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ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP/AMMAN – Syrian refugees in Jordan have split over the issue of immigration to Europe, with some saying they are willing to risk a dangerous journey just to push their way into the old continent, while others preferred to be the closest to home.  

Abu Abdul Malek (27) is considering moving to a European country if he were “lucky enough”. 

The young refugee from the Syrian city of Daraa said the main reason to consider the “long and risky journey” to Europe was to make a better life with a good income.    

“The situation is not getting better here. I always have the same schedule that makes me bored,” he said in an interview at the Zaatari Refugee Camp on Sunday, Jordan’s largest camp.

Jordan hosts over 1.4 million Syrians, of whom some 650,000 are registered refugees and 85 per cent live among host communities. 

Abu Yousef Hariri fled the violence in his hometown of Daraa and has been in the camp for three years.  

He is dreaming of a better future in Europe. 

On the risks he may encounter on the way to Europe, the desperate Hariri said he was aware but ready to give it a go. 

“I do understand it is kind of a dangerous adventure but I want to take my chances. The situation will not change here so it is better give it a try,” he added. 

“I want to renew my passport through the [Syrian] embassy and then I will go to Turkey and later to Europe,” he added.

Hariri added that he plans to travel alone and then send for his family to join him. 

“Europe was not known or open for refugees in the past but now we can easily get passports from the embassy,” he added.

Jamal Xoubi, a 55-year-old refugee who lives in the northern city of Irbid, said difficulties to find a job opportunity in Jordan may also force him follow suit of thousands of Syrians who crossed into Europe. 

“Rental fees are really expensive here and I need to make ends meet but I cannot afford to do so,” said Zoubi, father of six children.  

However, migrating to the north is not the cherished aspiration for all. 

Abu Mahmoud, who has been in the Zaatari camp for three years, said he does not want to move to Europe, hoping to go back to Syria.  

Moving to Europe may hold him back from returning to his home country. 

“I want to be near my country and stay in an Arab country,” he added.  

Similar sentiments were echoed by Um Mohammad, a mother of six. 

“I do thank Jordan for its hospitality because it was the first country to host us and help us. I want to ask Europe to support the countries that are hosting Syrians,” she said while sitting inside her caravan, adding that traditions and culture in Europe are completely different from her country. 

Alexandra Saieh, OXFAM policy advisor in Jordan, said refugees who came to Jordan did not think in the first place that they would stay for a long time in Jordan.  

“Due to difficulties in obtaining jobs and also due to cut in humanitarian aid to refugees, I think many are thinking of what’s next and everyone wants a better future for their families.  They see that in Europe,” she told The Jordan Times at OXFAM premises in Amman. 

Catherine Osborn, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Protection and Advocacy Adviser, said some 220,000 Syrian refugees who live outside camps in Jordan and are below the national poverty line were told last month they would no longer receive food assistance.  

“For many refugees going to Europe is not an option they prefer but a desperate attempt to protect their families,” she told The Jordan Times via e-mail.   

 Um Mohammad had a plea to European countries. 

“I ask Europe instead of receiving Syrians, please put an end to the war there so that we can all return home,” she added. 

AMMAN — Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Khaled Kalaldeh on Tuesday said that Jordan is moving ahead steadily with its political and economic reform process aimed at upgrading Jordanians’ living conditions.

Kalaldeh’s remarks came at a meeting with US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells during which he added that Jordan has recently endorsed a set of reform-oriented laws which include the municipalities and decentralisation laws.

The minister also briefly outlined the main features of the new elections bill, which has been referred to the Lower House.  

AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Tuesday discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments with French Senator and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Josette Durrieu and an accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, which was attended by French Ambassador to Amman Caroline Dumas, the two sides discussed the role of the EU in solving the region’s woes.

Hammad stressed the need for more Jordanian-EU legislative and legal cooperation, including a comprehensive anti-radicalism strategy. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply has prepared a plan to monitor the market ahead of and during Eid Al Adha, according to the ministry’s spokesperson, Yanal Barmawi.

The plan includes intensifying monitoring efforts of fresh meat selling outlets, besides monitoring the selling of live sheep, sacrificed on the occasion.

The plan will also cover bakeries, sweets shops and gifts outlets, besides the various sales and promotion offers which become more common during these days, he added. 

AMMAN – Spain has listed financial aid to Jordan as a priority for development support extended by the European country, according to Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury. 

Although Jordan is ranked among middle-income countries that are not eligible for financing privileges, the decision by Spain, the ministry statement said, was in appreciation for the Kingdom’s role in boosting international peace and fighting terror, in addition to the ongoing process of political and economic reforms. 

The announcement of the decision was made during a meeting between Fakhoury and Spain’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ignacio Rubio and the accompanying delegation. 

Fakhoury briefed the Spanish officials on the challenges facing Jordan due to regional instability and the influx of Syrian refugees, adding that hosting around 1.4 million Syrians has put “huge” pressure on the Kingdom’s limited resources. 

