess,” asked one irate resident in the Gardens District.
“For a week now, our street has been littered with broken paving stones and big holes where the trees once stood… we appreciate the municipality’s efforts to restore the sidewalks but the situation here now is a safety hazard,” said Um Ali.
The mother of three said she now struggles to get her elderly parents in and out of the car due to the debris outside her apartment.
Another resident, who preferred anonymity, said he hoped the municipality would clear up the mess before his parents returned from the Hajj at the end of the month.
“Soon people will be getting ready for Eid and returning from Hajj. How are people supposed to visit us with all this mess?”
The two-year GAM project, which began in early November, aims to uproot an estimated 5,000 olive trees from the capital’s sidewalks in order to facilitate pedestrian access in the city and reduce accidents and allergies.
Responding to the residents’ complaints, the project’s director, Hesham Omari, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday that the municipality is doing everything it can to minimise any inconvenience to citizens and that teams will be dispatched within two days to rectify the situation.
“The workers are instructed to fill the holes with soil once the trees are uprooted and clear up all broken paving stones from the area,” he said, adding that he will investigate the matter.
Omari said all sidewalks affected by the project will be fully repaired.
So far the municipality has uprooted 700 trees out of an estimated 20,000. All olive trees and Washingtonians planted on sidewalks of less then 1.5 metres in width are slated for removal.
The trees are being replanted at a site close to Queen Alia International Airport with a success rate of 80-85 per cent, said Omari.
Studies conducted by the GAM and the Traffic Department indicate that 115 pedestrians were killed and 2,143 injured last year in Amman as a result of having to walk on roads due to sidewalks being blocked by trees.
Ministry of Health studies also indicate that olive trees are a major cause of allergies with approximately 25-30 per cent of the capital’s inhabitants suffering from allergy-related health problems.
Stakeholders in the project also include the Ministry of Health, the Public Safety Department, the Jordan Environment Society and the Jordan Society for Pedestrian Rights.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
AMMAN — Residents of an Amman neighbourhood criticised the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) this week for leaving a trail of debris and broken pavements following the removal of olive trees from the area’s sidewalks last week.
“How can they just come and take away the trees without returning and sorting out the mess,” asked one irate resident in the Gardens District.
“For a week now, our street has been littered with broken paving stones and big holes where the trees once stood… we appreciate the municipality’s efforts to restore the sidewalks but the situation here now is a safety hazard,” said Um Ali.
The mother of three said she now struggles to get her elderly parents in and out of the car due to the debris outside her apartment.
Another resident, who preferred anonymity, said he hoped the municipality would clear up the mess before his parents returned from the Hajj at the end of the month.
“Soon people will be getting ready for Eid and returning from Hajj. How are people supposed to visit us with all this mess?”
The two-year GAM project, which began in early November, aims to uproot an estimated 5,000 olive trees from the capital’s sidewalks in order to facilitate pedestrian access in the city and reduce accidents and allergies.
Responding to the residents’ complaints, the project’s director, Hesham Omari, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday that the municipality is doing everything it can to minimise any inconvenience to citizens and that teams will be dispatched within two days to rectify the situation.
“The workers are instructed to fill the holes with soil once the trees are uprooted and clear up all broken paving stones from the area,” he said, adding that he will investigate the matter.
Omari said all sidewalks affected by the project will be fully repaired.
So far the municipality has uprooted 700 trees out of an estimated 20,000. All olive trees and Washingtonians planted on sidewalks of less then 1.5 metres in width are slated for removal.
The trees are being replanted at a site close to Queen Alia International Airport with a success rate of 80-85 per cent, said Omari.
Studies conducted by the GAM and the Traffic Department indicate that 115 pedestrians were killed and 2,143 injured last year in Amman as a result of having to walk on roads due to sidewalks being blocked by trees.
Ministry of Health studies also indicate that olive trees are a major cause of allergies with approximately 25-30 per cent of the capital’s inhabitants suffering from allergy-related health problems.
