Religious Freedom in Jordan
Informations about Religion in Jordan
Jordan or the Kingdom of Jordan is located in Southwest Asia, specifically in the southern part of the Levant, bordered by Syria to the north, and from the south and east by Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and Palestine to the west, and it was named after the Jordan River, which passes on its western borders, with an estimated population of six and a half million people; the Muslim majority coexists with the Christian minority.
The percentage of Christians in Jordan is about six percent of the total population, and their numbers range from one hundred and seventy-four thousand to three hundred and ninety thousand, and their percentage during the early twentieth century was about twenty percent.
Some attribute this significant decline in their numbers to low birth rates among Christians compared to Muslims, as well as the migration of large numbers of them abroad, especially to European countries.
The Baha'i presence in Jordan dates back more than a century, yet this community, which is small in number today, is trying to establish itself through peaceful coexistence, full citizenship and integration into Jordanian society, as one of its important components despite some diminished rights.
With more than 183 countries around the world and more than five million Baha'is, Jordanian Baha'is represent the fourth generation of Baha'is in Jordan. However, writer and researcher Ibrahim Gharaibeh considers Baha'ism to be the third religion in Jordan, along with Islam and Christianity.
