Mandate for Palestine - July 24, 1922

Mandate for Palestine - July 24, 1922
Jordan is 77% of former Palestine - Israel, the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Gaza comprise 23%.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Islamic extremism on rise in Jordan


Members of Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra man a checkpoint on the border crossing between Syria and Jordan, which they claim to have taken control of, in Daraa, Dec. 26, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Ammar Khassawneh)

Islamic extremism on rise in Jordan

Fire is under the ashes, and the wind is nearby. This is how Jordanian politicians describe the situation in their country these days.
Summary⎙ Print The Islamists in Jordan are growing stronger, which is linked to the war in Syria.
Author Jean AzizPosted May 18, 2014
Translator(s)Rani Geha
A number of Jordanian politicians are touring neighboring countries to explain to their officials what is going on in Jordan, and to explore the international perspective over what is “being prepared” for Jordan.
A delegation from the Jordanian Council on Foreign Relations visited Lebanon late last week. The delegation’s members looked worried, and a prominent Jordanian politician and council member explained to Al-Monitor the risk indicators on the Jordanian scene.
He said three indicators should be especially considered. 
  • First is the spread of arms in the country. The price of a Kalashnikov rifle has become an international indicator about the level of militia arming in third world countries, and its price is now less than $500 in Jordan. Two years ago, a Kalashnikov was rare and cost no less than $2,000. The drastic drop in price indicates that the rifle is abundant and the market could be flooded. He said that the weapons are mostly coming through the Syrian border.
  • The second risk indicator on the Jordanian scene is the Sunni fundamentalists. Reports by various media outlets of the April 17 airstrike by Jordanian fighters on a Syrian opposition convoy transporting weapons to Jordan have become almost daily news for Jordanians. The council member said that, in Amman, there is talk about regular convoys that cross the border to Jordan from near Daraa in Syria, and those convoys are loaded with large quantities of weapons of all types. But who is behind these operations? According to him it is the Sunni Islamist fundamentalists, in particular groups affiliated with al-Qaeda or that aspire to be. 
The Jordanian Islamist groups are heading toward more militancy, extremism and fundamentalism, until they reach the stage of armed jihadism, the politician said. The politician gave this example: The recent events in Maan were a clear warning and an alarm bell that rang in the ears of all Jordanians and of everyone concerned with the situation in Jordan. Starting on April 23, the Jordanian province in the south has seen a complete security breakdown and serious armed unrest. The events began with the killing of a fundamentalist by the state’s security forces as they were trying to arrest him. Matters suddenly evolved into armed confrontations and a kind of civil disobedience.
The council member explained the importance of the Maan events. He said the Maan region is the largest Jordanian province and is located in the south of the country on the border with Saudi Arabia. It has the road historically used by Muslim pilgrims headed to Mecca. This is what made the province an Islamist stronghold throughout the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Even when the Muslim Brotherhood was a tiny minority in the country, the group was still able to have one of its members elected as a Maan deputy. However, after the recent Arab developments and the growing strength of extremist groups, it became apparent that Maan’s Islamists are no longer with the Muslim Brotherhood, but have become mostly Salafist jihadists, according to him.
During Muslim holidays, the people are categorized according to how many worshippers listen to mosque preachers with known political affiliations. The Muslim Brotherhood came in third place, the pro-government preachers came in second and Salafist-jihadist preachers came in first, as they attracted the most worshippers in this area of 80,000 people.
Most of the people in the area acted against the Jordanian authorities in the last week of April. They closed roads and attacked government buildings and centers, both civilian and military. The city almost became an independent statelet within Jordan. What’s more, it seemed that a number of neighboring regions were ready to do the same. Most importantly, the leaders of the jihadist movement in Maan came out publicly and told the media what could be understood as the movement's adopting the disturbances, and also leading them. This dangerous reality is happening amid an abundance of arms, according to the Kalashnikov indicator. In addition, there is a heavy presence of displaced Syrians in Jordan. All that is worrying Jordanian politicians that something serious is being prepared for their country.
  • The third risk indicator, the Jordanian politician explained, is the Islamists trying to find a “suitable soil” for sectarian strife and factionalism within Jordan. This is unprecedented in the state’s history. He gave a clear example: On May 1, a Salafist party invited Saudi Sheikh Mohammad al-Arifi, who is well known for his fundamentalist extremism, to deliver a lecture at the University of Jordan in Amman. It should be noted that the sheikh is known to have issued extremist fatwas in the past. After the lecture, the organizers arranged to distribute to the media the news that a Christian Jordanian girl, from the area of Ajloun in the ​​north of the country, came forward, after Arifi’s sermon, to declare that she had converted to Islam and was now a Muslim. Hours later, a news report claimed that the girl’s parents killed her in her hometown as punishment for leaving her religion.
The two news reports were enough to turn the atmosphere in Jordan into something similar to what we see in areas of Egypt with both Islamists and Copts, when, for instance, following a girl's conversion to Islam or Christianity dozens are killed without any questions raised or clarifications made. In the case of Jordan, it should be noted that no one confirmed whether the news reports were true. In fact, subsequently it was argued that the reports were false. But it was enough to reveal the sectarian incitement initiated by Islamists in Jordan.
The Jordanian politician ended the interview with Al-Monitor by saying, “It’s ironic that a Jordanian government minister discussed all this in a meeting with a number of Jordanian civil society activists. He even told them that he had preliminary information indicating that parties in a 'major Gulf state adjacent to Jordan' are responsible for everything that’s happening in Amman.”
His words leaked and the news spread quickly, which led to a silent diplomatic crisis between the two neighbors. The crisis ended when that same minister took the initiative to hold a luncheon, to which more than 1,000 people were invited, in honor of the state's ambassador the minister had accused. The accusation was refuted. But there is still fire under the ashes in Jordan. When will the wind reach it? The Jordanian politician said, “The timing is settled. It’s when the internal war starts among the armed Islamist wings in Daraa, Syria. That will be the signal of it moving to Jordan.”


Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/05/jordan-fears-syria-war-islamists.html?utm_source=Al-Monitor+Newsletter+%5BEnglish%5D&utm_campaign=8cc8c8b817-May_19_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28264b27a0-8cc8c8b817-100366937#ixzz32DGnzELA

Monday, May 5, 2014

Security deteriorates in south Jordan city

Al Monitor

Published 2 May 2014Jordan,Maanunrest,

Security deteriorates in south Jordan city

The Jordanian political sphere is wrong to think what is happening in the southern city of Maan is normal. It is even more wrong to believe that the old methods used to address the crises of this marginalized and poor province have yielded results and strategic solutions. Had these solutions proven effective, the city would not have become in the past few days a ghost city filled with military vehicles, fear and anticipation.
Summary⎙ Print The security situation in Maan, Jordan is deteriorating as officials turn a blind eye to serious threats that might affect the Hashemite Kingdom.
Author Moussa BarhoumehPosted May 2, 2014
Translator(s)Steffi Chakti
If the official neglect of this crisis continues, Maan could become the spark that ignites the explosive barrels found in many cities and provinces in Jordan. For a while, this country has been living according to the belief that the unrest and daily killing in neighboring countries renders the sacrifice of reform an acceptable, tolerable and agreed upon issue by different political parties.
This belief can benefit from the state of fear spreading among Jordanians, and can feed on the country's stability (relative to its neighbors). Despite its relevance, this does not mean that disturbing security issues related to reform packages, the openness toward various movements, the drifting away from the mindset of the exclusion of the other and the implementation of a genuine plan that does not aim at creating media buzz should be disregarded. This plan should tackle the issue of development in the less fortunate provinces, mainly Maan.
Financial and administrative corruption is compromising not only the credibility of the government but also that of the rule itself. This issue should be tackled by the means of innovative, transparent and convincing tools. Walid al-Kurdi, the husband of the king’s aunt, for example, was involved in corruption cases without being subject to prosecution that proves satisfactory to the public opinion. The latter has doubts that the regime is trying to sweep the embarrassing issue under the rug.
As a result of these complicated problems, the old-new disobedience in Maan, which is located on the border with Saudi Arabia, was born. Every house contains arms, and sometimes, groups adopting jihadist rhetoric own relatively heavy arms. This is the case with Mohammad al-Shalabi al-Makna, dubbed Abu Sayyaf, who is one of this group’s influential figures in Jordan. 
Maan has not been able to integrate itself into the state. Impressions are piling up that this province is above the law, something proven by the latest developments, wherein the headquarters of intelligence and military intelligence were set ablaze. Meanwhile, a strike convened by activists and adopted by society’s institutions has had deep significance. Obviously, the state does not consider the latter issue and instead employs useless, absurd and short-sighted measures, considering Maan a mere security issue and failing to think outside the box to find solutions that are influential on the ground.
Such solutions should bridge the gap between state and society and dispel concerns among people who are fed up with the government's promises to develop this distressed city. The inhabitants struggle with the highest levels of unemployment and poverty among all 12 provinces, even though the government announced it allocated $100 million of its last budget to implement development projects this year in the city.
During the protests in Maan, angry slogans were chanted, such as “down with the regime.” However, this does not mean that these slogans express an urgent social and political desire among people. Yet, the use of this slogan expresses the feeling that the father, in the psychological sense of the word, is competing with his son and is not showing enough care. 


Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/05/jordan-situation-maan-ignoring.html?utm_source=Al-Monitor+Newsletter+%5BEnglish%5D&utm_campaign=80aebe7f5f-January_9_20141_8_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28264b27a0-80aebe7f5f-100366937#ixzz30qxy728Q