Jordan: Blind Terrorism

In commenting on yesterdays triple bombing in Amman, Jordan yesterday, the Wall Street Journal notes:

If yesterday's attacks illustrate anything, it is that all Arab countries -- not just Iraq -- are threatened by jihadist violence, which is one good reason they should lend greater support to Iraq's embattled democratic leaders. Previously, the governments of Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have sought a middle course, affecting a pro-American foreign policy while using state-run media to feed anti-American flames and praise the Iraqi "resistance." That will no longer do.

Specifically, the Wall Street Journal focuses on the negativity of the Jordanian state-run media:

As for Jordan, the MEMRI media research institute reports that a Jordanian TV station last month aired a series, timed for Ramadan and originally produced by Hezbollah, which tells the story of the Jews, using the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as its primary source. The Protocols, of course, are among the most enduring anti-Semitic tracts.

Any country that suffers a terrorist attack as grievous as yesterday's deserves sympathy and assistance. But Jordan needs to think carefully about its own part in fostering the culture of hatred in which al Qaeda thrives.

The Jordanian government did step in after a group of rabbis who had met the King a few months ago sent a letter. The official explantion of Jordan is:

It has come to our attention that a controversial program entitled "Al-Shatat" or "The Diaspora" has been broadcast from an independent/private channel entitled "Mamnou'" operating from the Media Free Zone in Jordan, which is not subject to Jordanian Law. The program itself was not broadcast from any Jordanian channel.

"Al- Shatat" drew concerns for inciting hate. Accordingly, the program has been stopped from the private channel as of Tuesday, October 25th 2005. The stoppage was only done through personal intervention of responsible Jordanians.

The Free Media Zone broadcasts different programs through 84 different channels and more channels are expected to emerge from the zone in the near future. The Government of Jordan does not monitor or control the content of any program broadcasting from the free zone, whether it is cultural, political, or otherwise. This is in accordance with the agreement between the government of Jordan and the Media Free Zone which is, in turn, affiliated with the Arab Media Company ART.

"Al- Shatat" does not just tell 'a story'--it is propaganda for the purpose of inciting its viewers to violence. According to Arutz Sheva:

The Syrian-produced television series, called "Al-Shatat," includes horrific distortions of Judaism, including the presentation of the use of a Christian child's blood in preparation of Matzah for Passover, as religious necessity. The graphic episode features Jews kidnapping a Christian boy and slitting his throat to drain his blood, and the brutal execution of a Jew by a "Talmudic" court, by pouring boiling lead down his throat. [Warning: The following two video links to the above episodes are very difficult to view: 1) Christian boy, 2) Talmudic Execution] All of the anti-Semitic libels in this series are presented as fact.

Another example of this is the animated children's film that promotes suicide bombing.

Or the video of the preaching of hate in a mosque.

As long as the rhetoric used in the Arab and Moslem world--in the media, in the movies, in the mosques, and by the Imams around the world-- to describe their perceived enemies is allowed to be maintained at such a fevered pitch (while the West either ignores it or makes excuses for it), the terrorism, no matter what you blame it on, will have the hate and fanaticism it needs to continue.

And yesterday, Arabs in general--and Palestinian Arabs in particular--got another reminder that their blind terrorism doesn't really care all that much about whom it blows up.

Technorati Tags: terrorism and Anti-Semitism .