[Amman, Jordan] Hizbullah’s ability to withstand relentless bombardment from the Israeli army and to keep its sweeping forces at bay in the Second Lebanon War (July/August 2006) impressed the whole Arab and Muslim world.
In their eyes, Hizbullah did what five Arab armies combined failed to do when they lost the 1967 War that led to Israel’s capture of the West Bank.
Frustrated by what they see as the frozen peace process, ongoing Israeli hostile policies against the Palestinians, as well as American occupation of Iraq, scores of young men have found in Hizbullah’s achievement an antidote to years of foreign oppression.
While many are aware that Iran and Syria are the puppeteers of the militia group, their support of the Shi’ite Hizbullah remains steadfast.
Reports suggest that Sunni Jordanians were so inspired by Hizbullah’s "historical victory," as the movement leader Hasan Na’srallah called it, that they have converted to Shi’ism (to turn from Sunni to Shi’ite is something frowned upon, politically and religiously, in a Sunni dominated region).
In Jordan, activists from the Muslim Brotherhood movement, known for its historical allegiance to the regime, are rumored to have turned to Shi’ism. Reports also mention conversions among dozens of families from impoverished towns and refugee camps including A-Salt, Al-Wahdat and Al-Baqa’ refugee camps, as well as the heavily populated city of A-Zarqa, the hometown of former Al Qa’ida leader, Abu Mu’s’ab A-Zarqawi.
The majority of Jordanians are Sunni Muslims, with the exception of 3,000 Shi’ites who hail from tribes that came to Jordan 100 years ago from southern Lebanon. This insignificant minority smoothly melted into society over the years without causing trouble for local authorities.
Observers say Jordanians who have turned to Shi’ism over the past months number fewer than 400 people. However, there is a genuine fear that more could turn to Shi’ism because the political milieu provides fertile soil for the phenomena to grow.
It was not only Hizbullah that gained respect among ordinary citizens; Iran with its current standoff with the West over its nuclear ambition seems to have garnered sympathy from individuals who detest American policies in the region. Iran is also one of the few countries in the world to offer a helping hand to the Hamas-led government while it is reeling under the embargo by the U.S., the EU and even some Arab countries.
This political development coincided with a flood of Iraqi refugees into Jordan, many of them Shi’ites escaping the mayhem of sectarian war. Over the past four years, nearly 700,000 Iraqis have settled in the small kingdom. Many are educated middle-class Shi’ites who made Jordan their new home, with some marrying Jordanians. It is believed that no fewer than 200,000 Iraqi Shi’ites live in Jordan. These newcomers are also believed to have influenced Jordanians to turn to Shi’ism.
“The natural result of mixing between the two nations is that some Jordanians have been influenced by Shi’ite ideas,” says Abu Mohammad Abu Ruman, a Jordanian political analyst and columnist with the daily Al-Ghad. “Shi’ism is new to Sunnis. They were never exposed to Shi’ite beliefs and that leaves ordinary individuals vulnerable to influence.”
Although policy makers in Jordan are aware that Shi’ism will not spiral out of control, counter measures have been put in place to make sure the phenomenon does not spread.
Security forces have adopted a zero tolerance policy with anyone who attempts to promote Shi’ism. Informed security sources say the government deported several Iraqi Shi’ite leaders after they were discovered to be giving public sermons to drum up support among Jordanians. Security forces have also been compiling a database of Iraqi Shi’ites in Amman, fearing some might be linked to Iran.
Senior officials of the Muslim Brotherhood say an investigation was opened, with members being accused of turning to Shi’ism.
“We are going to take necessary disciplinary measures against those who become Shi’ite," says Jamil Abu Bakir, deputy secretary general of the Brotherhood.
Other leaders of the Islamist movement admit that some of their cadets have become Shi’ites, but at the same time insist that this does not represent a trend. Sources at the Muslim Brotherhood say the government sent them a veiled threat to clamp down on what was believed to be a growing trend among its cadets to convert to Shi’ism.
But they also say the issue has been exaggerated for political gain, mainly to stop the growing popularity of the movement ahead of the parliamentary elections later this year.
Muhammad ‘Aql, a member of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) bloc – the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood movement – in the Jordanian parliament, says news of Islamist activists converting to Shi’ism is “a rumor. What happened is that some young members were influenced by Hizbullah’s victory against Israel and they showed support to Hizbullah, but this does not mean they have turned into Shi’ites,” he says.
Akel represents the Al-Baqa’ refugee camp in parliament, one of the few residential areas singled out as a place for converting to Shi’ism.
“It is impossible that members of the Muslim Brotherhood became Shi’ites because we are considered as the Sunnis’ shield against the spread of this sect in the Arab world,” he told The Media Line.
However, experts on Islamic issues say it is difficult to figure out who actually converted, because those who become Shi’ites often hide or deny it if confronted.
Jordanian officials fear that political sympathy for Hizbullah could develop into more serious types of support. There is a worry that political polarization caused by Hizbullah’s victory could lead to religious polarization.
“Historically, political Shi’ism turned into religious Shi’ism,” says Abu Ruman. “We noticed this trend among members of the Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian occupied territories, who had political support from Iran. After a while some of their activists became Shi’ites.”
Senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have already taken measures to stop this phenomenon. Movement activists have been seen distributing booklets that refute the controversial beliefs of Shi’ites and explain why Shi’ism does not conform to true Islamic values.
Some imams in mosques outline the points of difference between Shi’ites and Sunnis in their Friday prayers.
A recent remark by King ‘Abdallah II about an imminent threat from Iran is considered to be the catalyst for the tough policy adopted by the government against Shi’ites. The king, who claims direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad, believes Iran has ambitions in the region and that a Shi’a crescent could engulf the politically volatile region.
Other Arab leaders including Jordan’s closest allies, King ‘Abdallah of Saudi and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, are also concerned about the looming threat from Iran. Mubarak said in a recent interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiyya TV channel that Shi’ites were more loyal to Iran than to their countries of residence.
“Iran definitely has influence on Shi’as,” Mubarak said. “Shi’as are 65% of the Iraqis… Most of the Shi’as are loyal to Iran and not to the countries they are living in.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Sa’oud Al-Fei’sal has also sounded alarm bells about Iran’s ambition. Leaders of Jordan, Saudi and Egypt fear that Iran’s influence could stretch to include the oil-rich Gulf, Iraq and Caspian Sea region, threatening the wellbeing of most Sunni Arab countries, particularly after Iran gains nuclear power.
Some Arab countries are going as far as planning to develop nuclear plants in a clear response to Iran’s nuclear plans. Governments in the region fear that an all-out civil war in Iraq between Sunnis and Shi’as might spill over to neighboring countries. Such a scenario would clearly be catastrophic for the entire region.