Jordan: Modernity meets the ancient

Editor's note: Anthony C. LoBaido, currently on assignment in the
Middle East, filed this intriguing profile of the nation of Jordan.
LoBaido's harrowing, first-hand report of dodging a radical Islamic
terrorist group is featured in this month's WorldNet magazine. Read his
full report by subscribing to

WorldNet at WND's online store.

By Anthony C. LoBaido
© 2000, WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.

Who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with anyone I love,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honeybees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown,
Or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
The exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring,
These with the rest, one and all are to me miracles.
-- Walt Whitman

AMMAN, Jordan -- Amid the stark desert moonscapes of Jordan, a breathtaking journey unfolds like a blooming flower. It is perfect in a word -- like a rose. Jordan is a land of unrelenting miracles both large and small.

TRENDING: State's 'Equitable Math' claims focus on 'right' answer is 'white supremacy'

There are imposing Roman cities and stylish Islamic mosques bathed in the sound of haunting prayer calls. Sweeping, endless deserts, medieval crusader castles and delicious Arab food, featuring a plethora of spices, lamb and Turkish coffee. And while Jordan may be a relatively new nation -- created after World War I as though from thin air by Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill -- it is also an ancient place.

The flag of Jordan flies high over Aqaba.

Visitors who enter the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will discover the tomb of Moses. They can literally walk in the steps of Jesus Christ at Umm Quais as described in the Book of Matthew. Interlopers can trek around the ancient city of Philadelphia (modern Amman), whose fledgling Christian church was the recipient of one of the letters dictated by John in the Book of Revelation. For the adventurous, Jordan offers the possibility to follow in the shadowy footprints of the legendary

Lawrence of Arabia.

There can be no doubt that the rugged, natural beauty of Jordan has been under-publicized in America and the West. Many Americans, especially Christians who journey to Israel to visit the Holy Land, falsely believe that Jordan is an unsafe nation rife with Beirut-style terrorism and Christian-Muslim violence. That notion is patently false.

"Christians and Muslims get along quite well in Jordan. We are at peace with the Jews and Israel, although I would say about 70 percent of Jordanians support the idea of a homeland for the Palestinians," said my Arabic-speaking guide and driver, Micah Mohammed. "King Hussein realized many years ago that tourism was a key for the future of Jordan's economy."

The king and his kingdom
Foreigners have trampled upon the land of Jordan for over 10,000 years. Bordered by Israel in the west, Syria to the north, Iraq to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan is a vital and strategic Middle Eastern ally for both Great Britain and the U.S. As such, Jordan has done its best to maintain peace with Israel, while at the same time retaining close ties with her Arab neighbors.

"King Hussein was greatly admired around the world," said a British diplomat in an interview with WorldNetDaily at the Port of Aqaba on the Red Sea. "He tried his best not to alienate anyone. I think he was one Arab leader who realized that, barring nuclear war, Israel is here to stay. Once that notion was fait accompli, the next issue of importance for Jordan and the King was how to develop trade, tourism, infrastructure and high-tech links to the West."

King Hussein and his son, now King Abdullah.

The diplomat then added, "King Hussein kicked the PLO out of Jordan. That was the smartest thing he ever did. What does Hamas and Hezbollah have to offer the average Jordanian, be he Christian or Muslim? Nothing. They sell terror because they have nothing else to sell. Still, during the Gulf War, Jordan was neutral and allows -- even today -- for Iraq to store her airplanes here."

The diplomat went on to explain that Iraq is a vital ally to Jordan in terms of natural resources.

"Iraq should, by all rights, be a rich nation. They have more water and oil than most Arab nations, and Iraq can give both of those commodities to Jordan en masse. With more water and oil, Jordan will bloom."

Jordan's beloved King Hussein has by no means been forgotten by his loyal subjects. His face is everywhere it seems -- on stamps, wall hangings and portraits. The most famous of his seven wives is, of course, the lovely, Western-born Queen Noor.

Yet in the wake of the King's death, the new darlings on the international royalty jet set are King Hussein's blue-eyed, Oxford-educated son, King Abdullah, and his gorgeous wife, Rania.

King Abdullah (named for his great-grandfather, who fought at the right hand of Lawrence of Arabia) is no ordinary Arab king. He was the leader of Jordan's elite special forces and has even appeared on the hit television series

"Star Trek Voyager" as an actor.

