Who’s Who in the Jordanian Opposition: Part One

Who’s Who in the Jordanian Opposition: Part One

Inspired by the Arab Spring, the Salafi-Jihadists of Jordan have taken to the streets for the first time and have been holding demonstrations in several cities, including Amman, Ma’an, Salt, Irbid and Zarqa, to demand the release of their imprisoned colleagues and the implementation of Shari’a. On April 15, 2012, the opposition clashed with pro-government and security forces (See Terrorism Monitor, May 5, 2011; Open Democracy, May 2, 2011). Since then, the radical generation within the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has gained favor. This generation believes physical jihad is the most effective form of political activism. 

As citizens take to the street in protest, to demand political reform, jihadists have shown that they are large in number and defiant, though they do not operate as an organization. This article profiles twelve key figures in the Jordanian opposition and is split into two parts. The first part covers six individuals who are considered traditional opposition figures. The second part will cover another six individuals who represent newly formed opposition groups.  

Ahmad Obeidat 

Ahmad Obeidat is a unique case in the Jordanian opposition because he was appointed Prime Minister between 1984 and 1985 and was appointed director of the Mukhabrat, Jordan’s general intelligence department, from 1974 to 1982. Obeidat was also a member of the House of Senate (all members appointed by the king) for several terms. He resigned from his post in objection to Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel but was reappointed to the post in 1999 by King Abdullah II. Coming from the heart of Jordan’s bureaucracy and having filled various posts has made him a very influential opposition leader. 

Obeidat showed signs of political opposition in other instances but was nevertheless assigned by King Abdullah II in 2003 to establish the National Center for Human Rights (al-Jazeera, May 15, 2011). Under his leadership, the Center published several reports criticizing the performance of official bodies in Jordan. One of these reports, for example, highlighted fraud committed in the parliamentary elections of 2007. 

In 2008, Obeidat was forced to resign from the Center after he issued a statement, signed by 150 Jordanian political figures, criticizing privatization policies and the way the state was being administered. His criticism reached the king himself (Assawsana [Amman], July 2, 2008). Since then, he has been a strong proponent of reforming the system and he has very good relations with other opposition bodies in Jordan. He launched the National Front for Reform in May 2011 as an umbrella organization for opposition movements in Jordan, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, the Islamic Action Front. 

Laith Shubeilat  

Born in 1942, Laith Shubeilat has been a notable opposition figure since the mid-1980s, when he started to criticize the monarch at a time when such criticism was taboo. His father was a Jordanian diplomat who was close to the king and worked at the royal court. 

Shubeilat earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1964, and a master’s degree from George Washington University. Shubeilat was elected to parliament as an independent Islamist in 1984 and again in 1989, when democracy was reintroduced to Jordan. 

Shubeilat was arrested in 1992 and a military court charged him “of plotting with Iran to overthrow King Hussein.” He was sentenced to 20 years of hard labor but was freed by the king under special amnesty. [1] Following his arrest, Shubeilat left his political career in protest against the electoral laws that he believed ran counter to democratic principles. He was subsequently elected president of the Jordanian Engineers Association (JEA); he was the first Islamist to be elected to head the JEA. 

Shubeilat continued to oppose normalization of relations with Israel and was arrested again in 1995, charged with lèse majesté (violating the dignity of a ruler), but was released in 1996, again, under terms of special amnesty. Shubeilat was detained in February 1998, following a sermon at a mosque in a town south of Amman that authorities claimed had incited a demonstration. While in prison, he refused a royal pardon, an unprecedented move in the Jordanian political scene. 

Though Shubeilat has been a leader of the Jordanian opposition, he has received criticism for his close relations with former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein; critics ask how a supporter of a dictatorial regime like Saddam’s could advocate democratic values. 

Rohile Gharybieh 

Rohile Gharybieh (a.k.a. Erhail or Ruhayil) is one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and has held various posts in the movement and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front. Gharybieh holds a PhD in Shari’a and he has worked as a teacher and is a prominent columnist. He was one of 22 representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Jordanian Parliament in 1989. [2] He is also the director of the Muslim Brotherhood’s think tank, the Ummah Study Centre. Nonetheless, Gharybieh represents a rebellious ideological group inside the Brotherhood, which the media ironically describes as “the doves” because they represent a moderate view within the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. 

