In case you have not heard the news, the ramifications of al-Ghad’s irresponsible journalism continue to reverberate.
Thousands of Iraqi Shi’ ites protested Monday after hearing reports that relatives of a Jordanian suicide bomber suspected of killing 125 people in the town of Hilla celebrated him as a martyr.
After breaking into the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad and tearing down the flag, protesters called on all foreign Arabs to leave the country and then denounced Jordan’s King Abdullah.
The journalist that wrote the story has also found himself in trouble with the law. According to Petra news agency (the state news agency), the interior minister announced that the reporter, Hadi al Nsour, was arrested for "publishing false information that harmed the country." Personally, I think it shouldn’t be the journalist alone that takes all the blame. There had to have been a page editor and there should have been a managing editor that allowed this monstrosity to be published.
This all developed because of one tiny inflammatory article published in a new daily that is trying desperately to be “controversial." Amazing no? This likely would not have happened several years ago when the Arabic media published inciting articles regularly but got away with it. Things are no longer the same due to modern technology. If this didn’t teach al-Ghad a lesson, I don’t know what will.
It really is a scandal and a major embarrassment to each and every Jordanian. We say in Arabic "Fada7oona alla yefda7hom," or "they scandalized us,
May God scandalize them." And this is exactly what the suicide bomber,
his family and al-Ghad did to us! They tarnished our reputation. On a personal note, today an Iraqi Shia acquaintance
approached me saying: "What, you guys are celebrating? Natasha, I’m
going to kill you!" He was joking, fortunately.
With regard to the demonstrations, what’s with the the Star of David painted [see picture] on this particular Jordanian flag? On Aljazeera I even saw a report showing an Iraqi holding a banner decrying the "Jordanian (Israeli) Government." Does everything in this region have to be a ‘Zionist conspiracy?’ Grow up people!
Ok Nas, my bad. I misunderstood your intent, but I would still say that burning flags (any flags whether they carry stars of david or stars of islam or whatever) is the same. The Jordanian flag is not any holier than the flag of Israel or the U.S.A. National flags are just refined versions of colored tribal flags imho. They are not holy.
And then you say one should not jump to conclusions and rush to condemn the Jordanian terrorist. I admire your sensibility, but would you be willing to extend that courtesy to others or are you selective? I wonder.
You say you seek the liberation of Iraq. I too seek the liberation of Jordan from its corrupt leadership and its American lackeys.
Linda, the Arab world does not want to get along with each other. If it did, we would not be having this conversation right now. Instead we would have been something like the EU (not Gamal Nasser’s united Arab republic). Maybe it is for the best interest of all Arabs to not get along, when we have Arabs blowing up other Arabs, and other Arabs throwing accusations of takfeer, takhween and 3amala into others faces. Pot meet kettle. I suggest for other Arabs to take a good look at themselves before.
Metalordie, I am disappointed to hear that you are Iraqi. By the way, “racist” doesn’t apply to me in this case. Iraqis are not a distinct race (neither are Jordanians for that matter).
I did agree with you in regard to Iraqi puppets (i.e. Chalabi, Hakeem, Ja3fari) and I share your condemnation of them, but I can also understand why you would defend Abdallah when he offers safe haven to Iraqi criminals who have murdered their own people.
And you still haven’t told me why Abdallah sticks to his Zionist and American friends and protects their borders and interests? Maybe I can remind you of black september and dozens of other incidents.
Funny how you keep referring to Iran. What are you afraid of? the Shiite crescent? although I am not religious and I am not a fan of the Iranian mullahs, but they are just like everyone else in the region, looking out for their own interests on the expense of Iraqis.
*drumb noise made after a funny thing is said*
Hahahah, it’s not 11?
Linda,
It is a sad fact that we always disagree with others . We do not even agree whether a mass murderer is bad or good. I am certain if the title of the post is (1+1=2) , you will find those who would argue .
People, thanx for clarifying to Iraqi blogger that I am Iraqi.
But maybe he would like to build a racist wall around himself and not listen.
The bubble just shattered, dude.
It’s funny you keep referring to me as a Jordanian. And oh, the puppets in Iraq are not worth King Abdallah’s shoes. One is an agent of the west brought in from a cultured and well-established family who seeks the welfare of his people.
The puppets are like roaches, rats, vultures feeding off Iraq for their own welfare and not that of the people. What country in the world REFUSES to investigate the number of it killed civilians?
Where were these Rolex-wearing bastards when we suffered through the Iraq-Iran war, or the sanctions, when we buried loved ones because of lack of medicines?
Oh, sorry, they were cavorting with their Iranian overlords in the Badr Brigades in Tehran, or being dined, wined, and swined by their American masters in such hotels as George V in Paris and London.
Please, King Abdallah over these murderers any day.
Linda, thanks for clarifying it for iraqi_blogger, sometime i feel people force a misunderstanding. i also agree with u about disagreements in our community…our ship has a hole in it and we’re standing around pointing fingers while it sinks.
IraqiBlogger, as I said and Linda repeated for you, I was refering to journalistic integrity. I agree with the majority here that the journalist is to blame for writing such a bias article but not for the same reasons. Yes it may encourage jordanians to go over there but more importantly im getting back to the core of it all; journalism should at least make an attempt to be objective…it should at least be an aim. Who knows though, i don’t know this journalist nor have i followed his writing. It’s likely he may have been given such and such information and wrote it off as a martyr operation as most media in the arab world does. Either way this is what i am saying about journalism and it’s integrity, they must uphold a level or accountability and responsibility.
