Jordan's clan violence shows 'marked increase' in 2009

By Sawsan Zaydah in Amman
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-02-15

[KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images] Jordanian police block a road in Amman's Tafayeleh district during clan violence in November 2009.

Violence between clans is on the rise in Jordan, causing many analysts to worry that they are supplanting the state as arbiters of justice.

The number of brawls between clans in Jordan rose in 2009. Such conflicts are also known as "family" or "mass" fights.

All of these conflicts were halted through dispute resolution and arbitration that is based on the clans' special code, also known as atwa, a truce proffered by one of the two warring groups to seek arbitration according to Arab traditions.

Figures released by the Jordanian Public Security Directorate revealed that 229 clan brawls occurred in 2009. The figures included 70 brawls in the Greater Amman area, 38 in the north, 59 in the south, 47 in the central region, 10 in Aqabah region and five among the Royal Bedouin Guard.

"The year 2009 witnessed a marked increase in the number and form of brawls with a social background in an unprecedented manner in Jordanian society," said Mazen al-Qadhi, chief of the public security directorate, during a meeting on January 22nd on "the rule of law and social tensions".

This meeting was organised by the Social and Economic Council in co-operation with the Strategic Studies Centre at the Jordanian University and the Strategic Security Studies Centre.

Al-Qadhi added that the "reduction of the clan's influence on members of the clan and family in the kingdom was behind the rise in these brawls." He said, "This was replaced by the economic leaders, the financially influential and individuals with interests from the owners of businesses and financial and trade companies."

During the same meeting, former Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit noted that the "clan is a useful social structure that could deter its members against crime, but it should not be used for political ends."

Despite the age old nature of this phenomenon, Jordanians only started to pay attention to clan violence after a brawl in the northern town of Ajloun on August 21st, 2009, which became a focal point for renewed discussion about the role of clans. A battle between two groups left one dead. Security forces had to enter the city to restore order after the main roadway was blocked. When security forces attempted to mediate, members of one group burnt property and threw stones at the officers. Tear gas was used by security to disperse the crowds.

Clan violence broke out in other cities. In November 2009, similar incidents occurred in Maan and in the Al-Tafayleh neighbourhood in Amman, leading to riots after a member of a clan was killed by the security forces.

At the time, Interior Minister Nayef Al-Qadi said that "treating these types of problems can take place by implementing the laws. The atwa and the reconciliation are parallel paths taken by some of those interested in resolving the dispute. But [this cannot happen] at the expense of law and order. Trial in a court of law is the only way to impose order, improve security and strengthen the state control."

The minister added, however, that clans had "contributed to resolving some of these disputes and helped the security forces control the situation," saying that "clan customs and norms do not sanction such behaviour."

Since the above incidents, analysts and commentators have warned against the "weakening effect of the state's position" and the "rise of secondary identities" as a result of this phenomenon.

Yasir Abu-Helalah, a journalist and writer, said that "confusion between the concepts of clan and tribalism" exists in Jordan. "There is no problem with the clan in its natural size and impact as a social but not political phenomenon. Some defend the clan-based bonds for political reasons, while others criticise it for the same reasons."

Taleb al-Saqqaf, a Jordanian rights activist and lawyer, said in an interview with Al-Shorfa that the truce method "created a wide scope for impunity, and this is not needed as we exert efforts to combat torture and maltreatment at a national level."

Al-Saqqaf said that the atwa had had a negative impact because it "strengthens common beliefs held by Jordanians that members of the security forces discriminate against citizens, depending on their social, clan, or economic status." He added, "The resort by certain bodies that seek to achieve equality among citizens by carrying out justice based on discrimination is a form of maltreatment that cannot be permitted to occur."

Mousa Shetewi, a sociology professor, told Al-Shorfa that the problem of "clan violence reflects problems in the understanding of human rights, social peace and the respect of law."

He said, "All parties to this issue have a crisis of understanding, be they citizens or official bodies. The security forces use excessive force. Ordinary people, on the other hand, grew bolder and dared to harass and insult members of the security forces, including the harassment of employees at their workplace. The number of cases of attacks by citizens on officials exceeds those committed by the security forces against citizens."

Ahmed Abu-Khalil, a Jordanian commentator, said the "latest incidents in the country revealed a new mode of relations between the clans and the state, whose gradual growth is feared. The state is viewed as another clan, and this requires a review of these relations to put things back on track."

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