Jordan Times
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Thousands rally in unity
against terror
By Mahmoud Al Abed and Mohammad Ghazal with agency dispatches
AMMAN — Thousands of angry Jordanians of all
walks of life on Friday marched through Amman in a display of unity, condemning
Wednesday's triple suicide bombings.
Worshippers poured out of mosques after Friday prayers to join demonstrations
called by trade and professional unions and opposition groups such as the Muslim
Brotherhood as well as NGOs and civil society institutions.
“This was a criminal, cruel act that Islam has nothing to do with. Those
terrorists carried out the attacks to distort the image of Islam,” said Jamal
Mohammad, a shop owner, as he marched waving a national flag. “The terrorists
wanted to shake our security, stability and economy because Jordan is a peaceful
country.
Demonstrators, including women and children, Muslims and Christians condemned Al
Qaeda's Iraq chief Abu Mussab Zarqawi as a “coward,” pledged to fight terrorism.
“Zarqawi you're evil, Jordan will not bow for you,” shouted the crowd of 3,000
as it marched through the streets of Amman's downtown, waving the flags and
portraits of His Majesty King Abdullah.
One of the protesters, 28-year-old civil servant Samir Yaqoub, said: “Zarqawi is
a delirious criminal. He lost his mind.” “First he said the US forces in Iraq
were his enemy, but he was killing innocent Iraqi citizens, now he says Jordan
is the enemy because it hosts Americans and Israelis, but he killed innocent
women and children in the terrorist attacks,” Yaqoub said.
“Is that the brand of Islam he advocates?” he asked angrily, holding a banner
which beamed: “No for terrorism and terrorists.”
Marchers chanted slogans and waved banners against terrorism. King Abdullah
attended prayers at Al Hashimiyah Mosque in another part of the city, where the
imam denounced the perpetrators of the bomb attacks as “ignorants” whose
“actions are totally banned by Islam.”
Several other protests also rebuking Zarqawi broke out elsewhere, including
remote villages, following Friday prayers.
“Zarqawi, you are a terrorist, but we will defeat you,” shouted some 2,000 angry
protesters in Sabha-Subhiyeh, a village on the outskirts of the city of Mafraq,
70 kilometres northeast of Amman. Another 2,500 people protested in the northern
city of Ramtha.
In Amman's downtown, HRH Prince Hassan joined worshippers at Al Husseini Mosque.
The outpouring of anger came as Jordanians buried many of their countrymen
killed in the near-simultaneous attacks on the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and
Days Inn hotels.
Mosque imams called for unity against terrorism.
“Islam and all religions categorically rejects the killing of innocents,” Al
Husseini Mosque imam told thousands of worshippers. “Islam is a religion of
tolerance, equality, mercy and moderation.”
The imam also called on citizens to cooperate with the police and the security
forces, saying: “You are responsible for preserving the country's safety and
security.”
Worshippers on Friday performed special prayers for the souls of the dead.
The Orthodox Church held a special mass Friday to mourn the victims of the
attacks and church bells echoed across the Jordanian capital in a sign of
mourning.
“Muslims and Christians alike stand steadfast today in support of the Jordanian
leadership and against the evil hand which targeted this country,” said Bishop
Hana Nour, secretary general of a group of Jordan-based churches including the
Catholic and Orthodox denominations.
Citizens at Palestinian refugee camps also called for unity and rallied against
the attacks, saying that the terror blasts in Amman “have brushed off any
possible support by disillusioned people for Al Qaeda.”
They added that slogans promoted by Al Qaeda and Zarqawi that they want to fight
oppression “do not work anymore.”
Fouad Burei, 45, a flower shop owner at Al Hussein refugee camp inhabited by
27,891 people, said: “We are very sad and angry. We all condemn such acts.”
“Those [the bombers] pretended that they were Muslims but they were not. They
were narrow-minded and they did not know what true Islam is. They were
ignorant.”
Awwad Zwayyed, 80, said those who were behind the attack did not want Jordan to
prosper.
“The country does not deserve this,” he said.
Talal Faraneh, 30, said he cried when he saw the photos of the victims.
“I have never imagined this would happen in Amman,” said Faraneh.