Jordan 2014
Yearbook 2014
Jordan. Jordan population in 2020 is estimated at 10,203,145. The number of refugees from Syria’s civil war continued to rise. By the end of the year, there were over 600,000 registered refugees and, according to estimates, at least as many unregistered. This meant a severe effort on society and the country’s limited resources.
When the Islamic State (IS) extremist Sunni group took control of much of Iraq and Syria, the situation was further tightened. In July, tougher rules were adopted which meant that unregistered refugees, and those who left refugee camps without permission, became without humanitarian aid and risked being deported back to their home countries. The deteriorating situation in Iraq caused refugees to come from there as well.
In September, Jordan, along with several other Arab countries, joined the US-led alliance trying to stop IS. Jordanian fighter jets participated in a bombing campaign against the jihadists. The decision was difficult to digest for many Jordanians. At the same time, fears increased for domestic Islamists to turn to the regime and carry out terrorist acts in Jordan. Over 130 people were arrested for a couple of months for ties to militant Islamist groups, and several were sentenced to prison.
According to topb2bwebsites, the escalation of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians also contributed to a deteriorating security situation. Jordan turned to the UN Security Council in April, when Israel opened the area around al-Aqsa Mosque to Jewish visitors. Jordan is the patron of the area, which is one of Islam’s holiest sites. The war in Gaza during the summer worsened the situation, as did increased violence in Jerusalem. In November, Jordan called home its ambassador in protest of “the unprecedented escalation” at the holy sites in Jerusalem.
The radical Muslim priest Abu Qatada, expelled from the UK in 2013, was released in September after first being released from charges of a 1998 blast campaign and then from suspicions of planned terrorist acts at the turn of the millennium.
Population, society and rights
More than any other Arab country, Jordan is characterized by the massive presence of Palestinians, who make up about half of the total population and influence the maintenance of a fairly high demographic growth rate, over 2%. Over the years, Jordan has developed a state education program that makes it one of the countries with the highest literacy rate in the entire Middle East. Even the health system is able to offer quality services, thanks to high public investments. The health facilities welcome patients from neighboring Middle Eastern countries every year.
Civil and political liberties are still not sufficiently guaranteed even though Jordan is considered one of the most democratic states in the Middle East area. The recent tightening of anti-terrorism and telecommunications laws, with the addition of some more restrictive amendments, justified by the government as necessary to fight terrorism, has nevertheless attracted protests from human rights activists who feared enforcement. aimed at excessively punishing political opponents to the regime. Indeed, the arrests of opponents and journalists accused of putting the royal house and the government in a bad light are not uncommon; moreover, the press and television are largely controlled by the state. The same revision of the electoral law, approved in 2012,
As mentioned previously, in parliament it is finally envisaged that 15 seats will be reserved for women. At the same time, thanks also to the commitment of Queen Rania, the situation of gender equality is improving, even as the issue of honor crimes continues to shake Jordanian society. As for the Christian religious minority, about 4% of the population can enjoy greater freedom of worship than other Muslim Arab countries.