Stakeholders in the project also include the Ministry of Health, the Public Safety Department, the Jordan Environment Society and the Jordan Society for Pedestrian Rights.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Shooting begins on 1st Jordanian feature film in 50 years
Movie brings together Hollywood producers with first-time child actors from Jordan’s refugee camps
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Mention Jordan and filmmaking and most people think of British director David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia shot in the desert of Wadi Rum. But Jordanian director Amin Matalqa is determined to change all that.
The Los Angeles-based filmmaker is currently in town with a 60-strong crew to shoot the first Jordanian-made feature film in 50 years.
Set in Amman, Captain Abu Raed tells the story of an airport janitor who dreams of seeing the world but has to make do with books and brief encounters with passengers.
Back in his poor neighbourhood, however, word has it that he really is a pilot and local children gather to hear magical tales of distant lands, which he willingly relates until one day he discovers that behind the children’s dreams lie stark realities of poverty and destitution.
“I wanted to tell a tale of a man with limited means but big dreams, which he passes on to children who still have the time to turn them into a reality. It is ultimately a universal tale of friendship, hope and overcoming adversity,” said Matalqa.
The 30-year-old director, who himself comes from a family of pilots, told The Jordan Times that the idea was originally conceived back in 2005 with editor Laith Majali at a production studio in Los Angeles.
It was there that the two met producer David Pritchard of The Simpsons and Family Guy fame. Pritchard sent a copy of the script to producer Ken Kokin of the multi-Oscar winning The Usual Suspects, who in turn brought on board cinematographer Reinhart Peschki, renowned for such Hollywood blockbusters as JFK, Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July.
“The whole thing just steamrolled and before we knew it we had an amazing crew of professionals,” said Matalqa, who managed to raise the film’s budget from Jordan’s business community.
The filming of the two-hour movie will begin on Tuesday and over the following four weeks will be shot at the Citadel, downtown Amman, a studio set in Ashrafieh and Queen Alia International Airport.
Matalqa said he spent the whole of last year trying to find the right locations and was taken aback by the sheer quality of the sites.
“It’s hard to believe that Amman has never been filmed before. People usually come to Jordan to shoot in the desert but there are so many other great locations here,” he said.
The film’s cast brings together an uncanny mixture of seasoned actors and complete novices.
Veteran Jordanian/British actor Nadim Sawalha of Syriana fame plays the lead role, with Rana Sultan from Jordan TV cast as a young female captain who befriends Abu Raed.
Sawalha remembers meeting a young Matalqa 15 years earlier on a flight from Los Angeles to Jordan with American director Blake Edwards when the two were shooting Son of the Pink Panther.
“Amin’s father was actually flying the plane and asked me if his son could come and visit the set. Fifteen years later he phones me up out of the blue and tells me he’s making a film and would I like to get on board,” said Sawalha.
“Here I am playing a poor janitor and in a few weeks I’ll be back in London playing millionaire tycoon Mohammad Al Fayed in Diana, A Disaster Waiting to Happen,” said Sawalha, amused at the irony of his situation.
The children of Abu Raed’s neighbourhood were chosen after Matalqa spent last July and August scouting Jordan’s summer camps.
He eventually selected 12 children aged 9-13, all but one from the country’s impoverished refugee camps and with not a jot of acting experience between them.
One of the film’s producers, Nadine Toukan, told The Jordan Times that apart from coming from desperately poor backgrounds, most of these children have only one parent and some don’t even have citizenship as their fathers are Egyptian.
“Coming from this background to star in a feature film has been a truly life changing experience for these kids,” said Toukan.
“Their families were thrilled at the prospect of their children being in a film and have been one hundred per cent supportive. Like any parents, they want the best for their children.”
Matalqa said he intentionally sought out youngsters from deprived backgrounds to prove that social status bears no relationship to talent, and also because it fits with the overall theme of the film about disadvantaged people attempting to realise their dreams.
“We were casting for over a year and some of these kids just stood out immediately,” he said, referring to Hussein Al Sous, who plays the leading child Murad.
Matalqa said he hopes the movie, which will premier in Amman at the end of this year, will motivate more Jordanians to develop an interest in filmmaking.
“It’s scandalous that not a single Jordanian feature film has been made for 50 years. This movie is intended to put the country back on the map while sending a strong message to Hollywood that this is a truly great place to film.”
