Naseem Tarawneh agrees, but he adds, “I have to say as a citizen the country’s security forces handled these situations fairly well. Terrorism in Jordan is a very real issue. I know everyone would like to remain thinking of it as a stable “peaceful kingdom” but it takes a lot to preserve whatever stability or peace we enjoy. Jordan is still the Holy Grail for terrorists, a pro-US monarchy that is surrounded geographically by many entrances and many unstable nations. These latest terrorists were from Libya, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, probably entering through Syria.”

Batir Wardam says, “To protect our freedoms, liberties, families, and everything we believe in we have to be an open eye for the help of security forces in one and only one dimension: monitoring and cracking down Islamist fundamentalists. The Jordanian public should be the first defense line against terrorism, and it is not a betrayal of free speech principles to adopt a public security strategy against fundamentalists that ordinary people will participate in without imposing any restrictions to peaceful and civil freedoms.”

Meanwhile, the Jordanian blogosphere is also very angry at the Israeli attack on the Church of Annunciation in neighboring Palestine.

All that aside, spring is here in Jordan, which gives everyone the perfect excuse to go out and enjoy the fresh spring breeze and snap some pictures of Jordan's beautiful and diverse landscapes. Ahmad Humeid takes on a trip to Salt, which he refers to as “Jordan's forgotten urban jewel”- check out the wonderful pictures. He also criticizes the direction Amman is heading, “But I do worry about the old Amman and the old Salt. Exactly because we are building all these new projects, managing our urban heritage (in a country that largely lacks such heritage) is too important to ignore.” Arabesque Rhapsody takes to Um Qais, where she enjoyed the day, “But the queen of all scenes was Lake Tabariyya, dwelling between the greens, crowned by the amazing landscape. So close it seemed, a hand away!”, Rami's Mirror takes us to the Jordan Valley where colors are stunning, and Salam of Reflections takes us to Tafeeleh, saying, “The mountains,the valleys,the villages and tiny stone houses,everything was just beautiful.

The cultural aspect of Jordanian life is also shining in the blogosphere this week. Laith Il Majali was on the set of Al-Jazeera's “Open Dialouge” Show, which for the first time was shot in Los Angeles, to discuss the Oscar Nominated Palestinan film “Paradise Now”. Director Amin Matalqa has his latest movie, “Bull's Eye”, online, and the folks at JameedKast have released a new podcast. Khalidah has a fantastic post entitled,”Memoirs of a Jordanian Spinster!“

On a brighter side, the Jordanian blogosphere is relieved to know that Jordanian embassy driver kidnapped two months ago by Iraqi militants, Mahmoud Saedat, has been freed, and everyone is praying for the safe return of Jill Carroll.

With the issues regarding the national budget being laid out on the table, the Jordanian economy is being scruntized. Batir Wardam says, “After the black comedy of the Parliament's vote on the public budget last week, I have to admit that I am ashamed, as a Jordanian citizen and voter, of the low professional quality of the Parliamentarian process and of course, the shallowness of the majority of its members.” Rami from Rami's Mirror has some observations on the state of the Jordanian economy, and Khalaf writes about the government's plans to spend 50 to 60 million dinars a year to help low income families deal with rising fuel prices. Madas criticizes local issues relating to brand sensitivity and self-esteem, saying, “Do we even imagine and those who make Zara’s clothing are even remotely more efficient or more competent than our own women? It made me wonder if we could ever learn to trust our own initiatives and maybe the magic word to solve our own problem is indeed… self esteem!”  Apparently though, the Jordanian IT industry is doing well. The guys over at Techhash report about this year's East Med Developers Conference.

Sealing issues pertaining to the economy with technology, let's move over to Natasha Tynes, who has a feature on the state of blogging in the Arab world in G21, which has exploded in 2005. This month, one initiative that has evolved from the Jordanian blogosphere is the online Jordan Planet book club – the members are are currently discussing Diana Abu Jaber's novel Crescent.

