Safety and Security in Jordan
We are sometimes asked about safety and security issues in Jordan. It is important to keep things in perspective.
Isn't Jordan a dangerous place full of violence and terrorists?
Violent conflict between Israel and certain Palestinian factions continues, but that is not happening in Jordan, an independent country unto itself. The fact is that people in Jordan and most other countries in the region go about their daily lives in peaceful surroundings. In a monarchy like Jordan, security is tight and penalties for breaking the law are often harsh. As a result, there are fewer crimes of any sort.
What about politics, don't the Jordanians hate our government and its policies?
It is no secret that U.S. foreign policy in the region has not been very popular. However, Jordanians are able to differentiate between a country's government and its people, especially "young ambassadors" like students. Most Jordanians admire any American willing to learn about their country and culture. Shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and others often greet us with "Welcome to Jordan!" The many American tourists visiting Jordan, and American professionals doing business in Jordan, hear the same thing.
But Jordan is next to Iraq, isn't that dangerous?
Not really. The violence taking place in Iraq is far away and no threat to us. Again, we are talking about separate countries. Jordan has absorbed some 3/4 million Iraqi refugees, which has been a strain on the economy. Journey to Jordan staff and participants have had friendly chats with Iraqi taxi drivers and shopkeepers.
Consider this excerpt from Misadventures in the Middle East (2007), a book by Henry Hemming: “For subeditors the world over, there was nothing that remarkable about interchanging the terms ‘Iraq’ and ‘Middle East’ for added impact, or replacing ‘Israel-Palestine’ with ‘Middle East.’ Which was strange. If there was a strike in Caracas you would not read about it the following day beneath the headline ‘Strike in South America.’” Nor would unrest in Kashmir imply ‘Unrest in Asia.’” But for the people who wrote these headlines as well as those who read them, the Middle East was different. It appeared to have its own set of rules and to exist outside the realm of orthodox Western analysis. This particularism was at the very heart of almost every Western misconception about the region.”
Okay, but really -- isn't there some risk in traveling abroad, especially in a country so different than ours?
Well, yes, but...there is always the chance that something can happen while traveling -- not just in Jordan, but in any country. There have been occasional incidents in Jordan, but nothing that even approaches the scale of violence here at home. Again, it is all about perspective. Is the U.S. really a more safe country? The practical, statistically accurate answer is "not at all." Consider the information below:
The U.S. ranks in the range of 24th-27th in murder rates worldwide, depending on the source. Jordan does not even make the top 100 list.
In recent years and months, mall shootings in Brooklyn, suburban Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Knoxville, Omaha, Salt Lake City, Tacoma, .... None in Jordan.
School shootings in five locations across the U.S. during one week in February 2008; three in 2007, five in 2006. Several school shootings in other countries over the past few years. None in Jordan.
Multiple people killed and wounded in restaurant shootings throughout 2008: Riverside, CA; Durham, NC; Coumbus, OH; West Palm Beach, FL; Seattle, WA; Largo, MD. The list goes on.
More recent public shooting rampages: Binghampton, NY, April 2009; Southern Alabama, March 2009.
Talk about perspective! In 2006, ten cities in the U.S. had a higher murder rate than the number of violent fatalities in Iraq that year.