Saturday, May 19, 2007
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Mention Jordan and filmmaking and most people think of British director David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia shot in the desert of Wadi Rum. But Jordanian director Amin Matalqa is determined to change all that.
The Los Angeles-based filmmaker is currently in town with a 60-strong crew to shoot the first Jordanian-made feature film in 50 years.
Set in Amman, Captain Abu Raed tells the story of an airport janitor who dreams of seeing the world but has to make do with books and brief encounters with passengers.
Back in his poor neighbourhood, however, word has it that he really is a pilot and local children gather to hear magical tales of distant lands, which he willingly relates until one day he discovers that behind the children’s dreams lie stark realities of poverty and destitution.
“I wanted to tell a tale of a man with limited means but big dreams, which he passes on to children who still have the time to turn them into a reality. It is ultimately a universal tale of friendship, hope and overcoming adversity,” said Matalqa.
The 30-year-old director, who himself comes from a family of pilots, told The Jordan Times that the idea was originally conceived back in 2005 with editor Laith Majali at a production studio in Los Angeles.
It was there that the two met producer David Pritchard of The Simpsons and Family Guy fame. Pritchard sent a copy of the script to producer Ken Kokin of the multi-Oscar winning The Usual Suspects, who in turn brought on board cinematographer Reinhart Peschki, renowned for such Hollywood blockbusters as JFK, Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July.
“The whole thing just steamrolled and before we knew it we had an amazing crew of professionals,” said Matalqa, who managed to raise the film’s budget from Jordan’s business community.
The filming of the two-hour movie will begin on Tuesday and over the following four weeks will be shot at the Citadel, downtown Amman, a studio set in Ashrafieh and Queen Alia International Airport.
Matalqa said he spent the whole of last year trying to find the right locations and was taken aback by the sheer quality of the sites.
“It’s hard to believe that Amman has never been filmed before. People usually come to Jordan to shoot in the desert but there are so many other great locations here,” he said.
The film’s cast brings together an uncanny mixture of seasoned actors and complete novices.
Veteran Jordanian/British actor Nadim Sawalha of Syriana fame plays the lead role, with Rana Sultan from Jordan TV cast as a young female captain who befriends Abu Raed.
Sawalha remembers meeting a young Matalqa 15 years earlier on a flight from Los Angeles to Jordan with American director Blake Edwards when the two were shooting Son of the Pink Panther.
“Amin’s father was actually flying the plane and asked me if his son could come and visit the set. Fifteen years later he phones me up out of the blue and tells me he’s making a film and would I like to get on board,” said Sawalha.
“Here I am playing a poor janitor and in a few weeks I’ll be back in London playing millionaire tycoon Mohammad Al Fayed in Diana, A Disaster Waiting to Happen,” said Sawalha, amused at the irony of his situation.
The children of Abu Raed’s neighbourhood were chosen after Matalqa spent last July and August scouting Jordan’s summer camps.
He eventually selected 12 children aged 9-13, all but one from the country’s impoverished refugee camps and with not a jot of acting experience between them.
One of the film’s producers, Nadine Toukan, told The Jordan Times that apart from coming from desperately poor backgrounds, most of these children have only one parent and some don’t even have citizenship as their fathers are Egyptian.
“Coming from this background to star in a feature film has been a truly life changing experience for these kids,” said Toukan.
“Their families were thrilled at the prospect of their children being in a film and have been one hundred per cent supportive. Like any parents, they want the best for their children.”
Matalqa said he intentionally sought out youngsters from deprived backgrounds to prove that social status bears no relationship to talent, and also because it fits with the overall theme of the film about disadvantaged people attempting to realise their dreams.
“We were casting for over a year and some of these kids just stood out immediately,” he said, referring to Hussein Al Sous, who plays the leading child Murad.
Matalqa said he hopes the movie, which will premier in Amman at the end of this year, will motivate more Jordanians to develop an interest in filmmaking.
“It’s scandalous that not a single Jordanian feature film has been made for 50 years. This movie is intended to put the country back on the map while sending a strong message to Hollywood that this is a truly great place to film.”
