Chechens of Jordan are Chechens who have inhabited Jordan since the expulsion of Caucasians in the 19th century. Chechens have played an important role in the foundation of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...

as a modern state.

History

Expulsion

In the second half of the 19th century, the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

was fighting the peoples of the Caucasus in an expansionist war, known as the

Caucasian War The Caucasian War (russian: Кавказская война; ''Kavkazskaya vojna'') or Caucasus War was a 19th century military conflict between the Russian Empire and various peoples of the North Caucasus who resisted subjugation during the ...

. One of the outcomes of the war was that many native peoples of the Caucasus were forcefully expelled to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. An estimated 5,000 Chechen families were expelled to the Ottoman Empire. In March 1903, the Ottoman authorities sent the first 700 Chechen families to the region of Transjordan. The Chechens settlers chose to settle non-populated areas most suitable for agriculture and close to water sources. These settlers founded Zarqa, Jordan's second largest city.

Foundation of the Emirate of Transjordan

In October 1920, after establishing the

Emirate of Transjordan The Emirate of Transjordan ( ar, إمارة شرق الأردن, Imārat Sharq al-Urdun, Emirate of East Jordan), officially known as the Amirate of Trans-Jordan, was a British protectorate established on 11 April 1921,

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

mobilized a "mobile force" under the command of Captain Frederick Gerard Peake to defend the territory against both internal and external threats. The Mobile Force was based in Zarqa. 80% of its men were drawn from the local Chechen community.

Military and political representation

Chechens are heavily represented in the

Jordanian armed forces The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الأرْدُنِية, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَبي ...

and intelligence apparatus since the foundation of the

. Chechens and

Circassians The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia ...

are mandated 3 seats in the Jordanian house of representatives, currently two of those seats are held by Chechens.

Organizations

* The largest Chechen organization in Jordan is the

Chechen Charity Society Chechen may refer to: *Chechens, an ethnic group of the Caucasus *Chechen language *Metopium brownei, also known as the chechen, chechem, or black poisonwood tree *Related to Chechnya (Chechen Republic) *Related to the former Chechen Republic of Ic ...

, founded in 1958. The headquarters of the company is located in the city of Zarqa. The society has branches in places where significant numbers of Chechens live. * The sports club ''Caucasus'' was founded in 1932 by Chechens from Zarqa, and has made a significant contribution to the development of football, table tennis, handball, and swimming in Jordan. * In 1981, the Women’s Chechen Charity Society was established, the organization is active among the Chechen community and holds regular cultural and charitable events.

Notable Chechens from Jordan

* Arslan Alaudin — major general in the Royal Jordanian Army, and two times Hero of Jordan recipient. * Muhammed Bashir ash-Shishani — major general in the Jordanian Army, former minister of Agriculture, mayor of Amman and

director of Military intelligence The Director of Military Intelligence ("D J2") ( ga, Stiúrthóir Faisnéise Míleata) serves as the commanding officer of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, the intelligence section of the Irish Defence Forces, and the main foreign and do ...

. *

Abdul Baqi Jammoh Abdul Baqi Jammoh ( ce, Ӏабдул-Бакъи Джамо; 1922 – 11 May 2016), also known as Jammu, was a Jordanian politician of Chechen descent. He served in both houses of the Parliament of Jordan, several times as a member of the House ...

— influential person among the Chechen community in Jordan, minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and Religious Affairs of Jordan. *

Ahmad Ramzi Ahmad Ramzi Ibn Abdin ( Chechen: Гонукаев Ӏабдин Ахьмад) was a general in the Jordanian Armed forces of Chechen descent. Ahmad Ramzi was a Hero of Jordan recipient. Biography Ahmad Ramzi was born in Alkhan-Khutor to a middl ...

— general in the

Jordanian Armed forces The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الأرْدُنِية, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَبي ...

, minister of Interior of Jordan. He was also a friend of the first Jordanian King. * Mohammad Omar Shishani — football player, striker for Al-Faisaly.

References

{{Demographics of Jordan Ethnic groups in Jordan Chechen diaspora Ethnic groups in the Middle East