Prayers, police and protest in Jordan

Photography and words by Dominic Dudley

The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have inspired people in Jordan to demand more from the regime that rule over them: more democracy, more accountable government, more subsidies to keep prices down and more jobs.

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Amman, Jordan. The Husseini mosque in the centre of downtown Amman has become a focal point for anti-government protests in Jordan since early January.

The building isn’t big enough to hold all the worshippers who show up and as the service continued on 11 February the numbers swelled, to the point where they first filled the wide pavement and then turned the main road into an extension of the mosque.

Some people had turned up with their own prayer rugs, others used cardboard boxes distributed from a wheelbarrow piled high with them. Watchful but relaxed security forces looked on.

As the service ended a small group began chanting. Some worshippers left to carry on with their day, but several hundred congregated around those chanting and then moved on down King Talal Street, followed by police.

The chants called for the then president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, to listen to the people in Tahrir Square and step down – a day later he did just that. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have inspired people in Jordan and other countries around the Middle East to demand more from the regimes that rule over them: more democracy, more accountable government, more subsidies to keep prices down, more jobs. Those demands have yet to be met and the Friday protests in Jordan have been getting larger as the weeks have gone by.

A week after these photos were taken some pro-government thugs ran into the crowd that had formed after prayers, waving sticks and batons and injuring 8 people. As yet there has been no repeat of that violence, but authorities in Jordan as elsewhere are scrambling to come to terms with their newly vocal citizens and the protests look likely to continue to grow until they come up with some credible answers to the demands.

Photos © Dominic Dudley. Check his blog for The Dictator Charts and reports on the Middle East.
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