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Women scoop BBC NewsMaker awards
AMMAN — Two young women in Jordan have been given the opportunity to broadcast to the BBC’s 42 million English-language listeners after winning the BBC NewsMaker competition for young journalists.
Lina Ejeilat, 24, and Sarah Badry, 21, will make and broadcast their programmes with BBC news journalists next month after their entries were chosen from among hundreds of nonprofessional English-speaking journalists aged 20-30 years old.
The winners were chosen by a panel of three judges, consisting of actress and TV presenter, Rania Kurdi, the BBC’s special correspondent and presenter, Lyse Doucet, and editor of BBC World Service News and Current Affairs, Liliane Landor.
“There was an exciting variety of subjects, and the winners came from a range of backgrounds. The entries showed that many young Jordanians are deeply concerned about issues that affect society as a whole, and are searching to find a unique identity for themselves,” said Kurdi.
Ejeilat’s winning entry explores what she describes as the emergence of a “truly Ammani music” that is distinct from both the strong influence of the West, and Arab musical traditions.
Speaking to The Jordan Times yesterday, the electrical engineering graduate, who is currently working in a telecommunications company, said she got the idea for her story after noticing a distinct change in Amman’s music scene over the past two years.
“I have always kept my eyes open for local artists and have seen more and more Jordanians forming bands and coming up with original material consisting of a fusion of various global styles.”
She believes this emerging musical form is providing Jordanians with a cultural identity of their own, distinct from traditional Arab sounds coming out of Egypt and Lebanon, who have long overshadowed Jordan as the leading musical powerhouses in the region.
“Things are changing here and this has a lot to do with young people now having exposure to the Internet and a wider cultural pool on which to draw,” said Ejeilat.
BBC special correspondent Lyse Doucet told The Jordan Times that Ejeilat’s endeavour to explore cultural changes through music was what gave her the edge over other competitors.
“I like the way Lina is trying to discover an “Ammani” music that can hold its own against all the strong cultural influences from other Arab capitals and the West. It’s also about the democratisation of culture through the Internet, about how young Jordanians can now have the world at their fingertips if they have access to computers,” she said.
For her part, Badry’s winning story revolves around the contemporary issue of Iraqi refugees in Jordan, which total more than 700,000 according to government figures.
The story draws upon her own experiences as a young third-year Iraqi medical student forced to flee her native Baghdad because of the ongoing violence and instability.
“I wanted to highlight the difficulties faced by Iraqi students here,” Badry told The Jordan Times yesterday.
When Badry arrived in Jordan she soon discovered that the universities were full and was forced to resort to e-mailing her friends in Baghdad for lecture notes to complete her studies.
“Many students that came here were unable to gain places. Some of them dropped their studies and took up low-paid jobs whilst others moved to Egypt until the government there stopped issuing visas. Others returned to Baghdad and continue to brave the violence.”
Doucet said Badri’s story provides a window on Iraq’s education system — once one of the finest in the Middle East, but now being torn apart.
“But we also hear how Sarah still hasn’t lost hope in her own country. She finds inventive ways to keep her courses in Baghdad going as she confronts the pressures now building on Jordan’s universities in the midst of this massive influx of Iraqis, “ she said.
Overall, the three judges described the competition as a fascinating insight into the perceptions of Jordanian youth.
“The winners have come up with challenging and exciting stories, and will tell them to our 42 million English-language listeners in their own words, with a fresh and engaging voice,” said Landor.
In addition to broadcasting their stories to a global audience, the two winners each won a laptop computer.
Ejeilat said the competition has given her the incentive to focus more on journalism and may well signal a career change.
“I have always been interested in a career in the media but put it on hold and focused on engineering instead. But the experience of the competition and the fact that my story won has now encouraged me to continue with journalism.”
BBC NewsMaker also awarded MP3 players to five runners-up: Maram Hamam on child labour, Manar Daghlas on Jordanian teenagers preoccupied with celebrity culture, Mohammad Nasser Eddin on the identity crisis of a Palestinian student in no-man’s land, Haitham Jafar on young managers battling with bureaucracy and Lina Samawi uncovering the secrets of the ancient city of Abila.