The Jordanian bloggers are also looking at other types of media. Rami Abdul-Rahman presents a comparative study on the coverage of the assassination of Palestinian Ahmad Abu-Sharia to illustrate how Middle Eastern news services (Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Al-Jazeera) use different labels and terminology for the two sides of the conflict. In his conclusion, he says, “After looking into the similarities and differences in the coverage of the assassination of Abu-Shariah, one would read that there are political agendas behind every story, except in the case of Aljazeera TV, where the agenda does not seem to be as apparent as others.”

The Jordanian blogosphere is discussing more traditional aspects relating to our culture and language this week. Khalidah writes about Jordanian traditions when it comes to marriage, this time discussing why she doesn't think the traditional method of arranged marriage works, “heck the chat rooms and see for yourself how many married men are seeking discreet relationships with other women because they are not happy and feel that they made a mistake when they married someone they did not know. You would be shocked to learn that these men are willing to have affairs just to feel good about themselves, and when asked why they don’t communicate with their wives; mostly the answer is: she does not understand me.” Naseem Tarawneh meanwhile rants about his dislike for Valentine's Day, “This is about culture people. The preservation of whatever it is we have left that has not been completely destroyed by goliath western machines that go by the name of ‘Hallmark' and ‘Hersheys'.”

Lina Ejeilat has several posts about the Arabic language, discussing how it has recently come into the limelight; “It saddens me to think of the motive behind this recent emphasis on teaching Arabic abroad, but I still think we can take advantage of that from a different angle… Understanding cultural aspects is just as important as language translation, and this is where we cannot count on the US government to ensure this education.” Naseem Tarawneh also writes about the Arabic language, this time posting a short movie on the new phenomenon of Arabizi, a form of speech that mixes Arabic with English and that is widely used among Jordan’s Western-educated elites.

Tololy expresses her frustration at the negligence of Jordanian towns other than the capital, “It is most upsetting to think of the negligence that other cities than Amman suffer from, “How can any logic try to minimize the rates of immigration from rural and subordinate cities to Amman, without first trying to improve the wretched conditions in which people in the large majority of these areas live? Do I see a brake in the sense of it?” Tololy's frustration is well placed, and as Natasha Tynes reports, after a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, it was revealed that Amman is the most expensive city in the Arab world. Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba is getting a lot of limelight these days, Ahmad Humeid reports on the ‘Aqaba, Five Years of Achievement’ conference that took place this week. Among a series of posts, he writes about a project that is developing a Smart Village in Aqaba, which will consist of serviced office facilities as well as a convention center.

The Jordanian budget was also passed out yesterday, with Khalaf citing it as “embarrassing”.  Jordan also changed it's position on Hamas, as Natasha Tynes writes, “So after expelling Hamas leaders some years back for “collaborating on Jordanian soil with foreign sides that do not like Jordan or its well-being,”Jordan has changed its position on the organization and is now accepting the status quo following the sweeping victory of the armed group during the recent Palestinian parliamentary elections.”

Khalaf has a post regarding the Jordanian budget debate, as well as one on the effects on Jordan of Hamas winning the Palestinian legislative elections. Jameed reports that leading Jordanian journalists are hoping to help improve reporting on HIV/AIDS, having taken part in a workshop focusing on curtailing popular misperceptions, saying that this is great news.

On a more technological front, Ahmad Humeid of 360 East marvels over the effects of various technologies that are competing for one's driving time- including podcasting and Yazan Malakha writes a review of Internet Explorer 7. Jad Madi complains about the fact that some online companies blacklist the Middle Eastern transactions.

As for the infamous cartoon debate, it's still pretty hot in the Jordanian blogosphere, with more various opinions. Roba Assi is angry at the reaction of the Islamic world,  Haitham Sabbah shares two articles on the cartoons, saying “What a crazy world we live in”. Hareega is also bewildered by the reactions.

Ameen Malhas of Banzeen says, “Freedom of speech must be protected. We moan and whine when Muslims are attacked in other countries because of actions ‘fringe elements’ have taken, but we’re so willing to attack other people when their innocent actions OFFEND us. We need a plan of action, we need to escape this cycle of doom, not only is the world moving forward without us, we’re actually regressing.”

