Mourning and horror in Jordan: attack on the oasis of peace

Several dozen men in shirts and suits are chatting under a canopy. Suddenly panic breaks out, the men run back to the building, some throw themselves to the ground and look frightened at the parking lot in front of them. The video shows the beginning of a deadly attack on mourners at a rural church in the outskirts of Karak, Jordan.

At the same moment, captured from a different angle, three men emerge from behind the olive trees and the wall between the building and the parking lot, holding pistols and a machine gun in their hands, ready to fire, one carrying a black backpack on his back, another wearing the red Jordanian keffiyeh on his head, their faces clearly visible, they aim in the direction of the building, hide again, then they run over, their weapons outstretched. Shots are fired and at least two men are now lying on the ground, motionless. An attacker changes the magazine of the rifle.

At the end of the attack, eight people were dead and around 40 were injured in the hospitals in Karak. The perpetrators are on the run, the country is on alert. Communications Minister Mohammad Momani said at a news conference that the attack was guided by a Takfiri ideology, an Arabic word associated with radical Islamism and denouncing "infidels."

“Any attack on a Jordanian, regardless of religion or belief, is an attack on Jordanian society as a whole,” he said. King Abdullah II visits the survivors in military camouflage and promises “the harshest retribution”. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan announces a comprehensive security response and tough legal measures against extremism.

But the damage is done. Jordan is considered an oasis of peace in the middle of a ring of fire; At least compared to its neighboring countries Syria, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, the situation in the Hashemite kingdom has so far been calm. NGOs from all over the world have their regional headquarters here. The country is considered an ally of the West. After the crime, the US embassy has now issued a security warning.

Jordanian political expert Amer al-Sabaileh says it is clear this was a well-planned attack. The expert is not surprised. “After years of neglect in this area, which was left to the Salafists, one cannot be surprised by this bitter reality,” he criticizes.

Karak Province is a rural, tribal area, somewhat isolated from the country's larger centers. There had already been an attack in 2016 that was attributed to IS cells, but it targeted security forces and some tourists.

The remote location allowed the attackers to move freely - while getting the attention they wanted, says al-Sabaileh. Posts about the crime are increasing online. The government has now apparently imposed a news blackout; only official media are allowed to report. However, the authorities did not respond to requests. Tension is high across the country. Even in the capital Amman, police vehicles with flashing lights are parked in front of the many churches on Friday evenings. In the tourist district of Jabal Amman, a police officer politely but resolutely waves him away; even journalists are not allowed to take pictures.

In wealthy Swefieh, Christian representatives, tribal leaders and several dozen people gathered in front of the Greek Orthodox Church. Some hold flickering candles in their hands, like a woman in a white jacket and skirt. Her name is Hind Hamed and she is a well-known singer and actress in Jordan. “I’m Muslim and I’m here with my Christian friend,” she says, pointing to the woman in jeans next to her. "It was terrible when we found out. We're like one family here."

They said they knew nothing about any particular problems or hostilities in the community. In Karak in particular, solidarity between Muslims and Christians has historical roots. The president of the Orthodox Association, Bassem Farraj, said: “It is a dark day for Jordan.”