Deaf in Jordan


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Kingdom of Jordan is a small country in the Middle East, bordered by Israel and the Palestinian areas to the West, Syria to the North, Iraq to the East and Saudi Arabia to the South and South-East. Most of the country is desert and the population is centered in urban areas in the western part of the country.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The official language of Jordan is Arabic, which refers to Modern Standard Arabic, not the language that most people speak, which is very different and is referred to as "dialect." Both Arabic and English are required subjects in schools.

The Deaf in Jordan rely on sign language to have access to Scriptures (which is not to say they all know Jordanian Sign Language, since many isolated Deaf people in rural areas might not have a real language at all, using only home signs.) Jordanian Sign Language appears to be closely related to that of Lebanon and Syria. A dissertation, an introductory grammar and several linguistic articles about Jordanian Sign Language have been published. And there are some articles that deal with lexical comparisons between various Arabic sign languages.

A change in attitude, especially over the last 25 years, has made it possible for care and rehabilitation resources to come to Jordan. Better education for the deaf, as well as acceptance of their sign language as a real language, plays an important role in providing these services. Jordan has 13 schools for the Deaf (2006) with around 850 children enrolled. The Deaf schools, together with Deaf clubs in the major cities, form communities in which the sign language is transmitted.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The majority of Jordanian families are Sunni Muslim, though they depend on the spirit world for their daily needs. Around 5% of the population is registered as being Christian. There is some receptivity among the Deaf from this group but few of them have ever had access to the gospel in a way they can understand. Obviously, there is not this same receptivity among those from a Muslim background. However, all Deaf people seem more open to ideas presented in sign language (including the gospel) than most hearing Muslims would be to a written version of the gospel.


What Are Their Needs?

Like people everywhere, the Deaf people in Jordan need to allow the loving Savior to direct their lives. They need his forgiveness for sin.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to intervene in their families, calling people to his side.

Pray for loving workers to help with their practical and spiritual needs.

Pray for their hearts to be drawn to the Lord of lords.

Pray for a church planting movement to thrive in Jordan.


Scripture Prayers for the Deaf in Jordan.


References

https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190880514.001.0001/oso-9780190880514-chapter-10


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Deaf
People Name in Country Deaf
Pronunciation def
Alternate Names
Population this Country 57,000
Population all Countries 49,661,000
Total Countries 216
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 19007
ROP3 Code 114916
ROP25 Code 301989
ROP25 Name Deaf
Country Jordan
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 48  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Country Jordan
Region Africa, North and Middle East
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 48  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)

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Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
2.24 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
96.47 %
Non-Religious
1.00 %
Other / Small
0.29 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Jordanian Sign Language (57,000 speakers)
Language Code jos   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Jordanian Sign Language (57,000 speakers)
Language Code jos   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Jordanian Sign Language

Primary Language:  Jordanian Sign Language

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2017)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Jordanian Sign Language Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Anonymous 
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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