Tololy says, “Prophet Mohammad to Muslims is the guide that ushered light into their lives, by delivering the message of Divinity to peoples of all races and times. Understanding the reverence and respect Muslims have for their Prophet is essential in untangling this web of reactions.”

Lina of Into the Wind says, “May be the solution is not a short-term action that we take in direct response to this, but a continuous effort to build our societies, to work for more awareness, more openness, more cultural and political development, to have a generation of young people who are not just either apathetic or reactive.”

Basem of Don't Call Me Sheikh says, “Alas, the perpetuating apartheid & occupation against a sovereign nation for half a centaury and the killing of hundred of thousands in Iraq & Afghanistan were not good enough to shake the masses, but few drawings depicting utter blasphemy were…”

Wael Attili says, “Well, I know some people are calling for freedom of speech, but those people should know that the rage is not about freedom of speech, it's about intention.”

Mazen of Cacopolis says, “A warning to my own people: this mentality of self-victimization and cultural sensitivity leads to dangerous places. Atrocities committed against ones own and others seem to always be preceded by such a conviction in victimhood.”

Eman of AquaCool says, “Ah, I didn’t know that we: “the officially backward intolerant airheads”, would provoke so much hatred towards us, simply because we said: we don’t accept this! I still see no problem in us expressing how we felt in a peaceful way.”

Ahmad Humeid has several insightful posts on the topic, as well as several suggestions as to what would have been a better reaction to the cartoons from the Muslim world, of which I will leave you with:

1. Apply to the Ministry of Culture in Denmark to organize a big exhibition about the Life of Prophet Mohammad and Islamic History. The Saudi and other Arab governments would finance this event and promote it in a big way in the Danish media.
2. Invite 100 Danish children to come and live with Arab and Muslim families to learn about life in today’s Arab and Muslim world.
3. Invite the editors of the Danish newspaper to a well publicized cultural debate in Doha, Qatar or Copenhagen.
4. The embassies of Arab and Muslim nations could commission a website in Danish about Islam, contemporary muslim thinkers and life in today’s Islamic world. A dedicated staff would respond to incoming questions and request for information.
5. Subtitle the movie ‘The Message’ in Danish and try to get many movie theaters and cultural centers in Denmark to show it.

In regards to other thoughts, Amjad has some thoughts on democracy, “Democracy is a failure (I think) because it has to be controlled by guidelines, and because the guidelines are different from one religion, tradition, or race to another.” Haitham Sabbah is appalled by “injustice toward females in the name of Islam” saying, “Some cases are individuals, other is driven by state system and the rest are terrorists in the name of Islam! Are we living in 2006 or 1006?” Naseem Tarawneh of The Black Iris poses questions about banned Islamic party “Hizb Il Tahrir” and he also expresses his disappointment with the recent embassy closures in the Jordanian capital Amman.
Ahmad Humeid reflects while in Dubai, “Is shopping the new religion?”  Wael Attili takes us on a picturesque trip to Madaba, “The stones of Madaba are telling you much older memories, an ancient history and a religious dialogue between civilizations.”

A group of Jordanian bloggers have also taken the initiative to launch toot- “A new medium in which intelligent voices from and for Arabia are brought together and presented to a wider community; where passionate readers and writers can share and communicate without filtering.”

“Jordanian Director, Amin Matalqa displays his martial art skills on the top of a building in downtown Amman, Jordan” by Laith Majali

A new year is here, so first off, happy holidays from the Jordanian blogosphere.

Interested in an opinion on where the Arab blogosphere is heading? Head over to Sabbah's Blog, where Haitham Sabbah shares some of his views and observations.

Zeid Nasser takes a look at the information technology scene in the past year saying, “The issue of cyber crime would have to top anyone's list in 2005… Here’s a safe prediction for you: This mess will continue into 2006.” Isam Bayazidi reports about the state of Arabic Wikipedia, “The Arabic Wikipedia had reached few days ago, which is a pretty significant event as Arabic wikipedia now joins another 35 wikipedias in different languages that are over 10,000 article in size.” Meanwhile, Zeid Nasser wonders about Wikipedia- “So is Wikipedia a source of reference, or just a great big game?”

