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AMMAN — A joint parliamentary committee on Thursday recommended that MP Motaz Abu Rumman be banned from attending three consecutive sessions as a disciplinary action for insulting the Lower House speaker.

Following a meeting on Thursday, the joint panel, comprising members of the Lower House legal and behaviour and order committees, recommended that Abu Rumman also be denied the per diem allowance for travel and participation in parliamentary delegations.

On Wednesday, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh sent a memorandum to the Legal Committee, requesting disciplinary action against Abu Rumman over his “insulting remarks”.

During Tuesday’s session, Abu Rumman (Balqa 1st District) faulted Tarawneh for asking him to give brief comments at the meeting. 

Abu Rumman protested that the speaker had allowed other MPs to speak longer and claimed Tarawneh was bullying him while being lenient with other deputies, using an Arabic proverb that translates into: “A lion on me and an ostrich in war.” 

The next day, Abu Rumman issued a statement in which he apologised to Tarawneh.

MP Adnan Sawair, the head of the joint panel, told The Jordan Times on Thursday that the disciplinary procedures against Abu Rumman are based on Articles 119 and 120 of the Lower House Rules of Procedure.

These articles give the speaker the right to disallow any lawmaker to speak during sessions in cases of violating the bylaws of the House. The speaker can also take a decision to ban an MP from attending three consecutive sessions.

Sawair said the joint panel’s decision was only a recommendation, adding that disciplinary action against Abu Rumman has to be approved during a full House session. 

“Insulting the speaker is like insulting the whole House. Such impolite behaviour has to be punished,” he said.

Abu Rumman is one of three MPs whose parliamentary immunity the judiciary has requested be lifted so that it can proceed with lawsuits citizens have filed against them.

A citizen has filed two lawsuits against Abu Rumman on charges related to slander. 

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday denounced the terrorist attack that targeted a Tunisia neighbourhood and the nearby Bardo museum. 

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani said the government denounces the terrorist attack and taking tourists as hostages, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, voiced the government’s strong condemnation of all acts of aggression which target innocent people and expressed solidarity with the Tunisian government and people in confronting radicalism and terrorism. 

Momani reasserted Jordan’s rejection of all forms of terrorism and violence, stressing the need for collaborative international efforts to combat this danger and threat it poses to world security.    

Combating terrorist ideologies and terrorist groups is the responsibility of all world countries, especially Arab and Islamic countries, he said. 

Momani extended Jordan’s condolences to the Tunisian government and people and to the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. 

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that all Jordanians in Tunis were in good condition and that no one was harmed in the terrorist attack. 

Ministry’s Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafie said the ministry, in coordination with Jordan’s embassy in Tunis, has followed on the incident and found there were no Jordanians among the casualties.  

A Jordanian student and his wife were at the museum that was targeted, but they were away from the area where the attack happened, she said, adding that the ministry checked on their condition and was reassured that they were not harmed. 

AMMAN – Hosting the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea on May 21-23 sends a positive and a clear message to global investors that Jordan remains an oasis of stability despite regional turmoil, a government official said Wednesday. 

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said the forum highlights the importance of the Kingdom at the regional and international levels and its key role in boosting peace and stability. 

Fakhoury is also the chairperson of King Abdullah II Fund for Development, a co-organiser of the high-profile event. 

At a press conference, Fakhoury said Jordan, as it has historically done, will seize the opportunity of hosting WEF - Middle East and North Africa for the eighth time since 2003 to present its economic development plans. 

"It is an opportunity to highlight the Kingdom's influential role on issues that affect the future of the region," he added. 

Politicians and business leaders from across the world will have a platform to discuss reform plans that are crucial for the region and employment opportunities for youth, the official told reporters. 

"The most important goal for Jordan is to shed light on the burdens of the Syrian crisis on Jordan and to think out of the box for solutions to overcome challenges facing our economy," Fakhoury said. 

Miroslav Dusek, senior director and head of Middle East and North Africa at WEF, said around 800 government, business and civil society leaders from more than 50 countries are expected to participate in this year’s event. 

