Christianity in Jordan

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Ascension in Amman, Jordan.

Jordan contains one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, their presence dating back to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ early in the 1st century AD. Christians today make up about 3% of the population. Jordanian Christians in a country of almost 10 million are thought to number 250,000-400,000,[1] down from 20% in 1930, but their absolute numbers have increased.[2] This is the result of high immigration rate of Muslims into Jordan, high emigration rates of Christians, and high birth rates for Muslims.

Jordan's Arab Christians are exceptionally well integrated in the Jordanian society and enjoy a high level of freedom.[3] All Christian religious ceremonies are allowed to be publicly celebrated in Jordan.[4] Christians are allotted a minimum of 7% of the seats in the Jordanian parliament (9 out of 130 seats). Jordanian Christians hold important ministerial portfolios, ambassadorial appointments, and positions of high military rank. The highest position reached by a Jordanian Christian is deputy prime minister, most recently held by Rajai Muasher.[5]

  1. ^ Kildani, Hanna (8 July 2015). "الأب د. حنا كلداني: نسبة الأردنيين المسيحيين المقيمين 3.68%" (in Arabic). Abouna.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. ^ Vela, Justin (14 February 2015). "Jordan: The safe haven for Christians fleeing ISIL". The National. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference angilican was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Fleishman, Jeffrey (10 May 2009). "For Christian enclave in Jordan, tribal lands are sacred". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Home - Minority Rights Group". Minorityrights.org. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 2018-08-15.