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Zrein Al-A’sar, 30, is an Egyptian Baha’i woman who’s been deprived of her right to get Jordanian nationality since she settled in the country eight years ago when she got married to a Jordanian man and became mother to two children. With a hard-to-hide Jordanian accent, she talks about small and regular daily living hardships in the absence of a Jordanian ID. When she talks, she hides her face from the camera, not worried about herself but about her children getting bullied when they get into talks about their religious beliefs with their peers should their peers recognize her in the film.Watch Zrein Video
Zrein couldn’t realize her dream to become a lawyer despite her excellencing at Al-Isra University’s Law School; the reasons is that training at a law firm and then getting the permission to practice the profession aren’t available to non-Jordanians.Copy of her degreeThis comes in contradiction with the nationality law and the Constitution, which allow a Jordanian man’s wife to automatically get nationality three years after marriage if she’s a national of an Arab country and after five years for non-Arab citizens.
When in early 2008 Egypt’s Ministry of the interior automated IDs, religion’s choices were restricted to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Hence, Zrein was identified as a Muslim in her ID and passport.
But Zrein hasn’t been able to visit her family in Egypt since she got married pending her reception of the Jordanian nationality. She fears that she may not be able to get back to her husband and children except with a new, unguaranteed visa; still marked as single in her passport, she’s got no marriage evidence to show the Egyptian Embassy in Amman. According to official documents, she’s single and Muslim in Egypt and married and Baha’i in Jordan.Marriage Certificate Copy
“I contacted my family and friends and concluded that the possibility of changing my religion slot is weak,” she says, referring to the Egyptian Government’s transitional decision in 2011 to register Bahai’s as Muslims.
Subject to the approval of the Minister of Interior, a foreign woman who marries a Jordanian national may acquire Jordanian nationality if she so wishes by making a written statement to that effect:
1. Three years after her marriage if she is an Arab.
2. Five years after her marriage if she is not an Arab.Link to see the law
While official numbers are either absent or withheld, Tahani Rouhi, the spokeswoman for the Baha’i community in Jordan, estimates the number of her coreligionists at 1,000 in a country where Sunni Muslims make up 98% and Christians 2% of its population of seven million people. The total number of Baha’is around the world is about 10 million.
The Civil Status and Passports Department, which is part of the Ministry of Interior, and the Public Statistics Department didn’t disclose the number of Bahai’s living in Jordan. The Supreme Judge Department, which is attached to the Prime Minister’s office, didn’t offer any information about the status of Baha’is and the stance of political and religious authorities about their faith.
Former ministers and officials – with whom the feature’s writer met – preferred not to comment on the issue or requested, when they did talk about it, to stay anonymous. In addition, this faith’s followers abstain from expressing their grievances, fearing that official entities would go back on their promises to recognize them as a confession.
Bahai’is Spouses Of Jordanians Not Eligible for Naturalization, The “Religion Option Box” prevents the followers of this faith from the constitutional right