He added that special attention will be given at the upcoming event to youth integration as it would see more participation of youth from Jordan and Arab countries as part of the Global Shapers Community, which is a network of hubs developed and led by young people who are exceptional in their potential, achievement and drive to make a contribution to their communities. 

The theme of the event will be: “Creating a Regional Framework for Prosperity and Peace through Public-Private Cooperation”. 

Fakhoury said the key pillars of the forum include industries and competitiveness, employment and innovation, good governance and institution building, and economic cooperation in the region.  

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received Indonesian president's special envoy for the Middle East Alawi Shahab, who handed the King an invitation from President Joko Widodo to attend ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership and the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Summit.

King Abdullah thanked President Widodo for the invitation, expressing Jordan's keenness on enhancing its relations with Indonesia in all fields, according to a Royal Court statement.

The two sides also stressed the need to build on the outcomes of His Majesty's visit to Indonesia last year and his meeting with President Widodo to serve the interests of the people of the two countries.

The latest regional and international developments were also discussed during the meeting in addition to anti-terror efforts, with the King stressing the importance of collaboration among Islamic and Arab states to combat radicalism in accordance with a comprehensive strategy to promote true Islam’s message of moderation and tolerance, the statement said.

For his part, Shahab voiced his country’s keenness on enhancing its relations with Jordan in all fields.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary László Kövér and an accompanying delegation currently on a working visit to the Kingdom.

During the meeting, the King noted that Jordan is looking forward to bolstering its relations with Hungary in all fields, stressing the pivotal contributions of the two countries' parliaments to that end, according to a Royal Court statement.

The Monarch reviewed with the Hungarian delegation efforts to combat terrorist organisations to safeguard security and stability in the region and the world.

For his part, Kövér expressed admiration for the “remarkable progress Jordan has achieved in reforms and its efforts in enhancing the world’s peace and security”, the statement said.

Kövér also highlighted Jordan’s leading regional role, stressing at the same time the importance of the King’s recent speech at the EU Parliament.

Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh also met separately with Kövér and discussed the latest regional developments and ways to boost bilateral ties.

Talks covered Jordan’s reform process, the Syrian refugee crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, among other major regional issues, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Also on Wednesday, King Abdullah received Arab Parliament Speaker Ahmad Jarwan and an accompanying delegation who offered condolences to the Monarch over the passing of pilot Muath Kasasbeh, who was brutally killed by Daesh terror group in January. 

During the meeting, the King congratulated Jarwan over his re-election for speakership, highlighting the important role of the Arab Parliament in enhancing the cooperation among Arab countries, according to the Royal Court.

The King also stressed the importance of intensifying efforts in the war against terrorism and radicalism as well as adopting a comprehensive strategy in this regard.

Reviewing with the visiting delegation the latest regional developments, the King also stressed the importance of supporting peace-building efforts between the Palestinians and the Israelis that can lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Discussions also tackled the situation in crisis-hit Syria and Iraq and the latest developments in Libya.

For his part, Jarwan expressed the Arab Parliament’s appreciation of the Kingdom’s “leading role in serving the Arab causes and its efforts in achieving regional peace and stability”. 

The meetings were attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and the House speaker. 

AMMAN — A new sarcastic hashtag about a spat between two lawmakers was trending on Twitter on Wednesday.

Under the hashtag “#”????_???_??? — which roughly translates into “curse your hair gel” — tweeps criticised deputies Yihya Saud and Motaz Abu Rumman.

On Tuesday, Abu Rumman faulted Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh for asking him to give short comments at the session.

Abu Rumman protested that Tarawneh allowed other MPs to speak longer and said the speaker was bullying him while being lenient with other deputies.

This prompted Saud to criticise Abu Rumman’s “hairgel”.

On Wednesday, Abu Rumman issued a statement in which he apologised to Tarawneh.

“I wish I could meet one of those who vote for [Saud] to understand how they think,” @Danajihad tweeted in Arabic on Wednesday. Mohammed Hussainy (@MohamedHussainy) said Saud invented a new swear word.

