VZCZCXRO0849
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #1724/01 2111424
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301424Z JUL 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5632
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001724 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KIRF JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S LOWER HOUSE AND SENATE AT ODDS ON 
ASSOCIATIONS LAW CHANGES FOR RELIGIOUS CHARITIES 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 1620 
     ¶B. AMMAN 1576 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Jordan's Senate and Lower House remain at 
odds over an amendment to the controversial Associations Law 
which would restrict the operation of non-Muslim religious 
charities to those of certain Christian denominations only. 
The amendment was proposed on the floor of the Lower House as 
a way of preventing "Jewish, Buddhist, and Baha'i" charities 
from operating in Jordan.  The Senate rejected the amendment 
as unconstitutional, but the Lower House has now re-affirmed 
its support for the change.  A conference committee will now 
seek a compromise solution.  End Summary. 
 
A Controversial Amendment 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) During the July 12 debate in the Lower House on 
amendments to the controversial Associations Law, MP and 
former Amman Mayor Mamdouh Abbadi noted that the Associations 
Law as written would allow "Jewish, Buddhist, and Baha'i" 
organizations to operate in the Kingdom (Ref B).  He proposed 
an amendment that sought to exclude these organizations by 
narrowing the category of acceptable non-Muslim charities to 
those run by Christian denominations recognized by the state. 
 (Note:  There are no Jewish, Buddhist, or Baha'i 
organizations currently operating in Jordan.  End Note.) 
 
The Senate's Rejection 
---------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) During its July 19 session on the Associations Law, 
Jordan's Senate rejected Abbadi's amendment.  Under Article 
108 of Jordan's constitution, the state has the authority to 
recognize religions and denominations, which are then able to 
operate freely in the Kingdom and maintain their own 
religious courts.  Jordan currently recognizes Islam, 
Judaism, and certain denominations of Christianity only.  The 
Senate legal committee's report, which was adopted by the 
full Senate, declared Abbadi's amendment unconstitutional as 
it would infringe on the rights of the state to define which 
religions and denominations are acceptable. 
 
Lower House Ups The Ante 
------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) During its July 29 session, the Lower House 
rejected the Senate's amendments, again expressing concern 
about the possibility of "foreign (i.e., Israeli) influence" 
in Jordanian civil society should the amendments pass as 
originally proposed by the government.  Defending the 
Senate's changes on the floor of the Lower House, Minister of 
Justice Ayman Odeh noted that the original amendments were 
designed to allow the continued operation of Christian 
charities whose denominational affiliation falls outside of 
the group of denominations recognized by the state.  Odeh 
noted that the charitable works of these societies benefit 
average Jordanians.  "These churches have registered as 
societies and have been working here for years...we would 
have to close them down," he said. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) There are several Christian denominations which are 
not officially recognized by the state, but operate under the 
umbrella of charitable organizations which are registered 
under the current Associations Law.  If the Lower House's 
version of the amendments prevails, their operations in 
Jordan could be jeopardized.  These denominations include the 
Baptists, the Nazarenes, the Evangelical Free Church, 
Assemblies of God, and the Christian and Missionary Alliance. 
 The Mormons are also currently registered as an association, 
and would be impacted by the amendment as well. 
 
The Search for Compromise 
------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The issue will now be sent to a joint committee of 
MPs and Senators, who will attempt to find common ground on 
the issue that both houses can accept.  That committee will 
be pressed for time.  Parliamentarians are keen to finish 
their business in the extraordinary session before Ramadan 
begins on August 22, and there are still over thirty laws to 
consider.  Many of these laws (such as the tax law and the 
social security law) are complex and controversial, leaving 
MPs and Senators little scheduling leeway to work out a 
compromise on the Associations Law. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) It has been some time since the Lower House and the 
Senate have come together in a conference committee to hash 
 
AMMAN 00001724  002 OF 002 
 
 
out the details of a law.  While it seems likely that members 
of the Lower House will defer to the more experienced members 
of the Senate once they are behind closed doors, the 
influence of religion in the debate makes any outcome 
uncertain.  Due to the effective dissolution of a civil 
society coalition designed to lobby parliamentarians on the 
law, there will be little outside influence from NGOs on a 
way forward (septel to follow). 
Mandel