Jamila Assi
Jamila Eyes
Three shots in the head, and maybe four others in his body, that was the price for criticizing the mentality of those who arrested and assassinated him. When a cartoon offends a deity, when a joke shakes a system, when an idea threatens a nation, not a thousand springs will wash away the face of death.
Nahed Hattar was not murdered on the morning of September 25, he was murdered the moment the Jordanian Prime Minister, Hani Al-Mulki, called for sueing him for a silly cartoon he reposted on his personal page. Hattar was murdered the moment he was accused of blasphemy for insulting “the god of ISIS.” He was murdered the moment his arrest warrant was issued, and the moment his opponents went out calling for his execution publicaly without anyone arresting them for such threats.
When a person like Hattar spends more than two weeks in prison while radicals are being defended and protected under the slogans of freedom of expression as they continue to kill in the name of Allah, the world is sinking more deeply in the swamp of hypocrisy.
Wasn’t King Abdullah the one who marched with Queen Rania the streets of Paris in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo Attacks? Where was he when Hattar was taken to court for a cartoon that he did not create, a cartoon that criticized Islamic State’s understanding of god??
This is the Middle East where American and European governments are trying to ‘seed democracy’, this is where their support goes to radical Islamist movements in the region while secular and intellectual voices are completely ignored.
[In Paris, it is an act of terrorism, condemned as a crime against freedom of speech of the white Man (#JeSuisCharlieHebdo) But, in the Kingdom of the son of the English woman, it is called: an honor crime, a loss of temper, a sacrifice for civil peace. All that is sponsored by ‘MOC’ & ‘Friends of Syria’]
Thinking that his assassination was for pure religious reasons is too naive, Hattar’s political views and attitude have the biggest share in the accumulating hatred against him in Jordan, read his writings and listen to his interviews and you will understand that religion is not the only problem. His support for Syrian government, his deep support for the resistance axis, and his leftist views seemed to threat Jordanian authorities, so he left them no other option but to finish him.
After he was released on September 8, Hattar was advised by friends and family to leave Jordan, but he replied with a smile:
“Jordan is my homeland, in Jordan are all beginnings and all ends, and I would not leave it but to the eternal rest in the havens of glory.”
His lawyers warned him against the possible threats he might face, they told him to be very cautious, but his answer came again that:
“I do not fear death, but I’m sad for my country.”
Reactions to the assassination were not so surprising. There were loving and strong voices that went out mourning him, condemning the horrific crime and reposting the cartoon over and over as a challenge against the assassins.
There were people who have expressed their full objection to the hideous crime, despite their disagreement with Hattar politically and ideologically.
On the other side were celebrations of the death of an ‘infidel who deserved this end’.
Try typing his name in Twitter in Arabic and the first results to appear will be those celebrating his death:
“The best thing I’ve heard today… Annihilating the so called Nahed Hattar, who had insulted the divine entity, in front of the courthouse by one of Islam’s heroes in Jordan. It is a pleasurable event when Islamic communities are purified from such filth that insults our religion and brings to our communities strange and pervert ideologies. We pray to Allah the Almighty for the release of our brother Riyad and for his return safe and sound to his family. #Nahed_Hattar #The_perished_Nahed_Hattar” ~ Translated from Twitter by Jamila Assi
Hattar’s brother, Majed, has announced that the Jordanian Prime minister Hani Al-Mulki and Minister of Interior personally gave the order of murdering his brother. About the shooter, Hattar’s brother said, “this rat who assassinated Nahed does not only represents himself, but he represents the government of the Jordanian Kingdom altogether.”
The Hattar family has also declared that they will not hold a funeral or receive condolences or accept the body until Al-Mulki (PM) is discharged from his position and taken to court.
All mornings begin with light, with the sun, with a new beginning, but not if you live in the Middle East where every morning is just another day of survival from the plague of evil. The morning of September 25 was darker than the days before, its sun was covered with more blood, more hatred, and more injustice. Today, Nahed Hattar, yesterday were Nasr Hamed Abu Zaid, Nawal Saadawi , Naguib Mahfouz, Khaled Al-Asaad, and the list goes too long …
How long does it still have to go before we understand what kind of revolution do we truly need? In this part of the world?
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