UNREST IN JORDAN - THE NEXT MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD PROJECT?

 

Jordan has a population of over 11 million the majority of whom are considered Palestinian. The Jordanian Queen Rania is a "Palestinian". Jordan is a little complicated due to its history. The entire area of Jerusalem (east and west) was once under Jordan. In the 1910s there was an Emirate of Trans Jordan which ruled across both sides ie the east and west of the Jordan River. At that time there was no official 'Palestine'. So people were just Jordanian??

Anyway fast forward to today's Jordan, the country acquired its present borders post 1948 and also post 1967. But the people of Jordan have always been the Arabs from that part of the Arab world. They have always been there.

Except for the Jordanian Royal family. They are neither Jordanian nor Palestinians. They are descendants of the Hashemite Sheriffs (rulers) of Mecca in Saudi Arabia where the last Sheriff of Mecca (Abdullah I) was the great-grandfather of the present King Abdullah II of Jordan.   

King Abdullah II of Jordan was born on 30 January 1962 at Palestine Hospital in Amman, to King Hussein and Hussein's British-born second wife, Princess Muna Al-Hussein (born Antoinette Avril Gardiner).  

He is the namesake of his paternal great-grandfather, Abdullah I, who founded modern Jordan. 

Abdullah I's dynasty, the Hashemites, ruled Mecca for over 700 years—from the 10th century until the House of Saud conquered Mecca in 1925 with the help of the British. The British had already "kindly" transplanted Abdullah I to Jordan in 1921 and installed him as the ruler there. Abdullah I's family have ruled Jordan since then. 

The Hashemites are the oldest ruling dynasty in the Muslim world.  According to family tradition, the present Jordanian King Abdullah II is the 41st-generation descendant of Muhammad's daughter Fatimah and her husband, Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph^"

In brief the Jordanian Royal family are not Jordanian. They are British transplants from Mecca. This is a very important tit bit to keep in mind.

The majority Palestinian population of Jordan has serious sympathies with the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.

Now with the Hamas leadership about to lose the war in Gaza the Muslim Brotherhood is looking for a new home to keep its "Palestinian struggle" alive. The most logical place to relocate is Jordan where the Muslim Brotherhood already has a long and very influential presence through the Islamic Action Front or IAF.  The IAF is a political party which not too long ago won 25% of Parliamentary seats in Jordan.

So the King Abdullah II of Jordan better watch out because the Muslim Brotherhood and monarchies do not mix well at all. 

Which is why King Abdullah II has gone to some extent to insist that 'no Palestinian refugees from Gaza'. Meaning he does not need any more pro Muslim Brotherhood Palestinians on his turf.  And the good King has personally flown food aid into Gaza - to help the Gazans as well as to win brownie points with his Palestinian majority subjects in Jordan. 

The Middle East is an extremely dangerous neighborhood.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not reflect those of MMKtT.