Identity is a central element of elections, this is ever so present in Jordan, and with over 50% of our population coming from Palestinian backgrounds, the Palestinian issue is a dominant one in Jordanian politics. The fact that a lot of candidates chose to run on Palestinian issues is a reflection of how many Jordanians feel about their role in society. These candidates and their supporters are second and third generation Jordanians, they were born here, they went to school and work and marry and breed here. So what does it mean when this segment of society speaks of itself as “the homeless” in election banners? The aspiration to return to a homeland different to the one where the voters and candidates live and practice their political rights, is not problematic, but for it to be the focal point on the platform of candidates is.\

em“The people of Jordan and Palestine sing; Khalil Hussein (The Candidates Name) the creator of glory and morale lifter, Yafa, Haifa, AL-Lid , Al Ramla and AL Khalil ( All Palestinian town and cities) are calling on us, there is no replacement for us . No matter how long the days get and how prolonged our absence from relatives is, victory is coming despite our shortcomings and failures , the blood on the martyr lives in our veins”/em

For these types of feelings and sentiments to prevail so powerfully, is worrying and troubling. These candidates seem to seriously imply that such issues are at the heart of the Jordanian Parliament. Which would more or less mean that the candidate believes he has a chance to become a member of the most powerful political entity in the world. Also alarming is the fact that most of the supporters come from lower income part of the capital where issues of poverty, sanitation, health, unemployment, and public services are very serious issues, yet the electoral platform is built on the promise of a better tomorrow, in a different country. This, I think , speaks volumes about the levels of uncertainty and despair significant segments of society feel about their future in the country.

The appeal of the Palestinian cause and the increasing shift towards religion by certain segments of society have also been utilized heavily by the Islamists. Officially, the Muslim Brotherhood announced their boycott of the elections, however this led to an internal conflict within their ranks and subsequently a lot of members resigned and ran either under other Islamic parties or as independents.

While some nationalists tried to utilize the appeal of a better tomorrow in a different homeland, the Islamists focused instead on the appeal of time travel, as was illustrated by the political support rally with an apocalyptic theme and name: the big crawl.

The Big Crawl, al zahf al kabeer in Arabic, was held in support of a candidate of the Islamic Middle Party. It attracted a considerable crowd of 5000 people, less than 100 of which were women. In adherence to what the organizers view to be Islamic customs that go back 1500 years, these women were quarantined in a separate section at the venue. Beards were long and untidy also in accordance with what these supporters believe early Muslims practiced.

A sheikh assumed the role of giving the welcoming speech and introducing the speakers. He had mentioned that the speeches were going to be short because there were 30 speakers, none of whom were women. The speakers ranged from retired schoolteachers who were aided by the candidate to obtain a lower income electric bill plan, to engineers and local leaders of spoke of the high integrity of the candidate.

Since a considerable number of Islamists and clerics had declared the participation in elections as a forbidden act in Islam, the candidate needed to justify his participation in religious terms and as such, the host soon declared that a prominent religious speaker was going to take the podium next. A few moments after that declaration, the host informed the guests that the religious scholar had fallen ill and had instead sent an audio tape in which he explains how it was permissible for the candidate to run. The rationale it seemed was that scholars view elections and participation in them as haram because the system on which they are based and the laws and regulations that oversee the election were not Islamic and thus were Haram. He then proceeded to explain that such corrupt laws need to be changed into Islamic ones and thus he had lent his support to the candidate in the hope that once in power he will be able to alter election laws to adhere to Islamic laws.

With the watchful eye of the police close by, the rally speakers and the host walked a very tight rope of political correctness, as required by the laws and regulations; the rally started with the national anthem followed by a short speech by the host, welcoming guests, pledging allegiances to the king and the Hashemite regime and to the Palestinian resistance i.e. Hamas who has been accused by the Jordanian government of meddling in internal affairs and smuggling weapons in recent years . Whether these accusations are true or not is irrelevant, the Islamists, at least in their political speech, can and do pledge allegiances to conflicting forces.

The more interesting element of the Islamists and their supporters is the fact that they don’t seem to advocate specific changes; the only visible banner was on that read “Islam is the solution”. What sort of Islam and what exactly they are advocating is visibly and deliberately missing, and for a very good reason.

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