The Growing Rift in the Jordanian Royal Family
Jordan, the middle eastern country known for its stable economy and social relations, was ruled over by an almost 100-year-old royal family. The country is a haven for Syrian refugees fleeing from civil war and has taken in about 600,000 Syrians since the beginning of the war. However, the otherwise smooth facade of the monarchy has cracked under recent pressure, creating a divide in ideals, familial relations, and the rest of the world. The current king, Abdullah II was crowned in 1999, following the death of his father, King Hussein. He named his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, the Crown Prince, only to strip him of the title in 2004. Now, old rivalries are being stirred, and more cracks have appeared, showing the true colors of the monarchy.
When King Hussein died in 1999, Prince Hamzah was too young to assume the throne. It was then was passed on to his half-brother. Once he was given the title of Crown Prince, as one of his father’s wishes, he finally had the throne within reach. However, his brother had different ideas. King Abdullah decided to give the title of Crown Prince to his own son, and effectively remove competition for the throne. This created a rift between the two brothers, as Prince Hamza retreated into the shadows. When given a reason for his sudden removal, his brother stated that the title of Crown Prince “Has restricted your freedom and prevented us from entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to assume.” Hamza was very popular with the public, due to his close resemblance to his father in appearance, interests, and even voice. The rocky history between the King and Prince has strained ties between them and their families, leading to recent events.
The Jordanian Royal Family.
On Saturday, King Abdullah accused his half-brother of conspiring to destabilize the country with the former finance minister, Bassem Awadallah, and a junior member of the royal family, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid. Communications between the men were supposedly intercepted, leading to the arrest of both Awadallah and Zaid, along with 14 other people said to also have been involved. The King also placed Prince Hamza under house arrest and removed his security services, and cut all internet and phone lines to his house. A public statement was released, informing the country that Jordanian officials had spoken to Hamza, and also hinting at an attempted coup. In response to this, the Prince released a video of himself, explaining that he was not “part of any conspiracy or nefarious organization or foreign-backed group”. He also publicly criticized the Jordanian government for being intolerant to criticism. Now, the royal family is divided, and so is the world.
Queen Noor, the favorite wife of the late King Hussein and mother of Prince Hamza, posted a tweet defending her son, saying “Praying that truth and justice will prevail for all the innocent victims of this wicked slander.” She has sided with him, while Princess Muna, King Abdullah’s mother, defended her son in turn. Amid the royal relations, Princess Firyal, the aunt of both men, released a statement telling both boys to grow up and cease their petty arguments. On a global scale, many countries are siding with King Abdullah, including the United States and Saudi Arabia. Jordan has long been a helpful ally in the middle east, combating terrorists in the region. Because of this, influential countries see the King as the best option to defend.
The situation in Jordan continues to escalate, as the world watches with bated breath to see which side will emerge victoriously, and how the world will react in turn.
SOURCES:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/world/middleeast/jordan-royal-house-arrest.html
IMAGES:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/tags/jordanian-royals/
