Could One Young Man's Death Finally Spark a Revolution in Jordan?

October 05, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

King Abdullah of Jordan has dissolved parliament, paving way for elections expected early next year. It comes a day before planned protests by opposition groups. The tiny kingdom has seen unprecedented calls for political and economic reform. Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf reports on the story of a young market vendor, whose death is seen by many as a symbol of the country's problems.

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2011-2012 Jordanian Protests

The Jordanian protests is a series of ongoing protests in Jordan that began on January 2011, and resulted in the firing of the cabinet ministers of the government. In its early phase, protests in Jordan were initially against unemployment, inflation, corruption. along with dem... Explore this topic

King Abdullah

Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein is the king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 upon the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah, whose mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, is a member of the Hashemite family. Explore this topic

Jordan

Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab kingdom in the Middle East, on the East Bank of the River Jordan, and extending into the historic region of Palestine. Jordan borders Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north a... Explore this topic

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Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest. Michael Biggs compiled a list of 533 "sel... Explore this topic

Protest

An act of defiance or objection by an individual or group of people. Protests can take many forms: peaceful or violent, direct or indirect, large or small. Protests in the news are often political in nature, as groups of citizens voice their disagreement or dissatisfaction. Pr... Explore this topic

Muslim Brotherhood

The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the Arab world's most influential and one of the largest Islamic movements, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. Founded in Egypt in 1928 as a Pan-Islamic, religious, political, and social movement by t... Explore this topic

Dissolution of parliament

In parliamentary and some semi-presidential systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election. Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time. Early dissolutions are allo... Explore this topic

Aid

In international relations, aid is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Humanitarianism and altruism are at least partly an objective for the giving of aid. It may have other functions as well: it may be given a... Explore this topic

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area and the second-largest in the Arab world. It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates ... Explore this topic

Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English is an international 24-hour English-language news and current affairs TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is the sister channel of the Arabic-language Al Jazeera. The station broadcasts news features and analysis, documentaries, live debates, current... Explore this topic

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2011-2012 Jordanian Protests

King Abdullah

Jordan