Here’s what I think of the recent news on the arrest of the four Jordanian MPs. I’m as appalled as the majority of Jordanian bloggers when it comes to the statements given by Abu Fares but I think that the act of visiting Zarqawi’s family should not be met with the same anger and denouncement. You have people who probably knew a different Zarqawi than the one we all can think about and those people are in grief. You visit his family, you assure them that they are not alone, that you, despite of everything can relate and feel their pain. You offer social support for THEM. You haven’t done wrong!
Abu Fares said horrible things about the victims of Amman’s explosions, he called the same Zarqawi we know a martyr, nobody agrees to that of course but I’m not sure that arresting him is the answer for anything.
First, he called the victims “mobs” and “ignorant” but he did not say that it was OK to kill them and I’m guessing that since it was reported that he “answered when asked about those who died in the wedding” his agenda for Friday prayer did not initially include that statement, that is if he really said that during Friday prayer. What I’m trying to say is that I can’t allow myself to believe everything the media is trying to make out this.
Do I agree to what he said about victims at any time? Hell no! and he does not represent me in anyway, but I think that arresting him for merely voicing out his opinion is an overreaction and probably a golden opportunity to supposedly weaken the IAF.
Suppose he did really praise Zarqawi’s terrorist acts and deliberately brought the issue of wither the victims are martyrs or not, simply vote him out, I even encourage people to hold those statements against him and his party. The arrest of the four Mps if anything provoked a large segment of the Jordanian street, the same segment that is pro- Hamas and anti- monarchy or government. They are anti-democracy too but not when it comes to the Jordanian monarchy; they want democracy and according to the democratic process those Mps enjoy immunity and thus can not and should not be arrested.
The thing is, it wasn’t only bait 3aza, it was set up by his tribe as a celebration, after it [the tribe] had previously publicly denounced him in the Jordanian newspapers. The MP’s, and three of them are from the city of Zarqa, still didn’t have to go. Till this day there hasn’t been a statement that says they were personally related to the family or saying that they didn’t go there “as MP’s”.
There is 3azawat in Zarqa almost every day. Do these MP’s go to every one of them? No. Why did they go especially to this one? Because they loved this guy and supported what he did.
These guys won’t hesitate to call another muslim a kafir, and they won’t hesitate in blaming someone for giving condolonces for another muslim that they called a kafir. They will say “la tajooz el ra7ma 3ala ghair muslim”. So I find it really hard to believe that now out of no where they decided that they have to do this duty to this one man, like I said before there are dozens who die in that city everyday out of natural causes, how many of their families do these MP’s visit? Not all.
I wouldn’t arrest them, although I wouldn’t try to help them if they did get arrested. And I think the public in Jordan deserves the right to harrass these men until the day they die or publicly admit their fault and apologize to the families of both the victims in Iraq and Jordan.
Shaden we have stayed quite and shut up in front of the provocation of the IAF for a long time but this must end up now. The law should prevail and the arrests are justified. People like Abu Fares whould love nothing more than turn us into a Taliban like state and there should be no hesitation against them.
Shaden, I agree with you on this, as apalling as the acts and words of the Mp’s and IAF were in this case, they do not amount to a crime, so I don’t beleive that the law and it’s courts are the proper way to deal with this issue, the ballot box should be the venue to bunish these idiots.
Those supporting the arrest of the MP’s because what they did is unpopular should keep in mind that this is a very slippery slope.
I do nor believe that arresting them was useful.
I do believe, though, that what they said about the victims of Amman’s bombings. What they said was totally stupid and completely untolerable and offensive to everyone.