In Jordan, reports are mixed as to just how good relations are between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority. What's clearer is that a strong divide exists between native Jordanians and the many Palestinian refugees.
The two locals we spent the most time with, our tour guide and our bus driver, represent both differences. Our guide was a Jordan-born evangelical, and he did a fine job balancing the tasks of educating us about the place in general and providing a special focus on things of specifically Christian interest. Our bus driver—whom our guide had never met or worked with before, though they seemed to get along famously—was a Muslim born in Ramallah and later forced to leave.
Along with being a highly skilled driver, he was extremely warm and kind. Our group featured a wide variety of views, experiences and education levels related to the conflict in Israel-Palestine, and while we generally steered clear of controversial subjects, the troubles across the river came up organically on several occasions—often to my chagrin. But when our driver was in or near such conversation, he engaged it with both a gracious generosity and the conviction of someone who knows of which he speaks.
