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Jordan, Islam in
After the Ottoman Empire's defeat by the Allied powers in 1918 , the Allies divided the Middle East into spheres of influence, with Transjordan and Palestine under British mandate. Transjordan achieved independence ( 1946 ) to become the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Ninety-six percent of Jordan's population is Sunni Muslim; the remaining 4 percent are Christian. Two types of organized Islamic movements exist in Jordan today: the first focuses on political goals, the second on religious revival. Some of the politically oriented parties are legal; the Muslim Brotherhood, registered as a socioreligious philanthropic organization, functions freely, as it openly supports the ruling family. Others, such as the Islamic Liberation Party, Islamic Holy War Party, Hamas, and the Muslim Youth Movement, have no legal status. Sufi orders, the Jamaat al-Tabligh, and the Jamaat al-Sulufiyyah are among Jordan's organized, nonpolitical Islamic groups.