The Syrian crisis resulted in admitting over 150,000 students to public schools, reducing the water share of Jordanians, increasing competition in the labour market, putting pressure on health services and raising rents, Fakhoury explained. 

He stressed the need to support Jordan in coping with these challenges, and called for supporting the Kingdom’s efforts to end the Syrian crisis. 

The minister pointed to the recent wave of immigration to Europe caused by asylum seekers from Syria, noting that despite the economic capabilities of European countries, the wave of immigration showed that what Jordan has shouldered over the past five years was beyond expectations.

Some European countries talk about receiving a limited number of Syrian refugees in one year, while Jordan has received this number in one or two days during the peak of the crisis, Fakhoury said, according to the statement. 

Despite challenges, the minister said, Jordan would continue its reform and development programmes, citing the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah to turn challenges into opportunities. 

He also briefed them on the Jordan 2025 Vision for economic development, and the key economic and political legislation recently endorsed by the government and Parliament. 

Rubio, according to the statement, praised the investment and business environment in Jordan and talked about chances to boost partnerships between the private sectors in both countries to carry out joint projects.

AMMAN –– Essam Elayyan followed in his forefathers’ steps when he began frequenting the Pilgrims’ City in Maan to serve travellers on their way to perform Hajj (the greater pilgrimage). 

Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam and the religious high point of a Muslim’s life. Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year; Hajj, however, is performed during a five-day period from the ninth through the 13th of Dhu Al Hijjah, the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar.

Helping pilgrims is a social and religious duty in Maan, 220km south of Amman, which takes place during a 10-15 day-season.

“Every family residing in this city has at least one member who has participated in this ritual,” Elayyan told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

The 20-dunum Pilgrims’ City is located right in the heart of the desert city.  The estate features a large parking lot for buses, surrounded in a U-shape by rooms and other facilities in case pilgrims decide to stay overnight, according to Maan Awqaf Department official Abdul Salam Dweirej, who described the Hajj season as a “festival” in Maan.

Yaseen Khateeb, another volunteer, said more than 40 volunteers including children gather at the Pilgrims’ City to meet the visitors who come from countries as far as Tajikistan and other former Soviet Union states.

“No word can describe how enthusiastic children are when they take part in this voluntary activity. They do it with great excitement,” Khateeb told The Jordan Times. 

He added that volunteers usually distribute snacks, fruit, water and dates, paid for by donations of the “rich people” of the city. 

The awqaf official said there are warehouses packed with foodstuff. 

Elayyan said although pilgrims bring their meals with them, Maani people insist on providing them with hot and fresh home-made food. 

Dweirej said department teams and volunteers have been working in the service of pilgrims since last Wednesday. By Monday, 5,000 people have benefited from the city’s services.

The awqaf authorities offer other services.

“We check their documents to make sure that everything is alright and check to see if the bus is fit or not to continue the journey to Saudi Arabia. If not, we replace it with another,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

“Volunteers work on a shift system because pilgrims may arrive in the city at any time,” he said, adding that Maan is the pilgrims’ last stop before they arrive in Saudi Arabia. 

He noted that Maan is a must-stop destination for pilgrims coming by land, especially from far away countries, adding that it takes between nine hours and 10 hours to reach Medina from Maan.  

“What Maani people are doing reflects the hospitality of Jordanians in general and Maan residents in particular. Serving these people is a blessing and a source of pride for our town,” he said.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday endorsed several articles of the 2015 amendments to the Execution Law.

The new amendments aim at expediting and simplifying litigation measures according to their validating reasons, including the long time some cases take in court.

The House also referred the amended version of the army officers’ service law to its Administrative Committee for examination. 

AMMAN — Criminal Investigation Department and Anti-Narcotics Department personnel conducted two raids and arrested two suspects wanted by judiciary and security bodies for criminal and drug cases in Central Badia, a Public Security Department (PSD) statement said Tuesday.

In one raid, a suspect classified as “dangerous” and wanted for 34 drugs, scam and theft cases was arrested. In the other, targeting the house next to the first suspect’s, two more suspects wanted for drugs, theft and gun shooting were apprehended,  found in possession of amounts of marijuana and a pistol, while a stolen vehicle was seized.

AMMAN — The Public Sector Development Ministry on Monday organised a discussion session on the best practices for the creation and strengthening of a culture of innovation in the public sector, according to a ministry statement.

Several employees who won the Distinguished Government Employee award and the Ideal Employee Award in the last session participated in the meeting, representing 12 government departments.

Nasser Saaideh, head of the department of government excellence at the ministry, said the aim of the discussion session was to boost communication among the winners of both awards and support them in their “innovative initiatives”.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Social Development announced a plan to combat vagrancy during Eid Al Adha in coordination with the Public Security Department (PSD), a ministry statement released Tuesday said.

The ministry said that it multiplied the number of teams to combat begging through a shift system.