In response to criticism that the Muslim Brotherhood is influenced by Hamas, Gharybieh and his colleagues have declared that they will give Jordanian local issues priority over any foreign issues, including the Palestinian question. Gharybieh presented an initiative in 2009 that called for a “Constitutional Monarchy”—an elected government, rotation of power and a new process for decision-making. [3] The initiative provoked widespread debate in Jordan and was among the demands of Jordanian protesters following the Arab Spring. 

Gharybieh risked dividing the Muslim Brotherhood when he released the “National Initiative for Building,” better known as “the Zamzam Initiative” in December 2012. [4] The new initiative stresses the need to “build a good relationship with all state institutions based on cooperation and active participation in various fields,” and emphasizes the “need to adopt the principle of gradual transition toward democracy within the framework of reform plans, which must be implemented based on national consensus and popular participation in the reform project.” The “hawks” who control the high echelons of the group’s leadership issued an internal circular calling for Muslim Brotherhood members to boycott the initiative. All parties are insisting, however, that this will not affect the movement’s unity (al-Hayat, December 5, 2012; al-Jazeera.net, December 3, 2012). 

Zaki Bani Rusheid 

Zaki Bani Rusheid is one of the most influential leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. He is the deputy to the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the head of a political committee in the Islamic Action Front. Rusheid, who was born in Zarqa (25 kilometers east of Amman) in 1957, holds a diploma in Chemical Engineering. He was the General Secretary of the Islamic Action Front from 2006 to 2009 (The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report, May 7, 2010). Some reports stated that Hamas’ influence on the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan increased while Rusheid was at the helm of the group (al-Hourriah [Beirut], September 21, 2011; al-Quds, March 19, 2010). 

Rusheid has defended the group’s decision to boycott the general elections since 2010, in response to what was widely seen as fraud in the election in 2007, when the Muslim Brotherhood lost in areas that were considered strongholds for them, winning just six seats. Rusheid stated that the Muslim Brotherhood is of the opinion that “absolute powers” should be revised in Jordan. Rusheid said: “When we talk about amendments that change the political rules, we mean, the way of formation of the executive and the legislative branches…The way of mandating cabinets remains the prerogative of the king without consideration for the will of the people or their representatives in parliament.” He explains that since the parliament will be representing the Jordanian people, the king should be bound to commission a parliament that represents the majority. “This was our main demand,” he said (al-Hourriah [Beirut], September 21, 2011). [5] 

Hamza Mansour 

Born in 1944, Hamza Mansour is the General Secretary of the Islamic Action Front and it is his third time in this position (2002–2006). He is also a member of the Shura Council of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mansour holds a Master’s Degree in Education and previously worked in the Ministry of Education. He was elected to parliament several times. 

Mansour is described as very good speaker and considered charismatic. He is popular among Muslim Brotherhood grassroots groups as well as among other political opposition parties. Being such a consensual figure has allowed him to play a major role in designing alliances with other parties and to stand as a middle man inside the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Jordan. 

In this context, Hamza Mansour, in March 2011 told The Jamestown Foundation that the Muslim Brotherhood is not dominating the reform movement in Jordan: “We are partners of all believers in real reform… and we are an influential power in Jordan.” [6] 

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi 

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi seems to be to the most influential ideologue. Al-Maqdisi’s real name is Issam Muhammad Tahir al-Barqawi. He was born in 1959 in Nablus, and at a young age his family moved to Kuwait. From there he travelled through Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He returned to Jordan in 1992, in the aftermath of first Gulf war, and began to preach his ideology, which spread among young Jordanians. He criticized Jordanian officials by denouncing their rule as illegitimate and opposed to Shari’a. 

Al-Maqdisi’s ideas and writings have played a major role in shaping the contemporary jihadist movement, and his influence is not limited to Jordan where he is very influential­—especially since his writings have been translated into other languages. 

Notes 

1. For more see: https://shubeilat.com/about/.

2. Nohlen, D, Grotz, Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, F & Hartmann (2001), p. 151.

3. To read about the reaction to the initiative, see the wire issued by the U.S. Embassy in Amman and leaked by Wikileaks, https://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/03/09AMMAN677.html.

4. The initiative was named after the hotel where the writers of the initiative met. Zamzam also refers to the sacred water in Mecca.

5. Mukhabrat’s intervention in Jordan’s political life played a major role in inflaming the protests in the country. However King Abdullah II recently stated that the next Jordanian government will be formed after consultation with the newly elected parliament on January 23 of this year. 

6. Telephone interview with Hamza Mansour, Secretary General of the Islamist Action Front (IAF), March 31, 2011.