Jordan's 9/11: Dealing With Jihadi Islamism

Amman/Brussels  |   23 Nov 2005

To minimise the risk of future terror attacks that feed on simmering public dissatisfaction, Jordan should implement long-promised political reforms and institute other measures that increase public participation.

Jordan's 9/11: Dealing With Jihadi Islamism,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the 9 November bombings in Amman and cautions against a security-only response to the attacks. New security measures must be complemented by political, economic and cultural reforms that tackle widespread inequalities, corruption and growing public alienation toward Jordan’s Westernised elite.

“Further crackdowns in response to the bombings could backfire unless the problems that are driving popular dissatisfaction with the regime are taken on with equal vigour”, says Joost Hiltermann, Crisis Group’s Middle East Project Director. “The regime has the public’s support right now because of everyone’s outrage over the casualties, and it should use this small window of opportunity to deliver long-promised reforms”.

Before the bombings for which he claimed responsibility, Jordanian jihadi leader Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, enjoyed some popular support, which can be attributed to anger over U.S. policies in the region as well as an overly constricted domestic political system, growing economic inequality, shrinking opportunities and widespread corruption. Jordan’s security apparatus and repressive laws have also fed the fire and driven people toward more radical agendas.

The regime should embark on a three-pronged strategy to address these challenges: political, economic and cultural. It should review and amend laws that curtail political freedoms, draft a new electoral law that better reflects the population, and form a more inclusive government coalition that brings in opposition groups. The regime must also expand economic opportunities for the poor, help the unemployed with job creation and training, and aggressively attack corruption.

Finally, the regime should drive a wedge between jihadi and non-jihadi Islamists by promoting a tolerant version of Islam in all schools and creating an opening for credible religious teachers who denounce violence, even those critical of government policy.

“The general public’s lack of representation and shortage of economic opportunities has fed into a romanticised notion of jihad that has sent a steady trickle of young men across the border to join the fight against the U.S. in Iraq”, says Robert Malley, Director of Crisis Group’s Middle East and North Africa program. “The November attacks are a preview of what’s to come unless the government gets serious about real reform”.