“Thank God I don’t use hair gel, and so no one can swear at me the same way,” he tweeted.

Twitter is becoming a platform for users to mock the performance of lawmakers and satirically criticise their behaviour.

“This is ridiculous. Everyday there’s some new trend coming from the Lower House,” tweeted Abdalrahman Alboti (@jordanmartchel).

Shadi Rawashdeh ‏(@sh_rawashdeh) jokingly said Twitter should pay Saud, a controversial deputy known for several disputes with his colleagues, for the hashtags he keeps inspiring.

In December last year, Saud was attempting to voice his opinion over a remark made by MP Abdul Majid Aqtash criticising Arab nationalist parties, when Deputy Hind Al Fayez stood up and started shouting at him.

“Sit down Hind, sit down… May God inflict revenge on whoever approved the [women’s] quota,” Saud shouted.

The phrase “sit down Hind” turned into an Internet meme shared on social media to mock the incident. The memes went viral and caught the attention of major international media outlets such as the BBC and CNN.

Saud also had a spat with Abu Rumman in 2013, when he criticised him for interrupting remarks by the prime minister during a House session, with the two MPs scuffling and hurling objects at each other.

Saud also scuffled with lawmaker Qusai Dmeisi in a similar incident that year.

On Sunday, the fate of a cat that interrupted a Lower House evening session was a topic of conversation among social media users.

Some objected to the cat’s “maltreatment” as a Parliament employee carried it by its tail to take it outside the chamber, while others criticised the “big fuss” made about the cat, as if lawmakers have “nothing else to do”.

AMMAN — The Lower House’s Legal Committee on Wednesday received a notification from the judiciary to withdraw its request to lift the parliamentary immunity of three out of six MPs as the lawsuits against them have been dropped.

Upon a request from the judiciary, submitted through the government, the committee recently recommended that the parliamentary immunity of MPs Ahmad Safadi (Amman, 3rd District), Qusai Dmeisi (Zarqa, 4th District), Mohammad Dawaimeh (Amman, 2nd District), Mirza Bollad (Zarqa, 1st District), Motaz Abu Rumman (Shabab Al Wifaq list) and Tarek Khoury (Zarqa, 1st District) be lifted so that the judiciary can proceed with lawsuits citizens have filed against them.

Deputy Mustafa Amawi, the head of the panel, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that the committee has received a request from the judiciary to halt procedures for lifting of the immunity of Safadi, Dawaimeh and Bollad because the plaintiffs have dropped their lawsuits against them.

“The lawsuits filed against the three deputies were of a criminal nature and once the charges are dropped, the immunity lifting is automatically annulled,” Amawi said.

He added that the lawsuits against the three remaining MPs — Abu Rumman, Dmeisi and Khoury — have not been withdrawn and thus the Lower House will move ahead with procedures to lift their immunity. 

“Abu Rumman, Dmeisi and Khoury will face charges related to slander, using automatic weapons, and damaging the Kingdom’s relations with other countries and criticising His Majesty King Abdullah’s recent speech, respectively,” Amawi said.

“The House will examine lifting the parliamentary immunity of Abu Rumman, Dmeisi and Khoury during next Sunday’s session.”

In April last year, the Lower House voted to end the suspension of Dmeisi, who had been penalised for having had an altercation with a colleague, which led to a shooting incident at Parliament.

In September 2013, Dmeisi’s membership was frozen for a year following the incident, which also led to the dismissal of Talal Sharif (Amman, 1st District) who fired at least two bullets from his AK47 during the quarrel.

The State Security Court prosecutor recently requested that the Chamber lift the parliamentary immunity of Khoury after a lawsuit was filed against him over accusations of insulting Jordanians in tweets he posted following King Abdullah’s televised address to the nation earlier this month.

According to Paragraph A of Article 86 of the Constitution, the lifting of immunity has to be passed by an overwhelming majority of MPs in a full House session. 

AMMAN – The unpleasant experiences of four Jordanian women and their friends in dealing with a number of cabdrivers have pushed them to launch a new project for a female exclusive taxi service.

