AMMAN, Jordan — In Jordan, a country where smoking is so popular that motorists can be seen puffing away on miniature water pipes in traffic, the kingdom’s government now wants to enforce a Western-style smoking ban in restaurants, cafes, and other public places.
The ban, coming from a law passed in 2008 but not fully enforced, also would see the government revoke the licenses of all 6,000 coffee shops that serve shisha by the end of this year.
But business owners and smokers are criticizing the push, saying it goes against the culture of a country where smoking is seen as an attractive sign of manhood and elderly Bedouins roll their own cigarettes in public.
The pastime of smoking shisha — also known as nargile, hubbly bubbly, hookah, or by other names across the Middle East — has been ingrained in Jordanian culture from the time of the Ottoman Empire. Mourners receive cigarettes at wakes, while delivery companies supplying hookahs have sprouted across the country.
‘‘We are caught between a rock and a hard place, whereby the government is trying to force a closure of our businesses,’’ said Mazen Alsaleh, who owns 14 coffee and hookah shops around the country. ‘‘I am not defending the hookah or smoking, but we must defend our investments.’’
The World Health Organization estimated last year that nearly half of Jordan’s men smoke tobacco on a daily basis, while a third of young men do. Women smoke at a much lower rate.
While smoking is culturally embraced, it’s also aided by low-cost cigarettes. A pack of local cigarettes sells at $2, while foreign tobacco is slightly more expensive.
Last year, local tobacco manufacturers reduced their prices by up to 15 percent to compete with cheap cigarettes smuggled in from neighboring Syria. Health Ministry statistics show that Jordanians spend the equivalent of $1 billion annually on tobacco.
Health Minister Ali Hyasat, who is spearheading the effort to enforce the smoking ban, said the measure was meant to ‘‘save lives, not businesses.’’
‘‘This is costing us lives, as our records show that many Jordanians die of cancer directly linked to smoking each year, and more than $1 billion annually on health care programs to treat smokers,’’ Hyasat said.
Enforcing the law started gradually in 2009, with shopping malls and Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport first enacting the ban, followed by fast-food restaurants. The law also bans smoking in hospitals, schools, cinemas, libraries, museums, government buildings, public transportation, and other places to be determined by the health minister.
The law also prohibits selling tobacco to those under the age of 18, but shop owners have rarely abided by the law. Violators are subject to imprisonment for up to one month or a fine of up to $35.
Across the Middle East, there are similar indoor smoking bans in place in Lebanon and some Arab Gulf countries. The United Arab Emirates, the home of Dubai, tightened its own smoking ban last week. Israel has a smoking ban as well. But often, such rules simply get ignored.
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"King of Jordan urges Mideast peace" by Jamal Halaby | Associated Press, January 17, 2014
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s king called on visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday to seize the opportunity made possible under a US diplomatic push to achieve a lasting and comprehensive settlement with the Palestinians, the Royal Palace said.
They are seizing more land instead.
The appeal came during a surprise visit by Netanyahu, who held talks with Abdullah II on the latest in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The palace said the two talked behind closed doors about developments in the peace process and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations sponsored by the United States.
The visit was not previously announced. Netanyahu made at least three similar visits to Jordan last year. There was no immediate comment in Israel on Thursday’s visit.
Jordan maintains cordial relations with Israel under a peace treaty signed in 1994 — one of only two signed agreements the Jewish state has with an Arab nation.
Abdullah’s talks with Netanyahu came a week after the king hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and days earlier, Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
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All smoke, no fire there.
UPDATE: Boston’s black-market cigarette problem
