Jordan:
Why Would a Christian MP Support Jihad?
  Be the first of your
friends to like this.
It is interesting that Khoury's
call for launching terror attacks on Israel comes at a time when Christians
being slaughtered and churches torched in Syria and Egypt.
What Khoury perhaps does not know –
or does not want to know — is that one of the few places where Christians
can still lead normal lives is the same country he wants to see targeted by
the jihadis: Israel.
We are used to hearing Muslim fundamentalists voice support for jihad
and terrorism, but when a prominent Arab Christian publicly comes out in
favor of jihad, it is surreal — especially at a time when Christians are
being persecuted and slaughtered in a number of Arab countries.
But Jordanian parliament member Tarek Khoury obviously
does not care about the plight of his fellow Christians.
Khoury told the
London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper that he supports "jihad
operations" against Israel.
The Christian legislator said he feels "disappointed" when an
Arab regime equates terrorists with those who act against Israel.
"It's not our job to protect the usurping Zionist entity which
targets Jordanians and Palestinians," Khoury declared. He said that
jihad against Israel should be excluded from crimes which the Jordanian
State Security Court is authorized to look into.
The Christian legislator even went as far as quoting a hadith
[saying] attributed to Prophet Mohamed: "If one inch of the land of
Muslims is occupied, jihad becomes an individual duty of every
Muslim."
Khoury cited the case of female terrorist Sajedah al-Rishawi, who was
involved in the 2005 suicide bombings in Amman.
He pointed out that as al-Rishawi had been tried before a Jordanian
court for terrorism, while "anyone who tries to wage jihad against the
Zionist enemy is also brought to trial for the same charges."
Bassam al-Badareen, a respected journalist in Amman, noted that the real
surprise lies in the fact that Khoury is an important parliament member who
represents Jordan's Christian minority, which makes up around 10% of
Jordan's population.
Most of the kingdom's Christians have left to the U.S., Canada and
Europe over the past few decades in search of better lives. When the
kingdom was established, Christians made up 30% of the population.
Instead of representing the true interests of the Christian minority,
Khoury has allied himself with the Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood organization
and the Palestinian Hamas movement. It is because of such Islamic groups
that Christians no longer feel comfortable living in Jordan and other Arab
countries.
He has also joined the bandwagon of Jordanian legislators who have been
pressuring their government to cancel the peace treaty between Jordan and
Israel. Calls for expelling the Israeli ambassador to Jordan have become a
weekly occurrence in the kingdom.
On a number of occasions, some Jordanian parliamentarians have set fire
to the Israeli flag inside the chamber.
Not only is Khoury ignoring the plight of his fellow Christian citizens,
but he is also turning a blind eye to what is happening in nearby
countries, especially Egypt and Syria.
It is notable that Khoury's call for launching terror attacks on Israel
comes at a time when two bishops, a priest and 12 nuns are still missing
after being kidnapped in Syria. It is also interesting to see that his
support for jihad comes at a time when Christians are being slaughtered and
churches torched in Syria
and Egypt.
Most of the anti-Christian attacks are being described by the
perpetrators as "jihad operations" – the same term Khoury uses to
justify terror attacks against Israel. The jihadis view the Christians as
infidels and a fifth column.
So why is someone like Khoury openly supporting jihad? There could be
two answers to this question. First, he may be trying to appease the
Islamists so they they will not turn against him and his community in
Jordan. Second, Khoury may be another enemy of Israel who thinks it is fine
to carry out suicide bombings or, as he calls them, jihad operations,
against women and children.
But what Khoury perhaps does not know – or does not want to know – is
that one of the few places where Christians can still lead normal lives is
in the same country he wants to see targeted by jihadis: Israel. If he has
endorsed jihad and Islamic fundamentalism, what is stopping Khoury from
converting to Islam and joining Al-Qaeda or one of the jihadi groups in
Syria?
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment