"My blood is very cheap for the freedom of Jordan"

Interview with a young woman from 24 March Movement conducted a few hours before the brutal repression of protestors by members of the State Security apparatus.

At midday on Friday 25 March I went to Gamal Abdul Nasser Circle, where a sit-in had been instigated the previous day by 24 March movement, a collective of Jordanian youth groups made up of leftist, Islamic, and independent groups and individuals demanding reform in Jordan. They had announced their intention to stay at the Circle until their demands are met, and had set up an encampment beneath the overpass, including a Red Crescent tent clinic staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses.

Although the majority of people were young, there were people of all ages, including entire families with young children, and a sizeable contingent of women. The first person I interviewed was a young woman who, for what later turned out to be very good reasons, did not wish to give her name or have a recording of her voice used, for fear of reprisals by the State Security forces, known as Dairat al Mukhabarat. I will call her Noor.

JWP: What is happening here?

Noor: There is a peaceful demonstration, we’ve got demands which can be summarised as asking for justice, we want elections, and we want an elected parliament, an elected government and we need the people to have more democratic control in ruling Jordan, and not having Jordan ruled by one person. We want the intelligence agencies to get their hand out of our country because they are controlling everything. The intelligence, they have a lot of co-operation with the parliament, it’s not right, it’s not democratic.

JWP: Is that within Jordan or is it the United States and Israel as well?

Noor: Well, I don’t believe in conspiracy theories, okay, so I believe it is our government, it is our government is businessmen government, it is corrupt, this is why..(breaks as we are attacked by stone-throwing) so now they are throwing stones on us..and as you hear the guys, they are saying “peaceful, peaceful” but still they throw stones on us and the policeman don’t do anything, they don’t arrest those thugs.

JWP: Were you here last night when there was the quite violent stone attack?

Noor: Of course I was here and I slept here but I couldn’t sleep until 7am in the morning.

JWP: What happened last night?

Noor: Well I wasn’t actually planning to stay here but at midnight when I was trying to go home the government, they turned off the lights on us and it became totally dark in all the street, and the guys they were very very much prepared because you know, we know our government so we had candles, we lighted our candles and started chanting and it was more like a concert, it was more like...really romantic, and then they started throwing stones on us, and then personally I saw a guy, one guy, he fell down just next to my feet and I didn’t know what to do, I was just trying, you know it’s a big ...so I started crying and my men friends pulled me out and this guy was taken to the hospital and one hour later we heard an announcement that we had run out of medical supplies, and then I decided “I am not going home, I am standing, just to show the whole world that women of Jordan will not be suppressed, I am one of them, I wear hijab, but I stand here and I speak out for my rights, so I try just to tell the whole world that we are not oppressed, we know how to fight for our rights as women." That was part of me being here, and the other, the more important part, I made a difference, you know by me being, god, staying all the night here with all these men,so I give them power, like being a small size woman like me standing all the night with them giving them supplies, taking all those injured to the hospital, when the hospital was filled I put my car at their service so that was a big achievement. Today when I heard in public they were thanking all the young females who stayed with them and made a difference, that really encouraged me to stay another night tonight, just to tell the whole people that we are not leaving without taking our rights.

JWP: How many people were injured last night?

Noor: Well, actually I couldn’t count because I saw a lot of them just moving, I’m not sure of the number, I don’t what to guess any information I don’t know, but I can tell you what I saw, a lot of people going in front of me being carried out by youth, going into the hospital. I can tell you, it wasn’t a peaceful demonstration for them, I felt like I was in a war.

JWP: The official figure that’s been quoted in the Jordan Times is 35 injured – were there more than that?

Noor: Yes, it was more than 35, in one minute I could count five or six, that was in one minute, so I’m telling you, we ran out of medical supplies once or twice last night and I was running out to the pharmacy getting more medical supplies and I saw other people getting medical supplies too, so it wasn’t only me providing medical supplies so we ran out of medical supplies twice, if you ask me there were more than 35 people. I saw two people getting medical supplies from one pharmacy which I knew and then there were other people, two or three other people getting medical supplies, so I can’t imagine how many but it was more than 35.

JWP: Have the protestors all been peaceful, and it’s just the pro-government people that are committing the violence?

Noor: The protestors are very very peaceful, and the evidence was we collected some of the stones that were thrown on us and we drew the map of Jordan with these stones, and put candles around it and put our flag inside just to tell them “You throw with these stones, but we build with these stones.” I remember at 5am I was trying to see what was happening at the other part of the demonstration just to see if they want my help or anything and then the fact that they were just yelling at us in a very bad way, and our guys, the protestors, they were just singing back to them. At the dawn prayers the youth, they were praying and making supplications to God to give all those people who were like throwing stones, to give them the chance to make the right decision and to join us.

JWP: Are you afraid of coming back tonight, are you afraid that things might get worse?

Noor: I’m not afraid, and I am ready to die here for freedom. There is nothing left for us to live for, so we are prepared to die for freedom, my blood is very cheap for the freedom of Jordan.

I did not see Noor again, but I saw plenty of Jordanian blood spilt over the next four hours – and their freedom is yet to be won.

Earlier related articles from Julie Webb-Pullman:

• Three dead, hundreds injured in Jordan protest
• Jordan: In their own words
• Jordan: Another perspective – or two
• Settler violence escalates as the military occupies and raid
• Jordan: The Muslim Brotherhood Taking The Peaceful Path
• Images: Jordanians back on the streets, Friday 4 March 2011

Julie Webb-Pullman (click to view previous articles) is a New Zealand based freelance writer who has reported for Scoop since 2003. She was selected to be part of the Kiwi contingent on the Viva Palestina Convoy - a.k.a. Kia Ora Gaza. Send Feedback to julie@scoop.co.nz

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