Dubbed “Shecab”, the project entails providing taxis for women only and for their families in the Kingdom, according to one of the founders, Rahmeh Abushweimeh. 

It all started when the four women separately submitted applications to the US embassy in Amman for a women empowerment programme called “Women’s role in leadership”, Abushweimeh told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

“They accepted our applications and we took part in the five-week programme at Saint Mary’s College, which is a university only for women, in late June 2014,” she said. “In the fifth week, they organised a contest for the participating countries. We were asked to do a project that provides awareness and services that benefit women in our societies.”

Abushweimeh said they came up with Shecab, which hires women taxi drivers to pick up only female passengers. 

“The aim behind our project is to provide women with job opportunities and offer female passengers a safer means of transport. We are aware of the fact that security prevails in the Kingdom but some taxi drivers deal with us in an uncivilised manner.”

The Shecab team received a $1,000 fund launched in October 2014 by the college after the training programme concluded.

“We believe in our idea and we want to go ahead with it,” she added. 

Abushweimeh, who is studying pharmacology at university, said the funding was used to train three women to obtain taxi driving licences.

“Each licence costs JD68,” she said, adding that they have also registered their company.

“Our cars will also equipped with GPS so that families of passengers can track their relatives.”

Abushweimeh said Shecab also applied for funding through the US State Department’s Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund.

“A total of 800 applications were sent from Jordan and we are the only ones from here to be among the finalists for the $25,000 fund. People will now start voting for the best project,” she added.

Maha Amad, Shecab co-founder, said she personally faces challenges when she wants to take a taxi in Jordan.

“They always ask me where I want to go and many of my friends complained about some drivers. This motivated me and all my colleagues to work hard to make our idea happen,” Amad told The Jordan Times, noting that the enthusiasm it received also encouraged them to move ahead.

“Two of our friends from the US started an online donation campaign to support us,” she added.

Salam Abu Khadra, another co-founder, said they do not expect to be able to implement the project without any hiccups but voiced her faith in the Jordanian community. 

“So far, most people have shown support and excitement.”

Abushweimeh said they are meeting people who are interested in supporting Shecab, but it is not enough. 

“As soon as we receive sufficient donations, we will start implementing our project. The permit to brand each car as a taxi costs around JD42,000, so we hope that the government and the Greater Amman Municipality support us to be able to afford more than one car,” she added. 

By the beginning of next month, Shecab’s business plan will be ready to receive public contributions, according to Amad.

Hiyam Ayyad, mother of seven, said the number of complaints she received from her friends over the negative behaviour of some taxi drivers has encouraged her to be among Shecab’s drivers.

“Many men oppose the idea but if we implement it, girls will feel comfortable taking a taxi”.

Meanwhile, Jordanian women interviewed by The Jordan Times had mixed feelings about Shecab, with some welcoming the project and others, like Dina Bataineh, arguing there are other more important issues than female-exclusive taxis. 

The private sector employee said she does not mind taking a taxi whose driver is either male or female. 

“To be honest, I have not faced any negative experience with a taxi driver in Amman,” Bataineh added.

Tamara Ayyoub, who also works in the private sector, disagreed, noting that she would not dare to go in a cab alone. 

“Many girls cannot take a taxi if they want to go out in the evening, so if there is a female taxi driver, I will definitely go for it,” Ayyoub said. 

Lamees Daraghmeh, a university student, had similar views, noting that her family always picks her up because she does not trust taxi drivers. 

“Sometime I am forced to cancel an appointment if I know that I have to take a taxi,” she added. 

AMMAN — It typically takes about six months to start a new business, but when its products are finally in the market, demand is too low, according to a local entrepreneur. 

“So [entrepreneurs] basically waste their time, money and effort to realise it’s for nothing,” said Ashraf Samhouri.

In a bid to avert this result, Samhouri was involved in organising a three-day workshop for 80 entrepreneurs over the weekend to find solutions to problems in the market and learn more about business and marketing techniques.

“This workshop aims to be more flexible; instead of waiting for six months, we build a prototype... try it in the market and work on fixing it and making it more efficient,” he said. “When you fail, you learn, when you fail harder you work harder.”

