The 10 innocent activities that could get in jail in

Jordan!
Welcome to Jordan! Those might be the first words you hear upon entering the
beautiful Jordan of the Middle East. You will come across breathtaking deserts,
mountains, camels and city lights that will forever stay in your memory. You will be
greeted by Jordanians, and invited for their famous qahwa or Arabic coffee, and
will be given a tour of Petra, downtown and the famous dead sea. Be careful
however, because you will not be warned about these 10 normal behaviors that
might easily get you in trouble. This list is indeed jaw dropping, but keep in mind
while reading it that freedom of speech is extremely limited in the Middle East,
which explains the content of the list:

1) PDA For a conservative country, it is very rare to see PDA on the streets of
Amman, Jordan Seeing a couple make out on the street would cause heads
to turn and most probably police on scene; yes you heard that right POLICE!
The reason goes back to PDA being perceived as an extremely liberal and anti
religious activity by the Jordanian community (Link1) & (Link 3). While
stealing a kiss from your partner and being wrapped up in their arms in public
is a usual activity, it is a major social taboo in Jordan and will get you dirty
looks. Arab culture is extremely conservative when it comes to relationships
between men and women, and particularly sexual relationships.

2) Bashing the royalty- Since Jordan has a king, insulting the royalty in
person, publicly or even online is enough to get you in jail. Online comments
are tracked by the Jordanian security team and are punishable by law (Link
4). Although King Abdulla the II is admired by many Jordanians, some dont
feel comfortable with his western ties or his method of rein. Hence, they try
to voice their opinion through protesting online and on the street. In most
cases, going to jail wont be the end of it; the king haters are usually tortured
in prison or beaten up in private cells. While it might be impossible here to
pretend like you support a president or a governor that you cant stand, be
prepared for that in Jordan because fighting is absolutely not an option. In
fact, if jail time is all you get, you are in luck!

3) Wearing extremely revealing outfits- That is a dangerous one you

probably dont want to try! Unlike California or New York, wearing what you
want in the Middle East in general is out of question(Link #2). Not only will
you get looks from people around you, but be ready to be escorted by local
police to the station for obstruction. Keep in mind that people are used to
 seeing men/women conservatively clothed, so a sight like a man or a woman
in a bathing suit on the street will not only cause them to stare for a couple
of seconds but also take pictures of them, or even pick a fight with them. For
that reason, the police try to avoid the chaos before it happens and escort
indecently clothed individuals.

4) Being high/drunk- While you pass by numerous individuals on a cloud 9 in

the US., the story is completely different in Jordan. In fact, it is out of the
ordinary to pass by intoxicated people on the street due to the religious and
strict cultures of the country. Should a person decide to get high and dance
on the street, the Jordanian police will be just around the corner to escort
them to their prison room. Even if the individual doesnt harm him/herself in
the process of being drunk/high, society perceives their behavior as an a
direct harm to the culture and the social norm. In addition, it is viewed as a
disturbance to social peace, and that makes it a taboo in Jordan.

5) Flashmobs- Since it is a conservative culture, diverse forms of arts are rarely

accepted without some form of criticism from the community or the
government. Thus, you rarely see an impromptu performance taking place on
the street. Unlike the west, the eastern part of the world and particularly the
Middle East doesnt handle ideas likes flashmobs well. Expect the police to
be involved as soon as you begin performing!

6) Skipping the security check at the mall- Unlike the malls in the west,
every shopping mall in Jordan is naturally a target for bombs. Therefore,
customers are always searched before entering the gates. Should you skip
the security check and walk around it, or forget to enter through the checking
lines, you will more than likely be questioned by the police. In 2015, the US
embassy issued a statement warning its citizens in Jordan from potential
bombs threats at malls (Link #6) Bombs are usually a popular target because
they are filled with people especially at night, from shoppers, to restaurant
customers. The mall in Jordan is usually a popular hanging out place for
people of all ages; high schoolers, college students, and families. Therefore,
among hotels and famous resorts, the mall is on the top list for the most
targeted buildings in Jordan.

7) Singing a controversial song: You might think that it is just a song, but
unfortunately not to the police. Recently numerous concerts were cancelled
in Jordan and some local performing groups were questioned by the police for
questioning the law, and the kings judgment in the country, In terms of
concerts, a lot of the Jordanian conservatives opposed the language and
 terminology used in songs, indicating that it harms the culture and
encourages liberalism and western ideals. Link #7
8) Wearing offensive t-shirts/clothing- A t-shirt that simple says I hate the
king or screw the system is enough to get you in jail. Wearing t-shirts with
sexual content will most than likely fly but will however get you dirty stares
from on lookers and you will most likely be photographed by some people.
That is one thing you have to keep in mind when it comes to the Middle East
and particularly Jordan; it is not an individualistic society. Your actions,
appearances and even thoughts affect the community and reflect your loyalty
to the culture.

9) Going to gay clubs: Since it is a conservative society, gay clubs are

nonexistent officially. However, there are some low key gay clubs that always
get busted by the police. Once the police find out the location of queer bars,
they take the participants to jail and report it to the media and local
authorities(Link #8). Queer bars/groups are considered a social taboo in the
Middle East as a whole and represent a controversial topic. It is important to
note that a lot of parents would rather murder their child- honor crime- rather
than live with shame(Link 9) . Honor crimes still take place today, and are
usually performed by a member of a particular family to protect the familys
honor, when a woman has a sexual affair outside of marriage, or when a child
is queer. Recent efforts have been made recently to remove the reduced
sentence on committing an honor crime that was originally protected by
conservatives of the community who want to purify the honor of families.

Lately, this law has faced strong backlash especially from young women and
recent college graduates who have protested that it is just like a normal
crime (Link 11). Additional issues being protested by the community include
sexual harassment on the street, and the Jordanian law which enables the
rapist to marry the woman he raped to protect the familys honor. As twisted
as that sounds, it did exist for a long time, and it wasnt till recently that this
law faced objection from the community.

10) Driving under 18 years old: While the normal age for driving in the
west is 16, in Jordan, it is 18. Yes, you read that right! In fact most students
wait till they are in their 20s to begin taking classes and officially driving. The
reason is because Jordans streets are extremely crowded, chaotic, and the
drivers rarely follow rules. Thats why there are over 100 car accidents in
Jordan every day, according to the Jordan Accidents info, Link #10

Link #1 https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/blog/2015/11/26/jordan-jails-a-man-for-
kissing-in-public
Link#2 https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/middle-east/jordan/culture-
etiquette/

Link #3 http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/video-couple%E2%80%99s-public-
display-affection-fuels-morality-vs-privacy-debate

Link#4 https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2012/03/31/jordan-arrests-12-
activists-for-insulting-king

Link #5 https://diplopundit.net/2015/02/25/us-embassy-jordan-warns-of-a-potential-
threat-against-high-end-malls-in-amman/

Link #6 http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-warns-citizens-of-terror-threats-in-jordan-
malls/

Link #7 https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/blog/2016/4/27/mashrou-leila-banned-
from-performing-in-jordan

Link #8 http://www.timesofisrael.com/jordan-arrests-10-gays-for-holding-gathering/

Link #9 https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/10/27/recorded-honor-killings-rise-jordan

Link #10 http://www.car-accidents.com/country-car-accidents/jordan-car-crash-

accidents.html

Link #11 http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/27/law-that-pardons-rapists-who-marry-their-

victim-could-finally-be-abolished-in-jordan-6600617/