As for the Jordanian. Like Ive been saying all along to people here, we should not jump to unfounded conclusions. Most here condemned him to hell before any updates arrived. If this man is indeed this man is Jordanian and indeed killed my shi3a brothers then he is in the wrong without a doubt irregardles of his nationality. Rest assured he does not represent the majority of Jordanians, we seek only liberation for Iraq and not an American occupation nor the immoral, illogical and more importantly HARAM death of our shi3a brethern.
With that aside, it is nevertheless wrong to replace the 7 pointed star of the surat il fate7a with a star of david and then burn the flag. A few bad apples do not represent the majority, if the did Bin Laden’s army would out-number the american population and thank God it does not
Iraqi Blogger,
Read past posts and having discussion about Iraq, I would feel safe to say that metalordie is Iraqi. HE has said it many times. You refer to him as a Jordanian, and I don’t think he is. Just reporting the facts.
Then you state, “Nas thinks one should neither denounce nor support. And then states that it is a disgrace for iraqis to burn the islamic star. Dude, what kind of islam do you follow?”
Nas was actually referring to JOURNALISTS and stated, “they should, upon hearing such news in my opinion, lean neither to the left nor right, neither support it nor denounce it…simply…report it. i can acknowledge biases exist especially in jordan but with journalism i expect one has to know the full story before writing its conclusion.”
So, Nas was not referring to all Muslims, he was referring to reporters.
Okay, not that we got the facts out of the way, here is my view on this whole thing. For those who do not know, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, Parents from Jordan and I am Catholic. I think it was important to mention who I am so someone does not automatically assume I am Iraqi, Muslim, or a Zionist 🙂
But reading all of these posts and seeing what is going on in the Arab world makes me sad. Everyone here knows about my philosophy about being positive and working hard for social change. But before you can do that you need to state the problem. And when I state the problem, this question comes to mind: If the Arab world cannot even get along with each other, how do we expect to have peace with Israelis? This is the biggest thing that is messed up with us Arabs. The problem is that these same fights and arguments happen here among Arab Amercans, even among Jordanians in L.A. I believe there are about five Jordanian American Associations in Southern California, and the reason why is because they can’t get along so they go and start their own. You guys, if we all joined hands, stopped referring to religion and stopped being so Nationalistic, so many great things can happen for Arab world.
The article in al-Ghad was certainly an example of bad journalism, and Natasha should be congratulated for translating it and calling it to the world’s attention. Nevertheless, the reaction to the article was certainly fueled by much deeper resentments on the part of Iraqis, especially Shii Iraqis, to Jordan’s schizophrenic approach to their country. Examples include King Hussein’s fence sitting in 1990, flagrant sanctions busting oil for trade deals during the 1990s, providing a safe haven for Saddam Hussein’s family members and other ex-regime elements, and King Abdullah’s recent comments about a Shiite threat to the region. In my opinion, Jordan has to figure out where it stands and stop trying to play a balancing game.
*decides to save bandwidth as he chuckles at “primitive co-citizens”*
Metalordie. I didn’t say anywhere that Iraqis are saintly. However, I have never heard of any Iraqis celebrating the murder of Jordanians, or any other Arabs for instance, or crossing the borders to blow themselves up in Jordan. Whereas you send us hundreds of Zarqawis and Bannas every day to murder Iraqis in the name of your Jihad, claiming to fight Americans and Israel, while your puppet leaders protect the Israeli border on its side. Dude, don’t throw stones.
I can now understand why Israel would want to build a wall around it’s borders. I only wish we could do the same but alas.
As to the Iraqi reference to ‘yemeni’ it is because that particular kind of shoe came to Iraq originally from yemen, the reference has nothing to do with Yemenis. And if you have been to Iraq you would have been amazed with our sense of hospitality. We wouldn’t have hosted hundreds of thousands of Egyptians, Palestinians, Yemenis and Sudanis if we were what you claim.
I’m also amused that you would talk about our puppets (and most of them are actually), when you have an American-bred king in Amman who would do anything to serve his American and Israeli masters, and who’s ancestors were installed by the British.
By the way, what do you know about what happened in Falloja other than from your highly reputed news sources? And what gives you the right to judge?
iyas, when i mentioned time honoured traditions I was doing so sarcastically, I leave that to your primitive co citizens who blow themselves up inmy country and then celebrate it back home under the eys and nose of your gov. Ok, what was the response of your government besides the official statement. Free speech? I don’t hear any newspapers criticizing the king, or is free speech reserved to such acts of barbarism?
Nas thinks one should neither denounce nor support. And then states that it is a disgrace for iraqis to burn the islamic star. Dude, what kind of islam do you follow? it’s horrible for a muslim to burn an islamic star but it’s fine to murder hundreds of innocent muslims in the name of islam?
I prefer Shakir El Nabulsi’s reaction to the event. He is Saltese by the way. A simple condemnation would have done. After all we do condemn other iraqis who call for violence or celebrate it every day.
And asking us to be grateful to you? Dude, you do make me laugh.