17-Sep-17: Stopping terror?: Questions for Jordan's heir apparent

Jordan's crown prince and his parents [Image Source]

The Jordan Times, published in Amman and owned by a kingdom-controlled foundation,
reported this morning the not-entirely-stunning news that

His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania, on Friday left the Kingdom, heading to New York, where he will be leading the Jordanian delegation to the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly... Deputising for the King, HRH Crown Prince Hussein is scheduled to deliver Jordan’s speech before the General Assembly... In 2015, the Crown Prince became the youngest person ever to chair a Security Council meeting, when he called for measures to prevent the world’s youth from being lured into the dark world of extremism...  ["King to take part in UN meeting", September 16, 2017]

If you're a news reporter or editor, wouldn't you want to take the opportunity to get Jordan's ruler to clarify his view of terrorism in light of the free-pass and ongoing protection he has given to a mass-murdering Jordanian woman who was named to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list on March 14, 2017?

No mainstream media has tackled him on this. In view of his repeated public condemnations of terror, that's strange, disturbing and something that ought to be corrected.

If King Abdullah is out of reach, can we suggest putting a similar question to HRH Crown Prince Hussein who is going to deliver Jordan's speech to the UN General Assembly? There's much he could explain, but frankly it's the reference in the Jordan Times piece above that has us intrigued.

After all, a public official and next-in-line-to-the-Hashemite-throne who speaks publicly about "measures to prevent the world’s youth from being lured into the dark world of extremism" might be fair game for some timely questions about how to stop terror. He's young (now 23) and perhaps a little naive (just our impression). But editors ought to note he's already two years older than that other Jordanian, Ahlam Tamimi, was when she masterminded the massacre at Jerusalem's Sbarro pizzeria. And he has attracted some extravagant praise:

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Hussein's attendance at the session saying, "He is not yet 21 years old – but he is already a leader in the 21st century." [Source]

Young Hussein has already shown he is ready to address some especially pertinent questions. As of a year ago, more than 2,500 Jordanians were reported to have joined the ranks of foreign jihadist fighters in Syria. Three sons of sitting members of its parliament had been killed fighting "with ISIS or the al Qaeda affiliate Jebhat al Nusra, in Syria" [source]. It makes sense that terror should be be occupying the thoughts of decision-making Jordanians, i.e. the king and the crown prince.

But since he is evidently on the side of those seeking a solution, HRH might explain how Tamimi, a woman terrorist who happily confesses (time and time and time again) to the murders by bombing of fifteen innocent people and the maiming and wounding of 130 more, can be treated so well by the Hashemite royal house that she and her family publicly thanked them.

Tapping into widespread support among Jordan's majority-Palestinian-Arab population, the Tamimi clan also called on King Abdullah II "along with his government to provide protection and stability" for the proud jihadist murderer and her convicted-murderer husband. From watching closely, we are convinced the "protection and stability" are indeed being delivered. Is this really how you prevent the world’s youth - or even Jordan's - from being lured into the dark world of extremism and murderous, cruel terrorism?

There's nothing especially shocking in any of this except for how the brazen hypocrisy on terror against Israelis gets repeatedly air-brushed out of all mainstream media coverage of King Abdullah's court.

UPDATE September 18, 2017:  In case reporters, journalists, editors or bloggers care to press the young prince on some terror-related matters, allow us to give a hand by pointing you to some questions - ignored of course and unanswered - that we posed to Jordan's current foreign minister who once not so long ago served as the editor of the same Jordan Times that we quoted at  the top. (No one ought to be surprised at the echo-chamber nature of Jordan's power elite.) They're here: "26-Jul-17: We listened carefully to Jordan's foreign minister and we have 10 questions".