The Scotsman reports al-Qaeda went too far, even for the Middle East, in the terror attacks against Jordanian hotels:
Faced with the unprecedented outburst of fury among Muslims over its latest atrocity, al-Qaeda offered an "explanation" last week's terror attacks in Jordan. According to the Scotsman the explanation came close to an apology:
At first al-Qaeda announced that "a group of our best lions" had carried out the attacks to punish Jordan for supporting "the Jews and Crusaders".
Then late at night it posted a second statement on the internet "to explain to Muslims part of the reason the holy warriors targeted these dens." It said it had ordered the suicide attacks on the hotels "only after becoming confident that they were centres for launching war on Islam and supporting the Crusaders' presence in Iraq and the Arab peninsula and the presence of the Jews on the land of Palestine."
A third statement on Friday also had a defensive tone. It said the bombers were four Iraqis, who had chosen the hotels "after a month of surveillance and information gathering".
Al-Qaeda's near apology was forced by the unprecedented outpouring of anger against the terrorist organization in Jordan:
On Thursday thousands of Jordanians protested across the country to denounce the head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group in Iraq, Zarqawi, America's most wanted enemy. They marched through Amman chanting: "Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!"
There were even larger demonstrations on Friday after the weekly midday mosque sermons in Amman and at a mass funeral for victims. "We came to support our nation and our unity," said Ibrahim Haniya, 22, who marched with a group of friends. "These bombers didn't differentiate between Muslims, Christians or Jews. They were against the world."
At Captain's Quarters, Captain Ed is skeptical that Zarqawi or al-Qaeda is at all remorseful. Captain Ed reminds us that Zarqawi and al-Qaeda have slaughtered Muslims by the thousands.
We can only hope that the Jordanian reaction eventually results in a belated realisation that killing innocents is an evil act that cannot be codoned. At Daily Pundit, Bill Quick is less optimistic posting that the Jordanian anger is only about the fact the Islamofascists for killed Muslims. If it had been just Christians or Jews, it would have been okay.
The Telegraph reports that the Hotel terror bombings even turned Jordanians in Zarqawi's home against the al-Qaeda leader:
In Zarqa, Munder Moomeni, a 38-year-old former soldier who lives next to Zarqawi's house, 13 Ramzi Street, described his former neighbour as "a bastard".
"By killing Jordanians here in Jordan, civilian Jordanians going to a wedding, they did something that not even a Jew would do," he said.
We must still wonder if the reaction would be same if the evil doers managed to kill only non-Muslims in the hotel terror bombings. Such a reaction would be a true tipping point in the War Against Terror.
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