The execution of Jordanian pilot Mu'adh Al-Kasasbeh, who was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) while on a mission on behalf of the international anti-ISIS coalition, provided the Syrian regime with an opportunity, which it quickly seized, to lambaste the Jordanian regime for its policy on the Syrian crisis. While condemning "the heinous terrorist crime" and conveying its condolences "to the pilot's family and to our brothers, the Jordanian people,"[1] the Syrian government press, and the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which is close to the Syrian regime, wrote that the Jordanian regime is now reaping the fruits of its support for terrorist organizations in Syria. They also claimed that the ISIS phenomenon is the result of the policy pursed by Jordan along with the Gulf states and the U.S.
The following are excerpts from two of the articles:
Daily Of Syria's Ruling Party: The Jordanian Army, Which Has Sworn To Avenge The Pilot's Death, Must Hold The King To Account
An article in Al-Ba'th, the mouthpiece of Syria's ruling party, stated that the Jordanian king had disregarded all the advice to stop supporting the terrorist organizations in Syria and to cooperate with the Syrian regime, and that now he was facing the results of his policy: "Jordan has begun to reap the fruits of its government's support of terrorism... This barbaric crime reflects the danger that terrorism poses to all the countries and peoples of the world, and emphasizes the need to stop the support extended by some known countries and elements, especially by the Jordanian regime, to these terror organizations, including by arming, financing and training them. This crime also emphasizes that the countries of the world must cooperate sincerely with Syria's efforts to eradicate this danger...
"The Jordanian army promised to punish the murderers of Al-Kasasbeh and said that his death would not go unavenged. Analysts have commented that, if the Jordanian army is serious in saying this, it must first of all demand an account from its king, who was dragged along by the American and Gulf policy and joined the so-called coalition in return for a handful of dollars that were given to him in the guise of [financial] aid. Many Jordanian writers and thinkers warned of the results of Jordan's involvement in supporting terrorism, and repeatedly demanded that their government return to the right path and cooperate with the Syrian leadership, people and army in eliminating takfiri terrorism. But the [Jordanian] king thought otherwise.
"The steps taken by the Jordanian government to appease the public, including its intention to execute the terrorist Sajida Al-Risahwi, accused of attempting to carry out a suicide bombing in Jordan, are nothing but sand thrown in [people's] eyes. [The analysts] add that, if the Jordanian regime continues this policy, it will cause all of Jordan to burn."[2]
Similar claims were made in the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the regime: "The fire of the terrorist organization [ISIS] has begun to burn Jordan after, throughout the four years of the Syrian crisis, Jordan made it easy for thousands of Salafis to cross its border [into Syria] in order to fight in the ranks of armed organizations against the Arab Syrian army..."[3]
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Al-Safir Columnist: The Takfiri Stream Is Flourishing In Jordan
Khalil Harb, a columnist for the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which is close to the Syrian regime, wrote that the American and Japanese hostages, as well as Mu'adh Al-Kasasbeh, "were not killed by the 'Shi'ite crescent' that Jordanian King 'Abdallah II warned about more than ten years ago... They were killed, like hundreds of thousands of others, by the 'terrorist crescent' that spreads from Kandahar, Afghanistan to Benghazi, Libya and beyond...
"This is undoubtedly a despicable crime, and the [Jordanian] king is right to be frightened. All Jordanians are stunned. But what concerns his royal highness is that there is a stream on the [Jordanian] street, which cannot be discounted, that sees Al-Kasasbeh's execution as a 'shari'a right.' This stream is flourishing in [Jordan's] state institutions, universities and media, and is spreading in the cities and tribal regions.
"The Hashemite regime sometimes courts this stream and is sometimes harsh with it. During the past four years, [Jordanian] mosque preachers, clerics and politicians have been openly supporting takfiri jihad in Syria in full view of the regime. Jerusalem is a stone's throw away from them, but Damascus is at the main focus of their calls...
"The problem is that his royal highness seems to treat the takfiri stream as a positive popular [phenomenon] that is in line with his own clear double standard on the Syrian issue. This is the bitter truth that the disaster-stricken king must recognize, and, more importantly, that all Jordanians must know. This regime entered into a convoluted game: it turned a blind eye to [the activity of] fighters who are comrades of those who burned Al-Kasasbeh alive; it trained them and made it easy to arm them... The ISIS worldview is flourishing in the vicinity of 'Abdallah's kingdom...
"The human animals [who executed Al-Kasasbeh] are mostly a result of the double game played by the Jordanian regime, its intelligence apparatuses, its American ally and the Saudi war room, as well as the attempt to penetrate [Syria's] southern front and advance towards the Syrian capital..."[4]
