Jordan king urges calm amid wave of protests

Reuters | Friday, March 21, 2003 | By Suleiman al-Khalidi

[JohnHuang2]

Jordan king urges calm amid wave of protests

By Suleiman al-Khalidi

AMMAN, March 21 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah, a close friend of Washington, appealed to his countrymen on Friday to moderate their expressions of sympathy for Iraqis as fears grew that street protests could spill over into widespread violence.

"I know what you feel in pain and anger towards what is happening to the Iraqi people in suffering and calamities..," the monarch said in a televised speech to the nation, the first since the start of the U.S. war against Iraq on Thursday.

"As for the demonstration of our feelings towards the Iraqi people, it has to be expressed in a civilised way that will help ease the anguish of our brothers and help them face war and overcome its ramifications," the monarch said.

Security officials are worried that a protracted war with heavy civilian casualties could turn rage of ordinary Jordanians incensed by Washington's strong backing of Israel to acts of sabotage and killings against U.S. citizens and interests.

King Abdullah's appeal comes after a wave of protests that spilled into street violence across Amman and major cities after Friday prayers in protest over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Western diplomats say Jordan, wedged between Israel on the west and Iraq on its eastern border, has lent logistical aid to U.S. military special forces operating in western Iraq, bordering Jordan.

Analysts say King Abdullah's move to steer policy away from support of Baghdad to the backing of U.S. war goals against a fellow Arab and a Muslim country poses grave domestic risks.

Thousands of angry Jordanians fought baton-wielding riot police on Friday after the authorities sealed off parts of the capital to foil Islamist organised pro-Iraq protests.

"It's difficult to control people's feelings. The government should allow Jordanians to peacefully express their outrage against this barbaric aggression against Iraq," said Abdul Latif Arabiyat, a leader of the Islamic Action Front, the largest political party.

"Preventing people from exercising their right of expression is not in the interest of stability...," Arabiyat told Reuters.

[JohnHuang2]

Friday, March 21, 2003

Quote of the Day by usafsk

[ZULU]

Democracy and Islam do not always go our way. As a matter of fact, those deomcratic Islamic states frequently have the most vociferous anti-American populations.

[Sir Gawain]

Smooth talker.

[tessalu]

The Iraqis are going to be okay, in fact, they may be better off than those who pretend to be so worried about them. They do stand a chance for freedom and democracy, and the USA wishes no harm to the Iraqi people. I think that Iraq will be far better off than Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen and the Palestianian people, for they are all in the bondage of Islam, and no way in sight for them to get free, and I am refering only to the ones who want to be free, and there are many. If a Muslim wants to be free of Islam, he will be killed under blasphemy laws, and this is not a pretty picture.

[never4get]

Is Yemen and Jordanian Muslim population reactions a surprise???? If I recall they were dancing in the streets eating ice cream after 9/11. They hate us when we die, they hate us when we live they hate us when we kill a man who has slaughtered hunderds of thousands of their fellow Muslims. Enough of this Bull Shi**