"I've always liked the Jordanians, and I hear positive things about King Abdullah," said Larry Martines, a counter-terrorism expert who works as a consultant to the U.S. government. Martines is a graduate of the Israeli counter-terrorist school code-named "Kinnaret."

"Hopefully, he (King Abdullah) won't be assassinated. It is a common health problem in the Middle East. He is a good ally of the U.S.A. and he speaks better Oxford English than Arabic," Martines said.

Abdullah's wife, Rania, who will give birth to their third child next month, is a very important asset to the king. Her beauty, charm and public speaking skills put her on a par with any royal personage on the planet. Make no mistake -- wives are extremely important in the Arab world.

"Arab girls are wonderful; I love them. When they talk or move or look at you, you feel they are attractive. They are very feminine. Most American Western girls are different -- a lot more cold," said Heidi Van der Mere, a German English teacher based in Amman.

A Bedouin woman walks through the harsh Jordanian desert with her goats.

"But it is not only in Jordan that Muslims can have up to four wives. This is so in the entire Arabic world. You will not find it often, mostly in Saudi-Arabia, as the Saudis are very wealthy. Only a man who can afford it ethically, morally, economically, socially and health-wise is allowed to marry up to four women, not more," Van der Mere continued.

"If he wants to marry a second woman, his first wife has to allow it. Only with her agreement, he has the right to do so. If he desires a third one, both have to agree and so on. He has to build a house for each one of them. He has to provide equal material prosperity for all of them. He has to spend equal amount of time with each one of them and he has to love them equally. If he makes one of his wives a gift, he has to make an equal gift to each of the others. They have very strict rules on that. This tradition originates from the times of the very frequent tribe wars. So many men died, and not enough children would be born if one man had only one woman. Jordan as a nation did profit from King Hussein's polygamy, even though it is not very respected, especially by the fundamentalists. So many princesses were born and they are very engaged socially and do a lot of good for Jordan."

Through the Holy Land
Jordan, as much as any nation on Earth, brings the Bible to life. While traveling on horseback along the shore of the Dead Sea (at 400 meters below sea level, the lowest point on the planet), this writer visited the sites of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Dead Sea contains an extremely high content of salts and minerals, and their curative powers have been known as far back as the days of King Herod the Great over 2,000 years ago.

Near the Dead Sea, WorldNetDaily also visited the cave/home of John the Baptist and Mount Mukawir, where John was beheaded by King Herod. Moreover, this writer stood in the well where John is thought to have baptized Jesus Christ. The well is holy to both Muslims and Christians alike.

John the Baptist is mentioned in the Koran as Yahya Ben Zacharia. John lived most of his life in the Jordanian wilderness, preaching righteousness, repentance and proclaiming, "Though I baptize with water, another who is greater shall come and baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire." John was beheaded upon the order of King Herod for having challenged his adultery. Herod was married to the daughter of Al-Hareth, the fourth king of the Nabateans. Yet his eyes wandered to the wife of his brother -- a woman named Herodias -- and her daughter Salome. It is believed that John's head was buried in the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria.

The cave of John the Baptist is located only 50 meters from the hill where the prophet Elijah is believed to have been taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot.

Not surprisingly, the region around the Dead Sea receives legions of pilgrims who come to visit the aforementioned holy sites. When interviewed by WorldNetDaily, many such pilgrims were willing to talk openly about how the experience of visiting Jordan's holy places had changed their lives.

"I wasn't reading that much in the Bible as an adult. As a child, I loved my children's Bible, and I equally loved this book that my uncle had given to us on the holy saints. Those were my absolute favorites. I read them again and again, and I loved Jesus and the saints with all the love the soul of a child is capable of. It is the purest love I ever felt," said French medical doctor Ouida LaRue.

"My deepest desire as a child was to follow Jesus and to follow the path of the saints. I admired St. Francis and St. Barbara most of all. Then I tried to imagine how it would be if Jesus was standing right in front of me saying, 'Leave everything behind and follow me.' My heart was burning when thinking of it. 'Here I am, my Lord. I am coming,' I said a few months ago. I wanted to recommit my life to the Lord, and by traveling to Jordan to stand where Jesus was baptized, it is a spiritually thrilling experience that will stay with me forever."

Working among the pilgrims in the Dead Sea region were a team of Jordanian geologists, surveyors and engineers. Calvin Mohammed, a geologist who works for the Royal Jordanian government, told WorldNetDaily that Jordan and Israel had made an agreement to block off the rivers feeding the Dead Sea, which will "cause it to dry up within 25 years."

"At the bottom of the Dead Sea is enough pot ash to fertilize the entire world, literally, and oil deposits as well. Israel is going to discover oil on their part of the Dead Sea, and that might change the dynamics of Middle East politics dramatically," added Mohammed.

Mohammed said that he believed the deposits of minerals at the bottom of the Dead Sea "most probably were put there by the meteor which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. It's no mistake that the lowest point on Earth is a mineral treasure chest."

More ancient treasures
Climbing up from the Dead Sea, visitors can make a pilgrimage to Mount Nebo, where Moses is believed to have been buried.

At Mount Nebo, WorldNetDaily met Jerome Powell, an evangelical African-American preacher from Atlanta, Ga. Powell had led a large group from his congregation on a tour of the Holy Land.

A stained-glass image of Moses at Mount Nebo, where he is believed to have been buried.

"Moses is one of the greatest figures in human history," Powel told WorldNetDaily. "Who is revered so many thousands of years later -- the Pharaoh who lived in splendor? No, it was Moses, the man who left the trappings of the world behind. But remember, Moses had to lead sheep and goats before he could lead men. He had to gain control over himself. It's just as King Solomon wrote, 'It is far better to gain control over one's self than over entire cities and regions.'"

Perhaps the greatest earthly wonder in all of Jordan is Petra -- the amazing stone city made famous for the showing of its face El-Khazneh or "The Treasury" in the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

The city was built by the Nabatean people. Upon setting his eyes on the city, Dean Burgeon, the famous Victorian traveler, wrote, "Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime."

During the time of Christ, Petra was a home to the Nabateans. Later, the Romans carved tombs for their soldiers out of the rocks of Petra and added a fortress for their expeditionary force at Udruh. In time, the Romans carved out a theater, water aqueducts, baths, monuments, markets, gates, paved streets and municipal buildings.

WorldNetDaily's Anthony C. LoBaido at the ancient stone city of Petra.

Petra is a fortress city, with winding and narrow sandstone cliffs about 300 feet high, running over one kilometer in length. As such, it is an area well suited militarily for a defensive position. Some Christian fundamentalist Bible teachers believe that Petra will be the only safe place on Earth to live during the Battle of Armageddon.

Sanctions' effects
Perhaps the only blight on the entire Jordanian landscape is the plethora of Iraqi economic refugees who have fled the U.S.-led sanctions of their nation.

WorldNetDaily interviewed scores of Iraqi refugees living in Jordan. Many of them became angry and even hostile at the presence of an American journalist.

"Turkey kills Kurds and that's OK," said one Iraqi man working on a water irrigation system for one Jordanian dinar per day in compensation (about $1.70). "But if Iraq kills the Kurds, then you impose sanctions."

Refugees like these three men from Iraq have been driven to Jordan to look for work.

Another Iraqi refugee told this writer that his "wife and three daughters were killed during Operation Desert Fox." The man added: "My heart will never mend. Why do you Americans kill us? Why do you hate all Arabs? We believe in God, too. We love our children, too."

Yet another Iraqi man told this writer that "Kuwait was a part of Iraq for thousands of years, until England decided one day to carve it away. How dare they? The British have been killing us for almost a hundred years now."

When presented with an article published in the New York Post -- which documented that Saddam Hussein had moved most of his nuclear and biological weapons out of Iraq and into other nations like the Sudan -- the British diplomat told WorldNetDaily, "Yes, Saddam is very clever, and he has many allies in the Arab world."

"What amazes me is not that he was able to move his weapons, but that the news of the moving of the weapons, and the current search within Iraq for those weapons by the U.N. is a total sham. People don't even know that we are still bombing Iraq and have been for ten years now. In my personal opinion, the greater public in both the U.S. and UK doesn't want to know that Saddam's weapons are safe and sound in several North African countries."

As Jordan tries to answer the strategic and moral questions raised by the current geo-political battle being waged by the West and the Islamic world, its citizens would do well to recall the words of King Hussein.

"What does a man seek in this world? A position or a throne? Man seeks peace of mind and the fear of Almighty God. As long as one knows that there is a judgment day, he tries to keep his conscience clear and do what he can."

Read an excerpt from Anthony C. LoBaido's hair-raising adventure,

"Dodging Hezbollah." Read his full report by subscribing to

WorldNet magazine at WND's
online store.

Related stories:

Saddam Hussein's defiant reign

Will water precipitate next Mideast war?

The real Lawrence of Arabia