Jordan Times
Tuesday, September 18, 2001
Candlelight vigil draws hundreds in memory of victims of attacks on US
By Suha Ma'ayeh
AMMAN — In a candlelight vigil, Jordanian Muslim and Christian clerics on Sunday evening led prayers to mourn the victims of the recent terrorist attacks on the US, among them two Jordanians who remain unaccounted for among the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Centre.The religious leaders denounced terrorism as heinous acts that defy the tenets of true faith.
The remembrance service, held at the Amman Citadel amid tight security, drew more than 500 people. They lit candles listened to prayers calling for world peace.
Surrounded by citizens, officials, representatives of the country's tour and travel industry, members of the international community, including US citizens, Reverend Nabeel Haddad of the Greek Catholic Church prayed “for all the innocent who died as a result of cowardly and evil actions.”
“As we gather here tonight, Muslim and Christians of the Hashemite Kingdom, a country which itself has suffered excessively... in a region so eager and in need for justice, tranquility and peace, we gather ourselves with joined hands and minds to lift our hearts to God and pray for all the innocent souls who died as a result of cowardly and evil actions,” he said, addressing the crowd.
Shortly before the service, a grieving Samia Doany, the mother of Ramzi Doany, 35, one of two Jordanians who went missing following Tuesday's collapse of the World Trade Centre (WTC) in New York, distributed copies of her son's photo.
The other Jordanian reported missing since the attacks is Robert Elias Talhami, who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 80th floor of the WTC's north tower.
“What happened is horrible and heart breaking,” said Hania Jumaa, PR officer at the Jordan American Business Association. “I support anything against terrorism... I am here to express condolences to the people who lost family members in the attacks.”
A young Japanese woman said “there is no justification for such attacks,” stressing that they were perpetrated against all humanity.
In the wake of attacks, some foreign nationals residing in Jordan said they received memos from their embassies urging them to be cautious and to avoid large gatherings. Many diplomatic functions were cancelled, as were some local cultural events.
A young man seated at the steps to the Citadel was critical of the service and asked why shouldn't another candlelight vigil be held to mourn the death of Palestinians who are killed daily at the hands of Israelis.
A businessman in his late thirties said he was surprised when his company received hate e-mail from a US firm, a week after “promising correspondence to import industrial tools.” He said the message had a threatening tone to all Arabs.
Muslim leader Imad Shihab of the Islamic Cultural Society told The Jordan Times that Muslims “strongly oppose and condemn such despicable acts, especially when the innocent are targeted.”
“We express our deepest sorrow at this calamity that has befallen the American people,” he said.
Larry Ross, president of the US-based ALR Communicators and a tour host for 30 Christian leaders said, “not only we are ambassadors for Jordan and the wonderful sites and the warmth of the people... but we also have to help clarify for our countrymen back home the difference between the fundamentalism responsible for this act and the Arab people.”
“What's not reported are the millions of Arabs, Jordanians and others who want peace as much as anyone in America,” he said.
Ross referred to a prayer service held on Friday in Washington, during which the dean of the National Cathedral said,”We in our response cannot become the evil we abhor.”