It was the Prophet Muhammad's birthday today. He is negative 1,378 years old. Ouch. The streets were nearly empty because no one had work or school except for the 26 people in my program. It reminded me of having to go to work at the JHU rec center during Baltimore's Snowmaggedon/Snowpocolypse 2010. The only difference was that in Baltimore people feasted to celebrate the death of a city rather than the birth of a holy man.
Criticism of the royal family is punishable by a three-year imprisonment. It's good to be the king, though the word king has an entirely different connotation here than in the European historical sense documented by this well-informed source... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZKiYgcgBAY
The ripples of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolts reached Jordan in the first week of my stay here. The Jordanian people blamed the parliament and prime minister for the high unemployment, high food prices, and most importantly--corruption. They looked to their king to fix it and he responded with an "oil change", as I see fit to phrase it. He brought in an entirely new parliament, including a new PM. Well, the new PM is actually an old PM, so there was some dirty oil there. The oil itself consists of a delicately balanced chemical equation taking into account tribal affiliations, ethnicity and gender. One wrong chemical and the car will explode Moreover, an oil change may extend the life of the car's engine but the oil was not necessarily the only problem, and it does not extend the life of the car. (El Hob would know...)
If El Hob were a country, according to this extended metaphor, it would be more like Cuba. It's been through a lot, its horribly inefficient with its use of natural resources, and its engine is old news.
Back to Jordan. No one thought to blame the king. He is spiritually and morally above everyone else by definition. He is an emir. And frankly, it bothers me that he is not held to the same standards as the general population. Perhaps I am uncomfortable with the idea of a monarchy because I grew up in a country whose initial doctrine was based on individual rights and a system of checks and balances to protect the balance of power. I have come to understand that the balance of power in Jordan is a lot more delicate, complicated and uneven than in the United States. When I asked a guest speaker about the popularity of king Abdullah and the possibility of dissent targeted at him, he provided a reavealing insight..
He said, "Abdullah is the king of both the people who are for the government and against it."
Abdullah is everyone's king, and like his father before him, he commands the respect of a very diverse and divided population based on a good reputation and the undeniable lineage to the man whose birthday was celebrated by roughly 1.4 billion people across the world. He is the frame and body of the vehicle. He is the face of a country. This is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Two days ago, my friend Sarah and I were walking out of a cafe on Abdoun circle. Upon reaching the exit we noticed the employees staring out the window. They motioned us over and explained that there was a princess getting into her car (predictably a land rover). The awe in their faces was contagious and I found myself staring with an open mouth at an extremely average looking woman with shopping bags getting into the backseat of her car. And this woman was only an in-law to the Prophet's descendants.
The king exists outside and above the government. He has the final word. Abdullah is the executive branch and the olive branch (symbol of peace keeping). Historically, he has been the responsible uncle in the extended family of the Muslim world. He served mostly to keep the peace between tribes, sects and ethnic groups. He only stepped in when it's necessary to preserve the interests of the Jordanian people. Such moments when he used his power of "I know whats right for the Jordanian people" include passing legislation reducing state subsidies, aiding privatization, and maintaining a solid relationship with the West.
I was trying to think of a comparative figure in American History who would have the reputation to control the respect of a good percentage of the American population. Who would be a worthy emir? In some ways I envy Jordan because they have a king they more or less believe in. We are devoid of the religious and cultural depth that fostered this constitutional monarchy. In this way we do not have a figurehead. The closest I could imagine was the returned ghost of Thomas Jefferson or George Washington (G-Dubz), pragmatic, passionate men who attempted to have the best interests of the country in mind. But even they wouldn't have the sort of respect that Abdullah's spiritual lineage may bring.
So Happy Birthday Prophet Muhammad!
Your blood runs this impressive modern nation.
Sincerily,
Al Hob
Criticism of the royal family is punishable by a three-year imprisonment. It's good to be the king, though the word king has an entirely different connotation here than in the European historical sense documented by this well-informed source... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZKiYgcgBAY
The ripples of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolts reached Jordan in the first week of my stay here. The Jordanian people blamed the parliament and prime minister for the high unemployment, high food prices, and most importantly--corruption. They looked to their king to fix it and he responded with an "oil change", as I see fit to phrase it. He brought in an entirely new parliament, including a new PM. Well, the new PM is actually an old PM, so there was some dirty oil there. The oil itself consists of a delicately balanced chemical equation taking into account tribal affiliations, ethnicity and gender. One wrong chemical and the car will explode Moreover, an oil change may extend the life of the car's engine but the oil was not necessarily the only problem, and it does not extend the life of the car. (El Hob would know...)
Back to Jordan. No one thought to blame the king. He is spiritually and morally above everyone else by definition. He is an emir. And frankly, it bothers me that he is not held to the same standards as the general population. Perhaps I am uncomfortable with the idea of a monarchy because I grew up in a country whose initial doctrine was based on individual rights and a system of checks and balances to protect the balance of power. I have come to understand that the balance of power in Jordan is a lot more delicate, complicated and uneven than in the United States. When I asked a guest speaker about the popularity of king Abdullah and the possibility of dissent targeted at him, he provided a reavealing insight..
He said, "Abdullah is the king of both the people who are for the government and against it."
Abdullah is everyone's king, and like his father before him, he commands the respect of a very diverse and divided population based on a good reputation and the undeniable lineage to the man whose birthday was celebrated by roughly 1.4 billion people across the world. He is the frame and body of the vehicle. He is the face of a country. This is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The king exists outside and above the government. He has the final word. Abdullah is the executive branch and the olive branch (symbol of peace keeping). Historically, he has been the responsible uncle in the extended family of the Muslim world. He served mostly to keep the peace between tribes, sects and ethnic groups. He only stepped in when it's necessary to preserve the interests of the Jordanian people. Such moments when he used his power of "I know whats right for the Jordanian people" include passing legislation reducing state subsidies, aiding privatization, and maintaining a solid relationship with the West.
So Happy Birthday Prophet Muhammad!
Your blood runs this impressive modern nation.
Sincerily,
Al Hob
El Hob failed it's emissions test. It is at the shop and they are trying to fix it.
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