Aid to the Church in Need - Religious Freedom in the Majority Islamic Countries. Discrimination for religious reasons is prohibited. Government control of Islamic institutions is under the care of the Ministry for Religious Affairs, which nominates the Imams and subsidises the activities promoted by the mosques. The congregations have the right to establish themselves and to maintain schools for the education of their own faithful, provided they observe the requirements of the law and submit to government inspection of their programmes and education.
Religious instruction is obligatory for Muslim students in the state schools.
The government does not interfere with the religious worship of the Christian minority resident in Jordan - these Christian Arabs represent around three per cent of the population. But many Christians still feel threatened by militant Islamism and emigrate to the West. In 1996, the Government proclaimed Christmas a national festival and permitted the teaching of Christianity in the state schools. The Baha'i religion is not recognised, but Baha'i worship is not forbidden. The law prohibits proselytism.