Jordan's evangelicals hope centre leads to recognition

AMMAN// The dedication of the the World Baptist Alliance's new baptism centre at Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan last month was more than just an ordinary religious celebration. For many of the country's nearly 10,000 evangelicals, it was seen as a step towards governmental recognition of them as a Christian denomination in Jordan.

"We are very thankful. It is a generous gift from King Abdullah and clear evidence of the good trust and worthy relations between the Baptists and the leadership of Jordan," said Nabeeh Abbassi, a Baptist pastor and a former president of the Jordan Baptist Convention. A meeting between Baptist leaders and King Abdullah took place in Sept 2007, and in 2008 they were granted permission to have their own centre. The government donated the land to the Baptist Alliance and built the centre, which does not include a church like other Christian denominations have at the site.

The centre, which is not limited to Baptists, is on the Jordan River and features a wooden shelter that can accommodate 750 people in addition to changing rooms for religious pilgrims who come to be baptised in the same water they believe Jesus was baptised in almost 2,000 years ago. The donation of the site was seen as a sign of goodwill for evangelicals, who lack a royal decree that officially recognises them as a non-Muslim minority. Although some evangelical groups have their own schools, they do not have their own court systems like the recognised Christian denominations.

A new analysis posted on the website of Radio Al Balad said the government is close to officially recognising evangelical groups, although there has been no word from the government itself. In Jordan, evangelicals can practise their faith freely as long as they do not violate the country's laws. Last year they angered the government when several of their religious workers attempted to proselytise Muslims, a practice banned in Jordan.

Subsequently, the government ejected them from the country. Compass Direct News, a Christian news agency, broke the story of the expulsions in January last year and criticised Jordan for undermining religious freedoms. The incident embarrassed Jordan, which prides itself on its religious tolerance. The Council of Church leaders, the highest religious Christian authority, later criticised the evangelicals in an official statement.

The Council, already suspicious about evangelical motives and their connections to fundamentalist evangelical and Protestant Christians in the United States promoting Israel as a biblical state, warned the public against 42 "intruder" sects, claiming that they threatened the security of the country and were creating religious discord with Muslims. The traditional churches disagree with evangelicals on matters related to creed and are against the idea of proselytising in a country where the official religion is Islam.

"When they attempt to convert Muslims they are acting against the country's national unity. This effectively will harm us as Christians. Their objectives are not clear to us and when there is darkness one has to be alert," a Greek Orthodox priest said. The government's improved ties with evangelicals raised some speculation that it had to do with US pressure. In the 2008 publication of its annual report on international religious freedom, the United States pointed to the regression of religious freedoms in Jordan, a key US ally, and one of the top recipients of US foreign aid. Last year economic assistance stood at US$561 million (Dh2bn) up from $255m in 2007.

For their part, evangelicals are keen to have their churches registered officially as denominations under Jordanian law. "We want to have our own court and autonomy," Mr Abbassi explained. "We as evangelicals are working as one body, hoping to receive a royal decree to be recognised as a non-Muslim denomination and to have our own evangelical synod. It will be easier for the government to deal with us."

This year, 80 evangelical heads of churches, pastors and activists signed a letter pledging their commitment to the country's national interest. They want to send the letter to the king. "We want to practice our faith under the umbrella of the constitution and to allay government fears that we [are] tampering with the national unity," Philip Madanat, an evangelical activist, said. "We want to hold ourselves accountable for any violations."

smaayeh@thenational.ae