Who Are Jordan’s Christians? A Community Rooted in Centuries of History

An armed attack targeting a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral in Karak governorate, southern Jordan, has renewed attention on the kingdom’s Christian community and its long history in the region.

Jordanian Christians belong to a community whose presence predates the modern Jordanian state by centuries. Their history is part of the wider Christian heritage of the region, rather than the result of recent migration.

Christianity took root in what is now Jordan in its early centuries. Historic churches, mosaics and archaeological remains bear witness to the religious communities that lived and worshipped there long before the country’s modern borders were established.

Today, Christians are a religious minority within Jordan’s predominantly Muslim population. The community includes Greek Orthodox believers as well as other Christian traditions, with churches serving as centres for worship and communal life.

The attack in Karak has brought renewed scrutiny to the security of those places of worship. The supplied account does not specify casualties, identify the attackers or establish a motive.