Al Uzaizat Groups العزيزات

Indeed, in 630 CE during the Prophet Mohammad’s own lifetime - may peace and blessings be upon him - they joined the Prophet’s own army (led by his adopted son Zeid Ben Al Haritha and his cousin Jafar Ben Abi Taleb) and fought against the Byzantine army of their fellow Orthodox at the Battle of Mutah (it is because of this battle that they earned their tribal name “Uzaizat” which means “the reinforcements” - and Latin Patriarch Fuad Twal himself comes from these tribes); in 1099 CE they were slaughtered by Catholic Crusaders at the Fall of Jerusalem alongside their Muslim comrades; from 1916-1918CE during the Great Arab revolt they fought against the Muslim Turks alongside Arab Muslim comrades; they thereafter languished for a few decades along with their Muslim fellows under mostly Protestant Colonial Mandate, and in the Israeli-Arab wars of 1948, 1967 and 1968 they fought with their Muslim Arab comrades against Jewish opponents. Christian Jordanians have not only always defended Jordan, but have also tirelessly and patriotically helped to build Jordan, playing leading roles in the fields of education, health, commerce, tourism, agriculture, science, culture and many other fields. All this is to say then, that whilst Your Holiness may believe them to be your fellow Christians, we know them to be our fellow Jordanians, and they are as much a part of the country as the land itself.

Today, Christians in Jordan enjoy, by law, 8 per cent of the seats in Parliament and similar quotas at every level of government and society - even though their numbers are less than that in actual fact - in addition to their own personal status laws and Church courts. Their Holy Sites and legal educational institutes and other needs are safeguarded by the state - and Your Holiness has just seen this in person at the New Catholic University of Madaba, and will, God willing, soon see the New Catholic Cathedral and the new Melkite Church at the Baptism Site - and so Christians prosper today in Jordan as they have for the last 2,000 years in peace and harmony, and with goodwill and genuine brotherly relations between them and their Muslim neighbours. This is in part of course because Christians used to be more numerous in Jordan but declining Christian birthrates and conversely, high levels of education and prosperity (which has led to their being in demand as immigrants to the West) have reduced their numbers. It is also, however, due to the fact that Jordan appreciates that Christians were in Jordan for 600 years before Muslims. Indeed, Jordanian Christians are perhaps the oldest Christian community in the world - and the majority have always been Orthodox adherents to the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Holy Land - which, as Your Holiness knows better than I, is the Church of St. James, and was founded during Jesus’ own lifetime (may peace be upon him). Many of them are descended from the ancient Arab Ghassanid and Lakhmid tribes, and they have throughout history shared the fate and the struggles of their Muslim fellow tribesmen.  Visit The Pope In Madaba page for more details.  Full speech in Arabic and English and other stories!