The Lean Start-up Machine event included six workshops, four motivational speakers, and “getting out of the building” activities, Samhouri told The Jordan Times.

Co-founder and CEO of Jobedu Tamer Al Masri said the workshop is about how participants apply their ideas.

“There are 65 potential jobs from this workshop. If more workshops like this were organised every weekend, we will ensure that 8,000 job opportunities are generated a year,” Masri added.

Rania Bader and Anas Hamdan, who participated in the workshop, said their product is an online shop that buys and sells second-hand dresses at “cheap prices”.

“Finding the perfect dress for a good price is always a problem, which is why we are creating a website. It will ask users to enter their e-mail and their request, whether it is to buy or sell dresses,” Bader told The Jordan Times.

Another group of participants said their idea is to create a website that connects to mobile game applications, where users can compete against each other and win prizes for getting high scores.

Aya Kayali and Nora Salah said their team is working on a mobile application that offers a traffic map that shows areas of road congestion for the benefit of motorists.

“This application will use GPS to measure the number of cars on a certain road,” Salah said.

The “Rate your doctors” team member said their idea is to launch an app that will help people know which doctor to go to in Jordan by asking each user to rate the doctor they book an appointment with.

AMMAN — One day after being released from detention over a child custody battle, Al Jazeera correspondent in Amman Rula Amin on Wednesday said she won the temporary custody of her daughter.

“The minute I was freed I submitted an immediate custody request and won it temporarily at the Sharia Court,” Amin told The Jordan Times.

She added that now she has to follow up on the case to gain “custody of [her] daughter as stipulated in the law”.

The 48-year-old veteran journalist, who currently works for Al Jazeera English Channel, was arrested on Monday and sent to Jweideh Women’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre for refusing to give up custody of her five-year-old daughter Dina.

Amin was released on Tuesday by the Sharia Appeals Court, which had ordered her arrest, “based on new court proceedings”, her lawyer, Mohammad Abu Halimeh told The Jordan Times this week.

“The day I was arrested, the Sharia judge gave me an ultimatum: either to hand my daughter over to my ex-husband or go to prison, and I chose prison,” Amin said.

The journalist, who also worked for CNN, said she decided to leave her job in Lebanon and be near her daughter in Amman.

Amin’s ex-husband Mohammad Ajlouni said he will take the necessary measures that will be of the utmost benefit for their daughter.

“I have sent people to talk with my ex-wife to reach a settlement that would benefit my daughter; regardless of what they decide I am ready to accept it,” Ajlouni told The Jordan Times.

Amin’s lawyer claimed that the “proceedings of the Sharia Appeals Court, which led to the ruling ordering Amin to turn over her daughter to her ex-husband or face imprisonment until she complies were wrong”.

“A few months ago, the Sharia Appeals Court granted my client immediate custody of her child, then reversed the decision on March 15, granting custody to the father,” Abu Halimeh said.

He added that the court issued a notification ordering Amin to hand over the child to her father within seven days of the date, “but my client was arrested the following day”.

“The authorities did not wait for the seven-day period and immediately detained my client,” noted Abu Halimeh, who said Dina was kept in “a safe place until this ordeal is over”.

Amin divorced Ajlouni, who is founder and CEO of Arab Broadcast Services, almost three years ago, but signed papers agreeing on child custody and visitation rights, a close friend told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

“The custody became an issue when Ajlouni took the child away from Amin almost a year ago and she was unable to see her daughter for eight months,” added the friend, who preferred anonymity.

Ajlouni, on the other hand, claimed that Amin was the one who deprived him of seeing his daughter for 17 months and “insisted on taking her to Lebanon, a country that I cannot enter”.

“My ex-wife wants to keep my daughter in Beirut, a city that I cannot go to due to my political stands and because my life would be in danger,” he said.

Amin’s detention sparked angry reactions from women’s rights activists and caused a media buzz, with many describing it as “an unusual and arbitrary [measure] to lock up a mother in prison over custody matters”.