BBC World Service is an international radio and online broadcaster delivering programmes and services in 33 languages.
Friday-Saturday, April 27-28, 2007
Lina Ejeilat, 24, and Sarah Badry, 21, will make and broadcast their programmes with BBC news journalists next month after their entries were chosen from among hundreds of nonprofessional English-speaking journalists aged 20-30 years old.
The winners were chosen by a panel of three judges, consisting of actress and TV presenter, Rania Kurdi, the BBC’s special correspondent and presenter, Lyse Doucet, and editor of BBC World Service News and Current Affairs, Liliane Landor.
“There was an exciting variety of subjects, and the winners came from a range of backgrounds. The entries showed that many young Jordanians are deeply concerned about issues that affect society as a whole, and are searching to find a unique identity for themselves,” said Kurdi.
Ejeilat’s winning entry explores what she describes as the emergence of a “truly Ammani music” that is distinct from both the strong influence of the West, and Arab musical traditions.
Speaking to The Jordan Times yesterday, the electrical engineering graduate, who is currently working in a telecommunications company, said she got the idea for her story after noticing a distinct change in Amman’s music scene over the past two years.
“I have always kept my eyes open for local artists and have seen more and more Jordanians forming bands and coming up with original material consisting of a fusion of various global styles.”
She believes this emerging musical form is providing Jordanians with a cultural identity of their own, distinct from traditional Arab sounds coming out of Egypt and Lebanon, who have long overshadowed Jordan as the leading musical powerhouses in the region.
“Things are changing here and this has a lot to do with young people now having exposure to the Internet and a wider cultural pool on which to draw,” said Ejeilat.
BBC special correspondent Lyse Doucet told The Jordan Times that Ejeilat’s endeavour to explore cultural changes through music was what gave her the edge over other competitors.
“I like the way Lina is trying to discover an “Ammani” music that can hold its own against all the strong cultural influences from other Arab capitals and the West. It’s also about the democratisation of culture through the Internet, about how young Jordanians can now have the world at their fingertips if they have access to computers,” she said.
For her part, Badry’s winning story revolves around the contemporary issue of Iraqi refugees in Jordan, which total more than 700,000 according to government figures.
The story draws upon her own experiences as a young third-year Iraqi medical student forced to flee her native Baghdad because of the ongoing violence and instability.
“I wanted to highlight the difficulties faced by Iraqi students here,” Badry told The Jordan Times yesterday.
When Badry arrived in Jordan she soon discovered that the universities were full and was forced to resort to e-mailing her friends in Baghdad for lecture notes to complete her studies.
“Many students that came here were unable to gain places. Some of them dropped their studies and took up low-paid jobs whilst others moved to Egypt until the government there stopped issuing visas. Others returned to Baghdad and continue to brave the violence.”
Doucet said Badri’s story provides a window on Iraq’s education system — once one of the finest in the Middle East, but now being torn apart.
“But we also hear how Sarah still hasn’t lost hope in her own country. She finds inventive ways to keep her courses in Baghdad going as she confronts the pressures now building on Jordan’s universities in the midst of this massive influx of Iraqis, “ she said.
Overall, the three judges described the competition as a fascinating insight into the perceptions of Jordanian youth.
“The winners have come up with challenging and exciting stories, and will tell them to our 42 million English-language listeners in their own words, with a fresh and engaging voice,” said Landor.
In addition to broadcasting their stories to a global audience, the two winners each won a laptop computer.
Ejeilat said the competition has given her the incentive to focus more on journalism and may well signal a career change.
“I have always been interested in a career in the media but put it on hold and focused on engineering instead. But the experience of the competition and the fact that my story won has now encouraged me to continue with journalism.”
BBC NewsMaker also awarded MP3 players to five runners-up: Maram Hamam on child labour, Manar Daghlas on Jordanian teenagers preoccupied with celebrity culture, Mohammad Nasser Eddin on the identity crisis of a Palestinian student in no-man’s land, Haitham Jafar on young managers battling with bureaucracy and Lina Samawi uncovering the secrets of the ancient city of Abila.
