Blog About Jordan Day: What a safe country
If you don’t feel safe in Jordan I don’t know where else in the world you would feel safe.
Where else in the world you would leave your car alarm off with two windows opened leaving your laptop and a dSLR camera without worrying about them, where else in the world someone in down town would follow you on foot up the start thinking he’s chasing you and then you find out he want to give you your bag that you forgot in his place or somewhere in the street.
We can’t say Jordan is a crime free country but crime is a very unusual thing to hear about in Jordan and maybe this is why we all talk about small little crimes when it happens.
In 90s we had a serial killer called Abu Shakoush (Abu Hammer)
, the guy used to carry his hammer and knock pharmacists at head, he was one memorable serial killer in Jordan and maybe the only serial killer that we ever heard of in the kingdom.
After like committing three or four crimes he came to Jabal Amman, First Circle, just exactly 200 meters from my place, he wanted to knock an old grocery owner, he did it but apparently God didn’t want that old man to die yet (he still alive and kicking, same grocery at First Circle) and so Abu Shakoush took the cash and tried to run away when Amer Al-Shaweesh (A Young patriotic who used to sell coffee at First Circle) followed him and caused some injuries to him that slowed him up; 20 minutes later Jabal Amman from First Circle to the third was filled with Police, approximately there was a soldier with his gears on every meter from the old Greater Amman Municipality to The Third Circle and of course they were covering the main and sub-streets.
Personally I’ve never seen that number of soldiers not even in Hollywood movies, two days later they announced that they’ve captured him.
Moral of this story, There are some people whom will always ready to protect you, Citizens and Authorities; Jordanians are different, although many are poor but yet they don’t steal.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:56 AM
JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!! i’m the first to comment
oh god, you reminded me of Abu Shakoosh!
March 12th, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Wow! Abu Shakoosh!!? I remember the stories, I didn’t know he was actually a real character, I thought my parent were trying to put me to sleep or something like they used Abu Rijil Maslookha
March 12th, 2008 at 2:01 PM
have you heard of the two guys who were robbing a trash dump. they were killed by police gun shots fired in the air but hit them. have you heard about the guys who frequently are suicided in the custody of the authorities. there is a key difference between stability and repression.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:32 PM
I remember that “abu shakoosh”…bas I don’t like to remember him actually
“Where else in the world you would leave your car alarm off with two windows opened leaving your laptop and a dSLR camera without worrying about them”
excuse me Sir, I don’t think you should do that anywhere on Earth…Jordan included!
March 12th, 2008 at 3:00 PM
I think our feelings of ’safety’ in Jordan are fake and simply an illusion, because we don’t know any better, we aren’t informed, and we are encouraged to keep our heads hidden in the sand like ostriches.
You’re absolutely right when you say “We can‚Äôt say Jordan is a crime free country but crime is a very unusual thing to hear about in Jordan” because that’s IT exactly – we never HEAR about the crime that is VERY MUCH inherent in Jordan. Everything that’s serious is always covered up as much as possible, we pick and choose what rumours to spread and we don’t acknowledge that fact that we are living in a rapidly deteriorating society where we’re all becoming a little bit more desperate every day. And desperation is what creates the need for crime.
I would rather hear the real numbers off armed robberies, murders, sexual crimes in Jordan, and be aware of the type of society I am living in, than having everything hidden from me and presented with a pink bow so people don’t worry and continue fooling themselves.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:44 PM
abu shakooosh story is true?????????????????????
i thought they wanted to scare us!
waaaaaaa3
March 12th, 2008 at 4:49 PM
waaw I didn’t know all that I just knew that there was abu shakoosh, i even thought he didn’t exist …. I have to say we all proud of the police and the safety in Jordan but also so many things happen yet we don’t know about …
March 12th, 2008 at 5:11 PM
Jad, ncie post. I feel generally safe in Jordna, but not always specifically safe (as an American, KWIM?). I did want to say that your ability to feel safe may depend on your ethnicity. I feel like our household is less safe than an American… But maybe I’m off on this, I have no idea.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:53 PM
I would never leave anything of value to sit exposed in my car, even with it locked and the windows up. I have no doubt that someone would steal it.
One of my friends had her laptop stolen from her locked, closed car; the criminals simply busted in her window. And some other friends had their expensive, imported baby stroller stolen from their below-ground apartment. And you yourself have a car alarm. So I hope you’re being facetious in this post.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:42 PM
abu shakoosh is so not true, come on! /me balashet tkhaf lol!
Jordan used to be really safe, thats getting less and less bas still.. Jordan is safe in general with the generous hearts
March 13th, 2008 at 2:05 AM
Jordan is considered Safety heaven, tell me where in the world you can walk down the street 2 am in the morning without worrying of being beaten or stolen on the other hand leaving a laptop in an opened window car is considered “habal”
I disagree with Hal.
“I think our feelings of ‚Äôsafety‚Äô in Jordan are fake and simply an illusion”
No let’s look around us and compare what we have here in Jordan and what others have in the region, then let’s decide.
Love Jordan
March 13th, 2008 at 9:06 AM
[...] 5- Blog About Jordan Day: What a safe country [...]
March 13th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Maioush
So what? I’m not giving any free pizza this time :p
Qwaider
He was dude he was.
jojo
I didn’t say Jordan is a crime free country not mistake free; maybe I should have said Jordan isn’t free of human mistakes.
Jumana
Of course, it wasn’t smart thing to do but believe me it was unintentionally.
Hal
I wonder who can be illusive to a man spend 90% of his time hanging out.
I agree, Jordanian authorities are not open about crime statistics but that doesn’t mean we got loads of them and doesn’t mean the one we hear about are serious crimes, don’t forget that Jordan is pretty small country, people connected in a magical way and stories get spreads around really quick so again if there is something serious; we will know about it for sure.
Maher
haha, no dude, he was so real
SimSim
Yeah there are many things happens we don’t know about and maybe we don’t need to know about.
MommaBean
Well, as expat you will always feel that even if you were Arab and/or Muslim but not Jordanian you will always feel stranger at some point especially if you cannot read the street pulse yet.
I spend 10 days in Egypt and I didn’t feel safe; I’m Arab and Muslim but didn’t feel safe there at all; but again I think it’s because I couldn’t read the street pulse.
Dave
Same here dude but it happened unintentionally, I went to Sport City for Cycling and when I finished I found that I left two of them open.
As for car alarm thingy, I installed it just to stop neighbours kids from hitting my car with their football
but yet it’s useful outside my neighbourhood.
Batoul
Abu Shakoush is TRUE, BE AFRAID :p
Wasim
and let me add; we don’t have maps for
March 13th, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Dude, you were JUST on the Radio .. they mentioned your blog, and read some of your post!!
Way to go man … It was on Play FM
March 13th, 2008 at 11:41 PM
Although I wasn’t in Jordan at the time, I remember reading about Abu Shakoosh in the news.
Inflation and crime tend to go hand in hand Jad. I notice an increase in dishonesty just from the cab drivers alone since the last rise in oil prices. We just got a security camera, and secured the doors in our building. I hope Jordan remains as safe.
I’m gonna go visit the first circle grocery store now, and I’ll tell him Jad said hi
June 7th, 2008 at 12:12 PM
I would have to agree that Jordan is one of the safest countries that I have been to, and I have been all over the world. The police in Jordan is very friendly and strong. They are there when you need them, which is great.
Jordanian people are extremely well respected and generous, they take care of their guests and everyone that visit their country. I had the best time in Amman, places like Abdun, Jabal Amman First circle and third.