The Tribes of Jordan

at the beginning of the Twenty-First century

Ghazi bin Muhammed

 

Turab (Turath Al-Urdun Al-Baqi) $8.00

 

Who are the Tribes of Jordan?
What makes the Tribes?
What are ‘honor crimes’?
What is ‘Tribal Honor’ and how does it relate to Islam? 

In this original and unusual treatise Ghazi bin Muhammad looks at all these questions and more with a view to shedding light upon the predicament of the Tribes of Jordan at the Beginning of the Twenty -first Century.

“This work is more than a descriptive and analytical study. The personal sensitivity of the author to the subject becomes quite clear and demonstrates a depth of appreciation and understanding that adds further depth to its scholarly nature. This combination of scholarship, added to the caring, even loving, style with which the subject is treated makes this work unique. The author hides nothing in treating the very thorny points he raises. Who, and what, makes a tribe, tribal values and Islam, crimes of honor, and the cultural estrangement of the tribes in modernity are treated forthrightly and honestly. Where a spade is needed to be called one, it is done.

In this work we also see as well as feel the presence of the anthropologist, the historian, the political scientist and the literateur all at work at once lamenting and yet explaining the passing of a noble culture. The philosophical musings... add to the gentleness with which the subject is treated. It is a work that should be read slowly to understand the dilemma of the process of transition and also to relish the often very sophisticated thought and the hidden nuances between the lines.

His sources are quite extensive adding to his personal knowledge and position as the Advisor for Tribal Affairs to the late H.M. King Hussein and now H.M. King Abdullah II. His footnotes add further dimensions of understanding demonstrating not only his obvious knowledge of literature, but more importantly, the nature and the style of Bedouin life.

In reading it I felt a sense of sadness for the loss of rich, chivalrous and hardy culture that had to adjust to the imperatives of modernity.”

-Prof. Kamel Abu Jaber
Former Foreign Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan 


CONTENTS 
Introduction 
[i] Who are the Tribes? 
[ii] What makes them Tribes? 
[iii] The Tribal Ethos and Islam 
[iv] Tribal ‘Honour Crimes’ 
[vi The Predicament of the Tribes in the Modern World 
Conclusion 
Appendix: The Land and Heritage of Jordan 
A Map of Jordan and its Tribes 
Select Bibliography in English 
About the Author 

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