BBC World Service is an international radio and online broadcaster delivering programmes and services in 33 languages.
Friday-Saturday, April 27-28, 2007
Author of fake honour killing book exposed in new film
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — Three years after Norma Khouri’s bestselling book on her friend’s honour killing was exposed as a fake, the Jordanian-born writer has taken to the silver screen to clear her name, but her efforts to salvage her reputation spectacularly backfired.
Khouri’s book, Forbidden Love, told the story of her childhood friend Dalia, a Muslim from a conservative family who was murdered by her father after he discovered she was engaged in a secret love affair with a Christian army officer.
The book, published in 2003, proved a big hit, selling half a million copies in 15 countries and turning Khouri into a self-styled champion of women’s rights.
But Khouri’s new found status was short-lived when it transpired that her story was fabricated.
Far from a growing up in the male-dominated society she described, Khouri had lived in Chicago since the age of three, held an American passport and was married with two children, a difficult feat for someone who claimed to be a virgin. What’s more, she never had a childhood friend called Dalia who was murdered in an honour killing.
The deception may well have gone unnoticed if it were not for the determination of a small band of women’s rights activists in Jordan who expressed doubts over the book’s authenticity.
“From the first few pages it was obvious that this woman did not know anything about Jordan, says activist and Joradan Times Reporter Rana Husseini, the driving force behind exposing Khouri.
Husseini, who is featured in the film, at first became suspicious on reading that the story was based around a unisex hair saloon set up by Khouri and Dalia.
“Everyone here knows that such places do not exist and are against Jordanian law. I then discovered that the book was full of factual errors such as the River Jordan runs through Amman and that the country shares borders with Egypt, Kuwait and Lebanon.”
Picking up the cause, the Jordanian National Commission for Women contacted the book’s publishers, Random House, to express their concerns. But despite repeated letters the publishers stood by Khouri, even refusing to reclassify the book as fiction.
Finally, in 2004, journalist Malcolm Knox ran a front page splash in the Sydney Morning herald exposing the full extent of the hoax. Random House immediately ordered the book to be withdrawn and Khouri went into hiding, or so everyone thought.
For the past two years Khouri has been making the aptly titled film “Forbidden Lies” with Australian director Anna Broinowski. The film premiered on February 25 at the Adelaide Film Festival and was Khouri’s attempt to clear her name.
Broinowski says she first met Khouri in San Francisco in 2005 and was taken in by her story that she had been the victim of a vicious smear campaign in the media.
“She utterly convinced me that she’d been maligned by the press, that her book was a true story and that she was not the con artist she’d been made out to be,” Broinowski told The Jordan Times.
But when Khouri invited Broinowski and producer Sally Regan to travel to Jordan to verify her story they soon realised all was not well.
“What happened in Jordan was astounding, says Broinowski. “Norma led us on a wild goose chase, changing the goals posts at every turn, failing to produce witnesses and relatives, taking us to dubious locations and refusing to show us the real unisex saloon where the core of the drama Forbidden Love takes place.”
During their stay, Broinowski says Khouri became increasingly paranoid, insisting her life was in danger and refusing to go anywhere without her bodyguard. She also refused point blank to debate with any of the activists who had accused her of being a fraud.
“We spent most of our time in a van with tinted windows or in hotel rooms away from extremists supposedly lurking behind every plant pot,” says Broinowski.
It was only when Khouri took the name of the real Dalia to be checked at the Forensics Institute in Amman that the film-makers knew for certain they had been duped.
“When I got back from Jordan I realised the film was now the portrait of a con woman whether I like it or not. I was disappointed Norma hadn’t proven her story but also fascinated by the woman I was getting to know,” says Broinowski.
Not one to give up easily, Khouri remains unfazed by the whole episode, revealing that she’d deliberately withheld Dalia’s real identity because she never trusted the film-makers in the first place.
As for Broinowski, despite being led on a wild goosed chase in search of a fictional Dalia, she appears to hold no grudges, recalling her time with Khouri with a certain fondness.
“I feel that she is genuinely committed to stopping honour crimes… she is brilliant, articulate, a born improviser and a naturally gifted actress… I wish she’d become a philosopher or fiction writer rather than getting embroiled in lies.”
