Views of Judaism and Jewish People in Jordan: Political, Social, Historical, and Religious Considerations

The purpose of this research was to find out what the general view of Judaism and Jewish people is within Jordan and what factors play into these views. There were a few aspects of this topic that were specifically focused on in this study. The impact of Israel on the way that Jewish people are perceived was one of the main topics explored. Part of this was looking at the history of Judaism and Jewish people in the Arab World and how the relationship between them and their non-Jewish neighbors changed after the creation of Israel. As a majority Muslim country, the interplay between Judaism and Islam and the way this influences the views of Jordanians was also a main theme in the research with a focus on the status of Jews as “the People of the Book”. Data was mainly gathered through a survey that was given to university students in Amman, Jordan. Three interviews were also conducted, two with professors at universities in Amman, and one with one of the survey participants