Iraqi blogger Zeyad who runs the popular blog Healing Iraq, has written a post about his recent trip to Amman. Here is an excerpt:
Amman is the same as I left it last time. An ever expanding bustling city that gives the false impression of modernity and a progressive, enlightened society. Yet, every Jordanian I spoke to thinks that Zarqawi is a martyr. One taxi driver frankly told me that one should not rejoice over Zarqawi’s death, for one simple reason: Americans and Iraqis are happy about it.
Dear Zeyad, I think you are generalizing here. I suggest you broaden your survey. Just take a scan of the various Jordanian blogs out there and see how many — including yours truly — have strongly condemned the sinister acts of Zarqawi and rejoiced at the end of his era. Yes, there are those who think of him as a martyr — including some members of the Islamic Action Front — but these represent a small minority.
Basing your opinion of Jordanian attitudes as a whole on a conversation with a taxi driver — not that I have anything against taxi drivers — is not fair to Jordan or Jordanians. Please don’t fall into this trap. There is always the good and the bad in every society. Don’t embellish the negative. Thank you. Enjoy Amman!
“Well, I can relate to you on that one. There are a number of Jordanians living and working in the United States who bad mouth my country every time they comment on a blog. I’d really like to see them deported. ”
What would you do with “white” Americans that bad mouth the US or Jordanians that bad mouth Jordan, should they be deported to somewhere from their respective countries. I thought democracy means you can speak your mind out.
3ogla
Bakkouz,
Craig, If you happen to read this, and i doubt you will
Why would you say that? I don’t frequent Jordanian blogs (I don’t like the commenters very much though I like the bloggers) but I try not to leave comments without going back and reading responses.
I read his blog and i Don’t care the slightest who he is, he could be the president of Iraq for all i care
Well, that’s a really good attitude to have, in a discussion of Zarqawi, don’t you think? If you’d been reading Iraqi blogs, maybe you’d understand how much Iraqis really HATED THAT SON OF A BITCH. And then you’d see how mild Zeyad’s criticism really was. But don’t waorry about it. You have better things to do. Like defending your national pride.
If you bad mouth my country you’re not welcomed here, End of story.
Well, I can relate to you on that one. There are a number of Jordanians living and working in the United States who bad mouth my country every time they comment on a blog. I’d really like to see them deported. So, I’m with you on that one. And yes, I can name names. Some of them comment here, on Natasha’s blog.
Craig, If you happen to read this, and i doubt you will, I read his blog and i Don’t care the slightest who he is, he could be the president of Iraq for all i care, If you bad mouth my country you’re not welcomed here, End of story.
You know you guys make this whole issue way to simple.
I really don’t think its an issue of supporting Zarqawi or not.
Its really an issue that people in Jordan (which has a huge Palestinian population) try to make sense out of.
No one denies that Zarqawi is a bad guy, even the people that support him know that he is a bad guy. But everytime people rise and say this bastard Zarqawi, they also go back and look at the crimes the US is committing in Iraq and the torture etc… so they get lost in the middle of this whole issue.
Additionally, people in Jordan and all over the Middle East for that matter say to them selves, what the hell the US is so concerned about Zarqawi and Iraq etc… what about the Palestinians that have had their land stolen away from them, that have suffered and continue to suffer so much under the brutal Israeli occupation, therefore, people get lost in the middle.
I assure if a just solution is found to the Palestinian conflict based on 2 equal states living side by side, not a superior Israel to broken piece of Palestinian state then democracy and peace will have a very good chance in the Middle East and in the whole world.
Unfortunatly I don’t see this happening anytime soon, all I see is continous US screw ups in the Middle East, the rise of Isalmic fanatism, and between the two, we’re screwed, not trying to be pessemistic, however, for too long I had hope, but these days how can I? Lets just pray and hope that they don’t start another war in Iran which will completely devestate the Arab world.
🙁
Im not stating my own opinion because i think everyone knows by now that i am anti violence in every form. but what i think what we are seeing is unfortunate. I think this reflects a lot of the arab world and how we think, at least those who are behind and not progressive with the times, whether you be conservative, liberal, pro america anti america, christian muslim jewish hindu etc.
i think those who support zarqawi in jordan support him because of what he was doing in iraq, fighting americans (again i am against this). but these same people could be against himw when it comes to what he did in Jordan, murdering jordanians. its very hypocritical to think this way, but unfortunately a great deal of Arabs who are not open to diverse thinking, probably think this way.
this is what i think is happening, but of course my analysis can be wrong, and probably is.
I tend to agree with Zeyad. I believe many, if not the majority, of Jordanians like Zarqawi even after what he did in their capital. Comments above confirm that. This is the reason why I have given up any hope for this region. It won’t get better anytime in the near future. We’re currently right in the middle of our dark ages.
HAH! Opinions of Ammani taxi drivers dont mean jackshit, im not denying that many Jordanians probably do sympethise with Zarqawi up to a point (at least with his ‘resistence’ to American occupation in Iraq if not anything else) but the opinions of a taxi driver in Amman is probably the least reliable source of information in the world.
e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmbdtBIMQaE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fghasseel%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F
Every one is talking about Jordan as if it’s only Amman (west & east).
With all do respect Zeyad & the other Jordanians supporting him are wrong….. Residents of Abdoun and Sweifieyeh wouldn’t care much about Zarqawi as much as residents from Irbid or Karak not to mention Salt.
I think Zeyad should thank God that Jordan opened it’s arms and welcomed him, rather than writing that post….. Welcome again Zeyad hoping to enjoy Amman as Natasha just said.
LOL, Natasha, lets not let ourselves live in denial here. Our Jordanian society is far from being progressive or enlightened. I think what the guy said is true.
Sure, you, me and a few dozen other people might not be like that, but Jordan is 5 million people, and I don’t see any plans to win most of them to what we think is the right side of whatever it is you wanna call it; moral struggle?
mmm
am a jordanian, and am proud of that, but to be honest , zeyad said the truth, yea alot of the people in jordan still think that Zarqawi and bin laden are mojahedeen, ok zeyad i guess ur right about that, but wait ,u did not say all the truth!
and the truth is in every arabian or muslim country u will find alot of people who believe that Zarqawi and bin laden a mojahdeen, i will tell u something, i work in malaysia now, and i have here more than 100 friend from iraq working aslo here with me ,all of them support Zarqawi and bin laden,i said all ” not most” , how about that!
lets be clear, and face the truth,all our arabian countrys have this problem, and thats make me sad, the Question is “how we can handle this problem”?
thats what we should talk about!
and about jordan and modernity, i guess jordan is the best example in the middle east as a modern country comparing to the other countrys on the area excluding turkey , especially comparing to iraq , dont be agree with me?