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
AMMAN — Three years after Norma Khouri’s bestselling book on her friend’s honour killing was exposed as a fake, the Jordanian-born writer has taken to the silver screen to clear her name, but her efforts to salvage her reputation spectacularly backfired.
Khouri’s book, Forbidden Love, told the story of her childhood friend Dalia, a Muslim from a conservative family who was murdered by her father after he discovered she was engaged in a secret love affair with a Christian army officer.
The book, published in 2003, proved a big hit, selling half a million copies in 15 countries and turning Khouri into a self-styled champion of women’s rights.
But Khouri’s new found status was short-lived when it transpired that her story was fabricated.
Far from a growing up in the male-dominated society she described, Khouri had lived in Chicago since the age of three, held an American passport and was married with two children, a difficult feat for someone who claimed to be a virgin. What’s more, she never had a childhood friend called Dalia who was murdered in an honour killing.
The deception may well have gone unnoticed if it were not for the determination of a small band of women’s rights activists in Jordan who expressed doubts over the book’s authenticity.
“From the first few pages it was obvious that this woman did not know anything about Jordan, says activist and Joradan Times Reporter Rana Husseini, the driving force behind exposing Khouri.
Husseini, who is featured in the film, at first became suspicious on reading that the story was based around a unisex hair saloon set up by Khouri and Dalia.
“Everyone here knows that such places do not exist and are against Jordanian law. I then discovered that the book was full of factual errors such as the River Jordan runs through Amman and that the country shares borders with Egypt, Kuwait and Lebanon.”
Picking up the cause, the Jordanian National Commission for Women contacted the book’s publishers, Random House, to express their concerns. But despite repeated letters the publishers stood by Khouri, even refusing to reclassify the book as fiction.
Finally, in 2004, journalist Malcolm Knox ran a front page splash in the Sydney Morning herald exposing the full extent of the hoax. Random House immediately ordered the book to be withdrawn and Khouri went into hiding, or so everyone thought.
For the past two years Khouri has been making the aptly titled film “Forbidden Lies” with Australian director Anna Broinowski. The film premiered on February 25 at the Adelaide Film Festival and was Khouri’s attempt to clear her name.
Broinowski says she first met Khouri in San Francisco in 2005 and was taken in by her story that she had been the victim of a vicious smear campaign in the media.
“She utterly convinced me that she’d been maligned by the press, that her book was a true story and that she was not the con artist she’d been made out to be,” Broinowski told The Jordan Times.
But when Khouri invited Broinowski and producer Sally Regan to travel to Jordan to verify her story they soon realised all was not well.
“What happened in Jordan was astounding, says Broinowski. “Norma led us on a wild goose chase, changing the goals posts at every turn, failing to produce witnesses and relatives, taking us to dubious locations and refusing to show us the real unisex saloon where the core of the drama Forbidden Love takes place.”
During their stay, Broinowski says Khouri became increasingly paranoid, insisting her life was in danger and refusing to go anywhere without her bodyguard. She also refused point blank to debate with any of the activists who had accused her of being a fraud.
“We spent most of our time in a van with tinted windows or in hotel rooms away from extremists supposedly lurking behind every plant pot,” says Broinowski.
It was only when Khouri took the name of the real Dalia to be checked at the Forensics Institute in Amman that the film-makers knew for certain they had been duped.
“When I got back from Jordan I realised the film was now the portrait of a con woman whether I like it or not. I was disappointed Norma hadn’t proven her story but also fascinated by the woman I was getting to know,” says Broinowski.
Not one to give up easily, Khouri remains unfazed by the whole episode, revealing that she’d deliberately withheld Dalia’s real identity because she never trusted the film-makers in the first place.
As for Broinowski, despite being led on a wild goosed chase in search of a fictional Dalia, she appears to hold no grudges, recalling her time with Khouri with a certain fondness.
“I feel that she is genuinely committed to stopping honour crimes… she is brilliant, articulate, a born improviser and a naturally gifted actress… I wish she’d become a philosopher or fiction writer rather than getting embroiled in lies.”
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
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