Jordan unlikely to follow Saudis on Muslim Brotherhood
The tricky balance of power in Jordan may save the local Muslim Brotherhood chapter from a fate similar to that of its counterparts in Egypt and the Gulf.
Jordan will not follow in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and Egypt by banning the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood or labeling the group a terrorist organization. But the recent Saudi decision has added to the movement’s political isolation in Jordan, a situation that many believe is of its own making.
It took Jordan a few days to react to the sudden Saudi development. Minister of Political Affairs Khaled al-Kalaldeh told a local news website, “The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan is a licensed group, and we will deal with it in accordance with the law.” He said the Saudi decision is an internal issue and Jordan does not interfere in the affairs of others.
But the Saudi move quickly drew criticism from key Islamist leaders in Jordan. A leading member of the Brotherhood in the kingdom, Zaki Bani Irshaid, described the decision as “emotional” and added that the ban's effects will be limited and not extend to Jordan, “which has always maintained its independence throughout various periods.”
It is this positive relationship between the Hashemite regime and the Muslim Brotherhood that the movement is betting on. Jordan received key Muslim Brotherhood figures as asylum seekers, mainly from Egypt, back in the 1950s at the height of tension between Amman and Cairo. The Brotherhood supported the shaky throne of the late King Hussein bin Talal against attempts by Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser to destabilize Arab monarchies.
