Friends pay tribute to dead Jordanian sisters

The bodies of Soraya Salti, 44, and her sister Jumana, 37, two prominent and successful Jordanian sisters, were found at a building in the Al Amir Ali suburb of the capital by a watchmen on Friday.

SHARJAH // Close friends of the two sisters who were found dead at the base of a building under construction in Amman have described their deaths as a “tragic loss for their family and the whole of Jordan”.

The bodies of the high powered Soraya Salti, 44, and her sister Jumana, 37, two prominent and successful Jordanian sisters, were found at the building in the Al Amir Ali suburb of the capital by a watchmen on Friday.

Soraya spearheaded Injaz Al Arab, an education initiative that promoted entrepreneurship across the Arab world, while Jumana was a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, based in the UAE since 2008.

News of their deaths came as huge a shock to friends, family and colleagues with many people taking to social media to pay tribute.

Samar Dudin, regional director of Ruwwad Al Tanmeya and a friend of both women, was devastated by their deaths. “I can’t believe they are dead. I have been in the funeral home since the morning, the atmosphere is really sad and that of shock.”

Speaking from Amman, Ms Dudin said 44-year-old Soraya was “dynamic and full of life”.

“Soraya was one of the most optimistic, energetic and forward-thinking people you could ever meet, it’s a tragic loss for her family and the whole of Jordan.”

She added that Soraya was a major force behind Injaz and a mentor to hundreds. “She had a vision of building the bridge between public and private sectors.

“I always admired her as a leader in civil society and youth economic empowerment, pushing forward a space for financial literacy and business skills development in schools and universities and expanding successful models to the region and the Arab world.”

In 2013 Soraya was named as one of the 100 most powerful Arab women by Arabian Business. She had a 12-year-old daughter and was a very dedicated mother, Mrs Dudin said. “Aside from being a great mother, she was an excellent daughter to her parents,” she said.

N A, a close friend of both Soraya and Jumana, said she was shocked to hear of the tragedy. “It’s really tragic and sad to hear those lovely girls have passed away.”

She added that the sisters were always happy. “You never saw Soraya and Jumana not smiling. Soraya used to talk passionately about the projects she was working on. Jumana was an athletic person and very humble. You would nearly always see her dressed in sportswear.”

A forensic report stated that the women died from the impact of the fall and found no previous injuries. However, some of their friends and relatives have rejected this, prompting speculation that the two were killed.

But in an official statement, Jordanian Police said preliminary investigations concluded there was no criminal motive behind the women’s deaths.

A watchman from a neighbouring building went to investigate after hearing a loud thud and found the women’s bodies. A letter written to their parents was found at the site.

Police confirmed the handwriting was by one of the sisters. The contents of the letter were not revealed.

An eyewitness told police that from her balcony she saw a car parking at the building and one of the women, who appeared to be tense, went inside followed by her sister.

Jumana was part of the government and public sector strategy team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, managing the education and non-profit Middle East Group, according to her LinkedIn account.