Times are also changing fast, so how does a country like Jordan react to change with all its impacts, whether it is inflicted by terrorism or simply the evolution of trends? Rami AbdelRahman studies post bombing Amman after several months away, “Mr. Zarqawi, whoever you are, you got what you wanted, our freedom is already evaporating, ridiculous paranoia is definately Amman's new mentality!”

On a linguistic side, Ameen Malhas of Banzeen wonders about the new language phenomenon taking the Arab world by storm- Arabizi, a form of speech that mixes Arabic with English; “Should we romanticize and say that Arabic must be saved (I lean towards this option with a need for modernizing the language), or should we be completely pragmatic and move towards this new ‘Arabizi'?” Wael Attili meanwhile looks at the architectural side of Amman, studying the new glass and aluminum buildings of Amman, a city known for its white stone houses.

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is not a given commodity in the Arab world, but are there winds of change? Naseem Tarawneh reports about the plans to start a “Freedom Square” in Amman to allow citizens to speak freely but he remains skeptical; “Amman is a city of circles so a square is a very irregular shape to introduce into the Socio-political climate indeed… Is this all just a ploy, another illusion of political freedom?”

Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Haitham Sabbah, meanwhile, tackles a very controversial and sensitive topic in a new light- Palestinians and Israelis, and thus beginning a long debate about the issue. Haitham's conclusion; “I decided to look forward, learn, act and teach my kids how to build bridges, not how to destroy them.”  

Hala of Café Lulu, on the other hand, says, “How do you build a country when your borders are under such heavy restriction, when you are never secure in the integrity and sanctity of your airspace, and thereby land?”

Gender Equality and Capital Punishment

Promises describes her state of amazement at hearing a close friend refer to women as the “root of all evil”. In a post, she wonders “Do you really think that women are the cause of all ills of the society? Are we as females to blame for what's happening to the world?” This question likewise results in an interesting debate, with mentions of the original sin, the absoluteness in that this is a male dominant world, and honor killings.

‘Human Rights Watch' has called on Jordan to abolish the death penalty. Natasha of Mental Mayhem expresses her feelings on the topic, “As someone who strongly opposes capital punishment, I'm really hopeful that Jordan will be amongst the first nations in the Arab World to abolish this practice.” Issam Smeir of Shifaa agrees, “So what did the world gain yesterday of taking another life away and what is really the logical sense behind the death penalty?”

“Jordan Planet's first North American Meet-up” by Jameed

“November Jordanian Blogger Meet-up” by Roba Al-Assi

As an interesting forty percent of Jordanian bloggers don't reside in Jordan, meet-ups are occurring often all around the world. Jameed reports from the first North American Jordan Planet Conference, “held in Las Vegas, Nevada from November 25th to the 26th.”

Jordanian bloggers in Jordan also held their monthly meet-up for November this week, and  issues that were spread on the table included anonymity, “What's in a Name?” asks Lina Ejeilat; selectivity; and Jordan Planet.

Also, Isam Bayazidi writes, “as Jordan will be hosting the second edition of the World Culture Forum next week, the World Culture Forum Blog was created, with the blessing and support of the MECCAD, and with the sponsorship, maintenance, and support of Jordan Planet.”  Shaden, meanwhile, attended the Online Journalism in the Arab World conference conducted at University of Sharjah, and has a very comprehensive review of the event and it’s outcome.

In regards to home news, Naseem Tarawneh says, “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: this is how I feel about Jordan sometimes when I read the news.” Natasha Tynes reports about an “atrocity” where a man that murdered his sister left prison a free man after only 15 months. Meanwhile, life in post-bombing Amman is formulating- Sabbah reports, “Jordan’s King Abdullah II has urged the Jordanian parliament to quickly approve new anti-terrorism legislation,” and Tololy expresses her frustration at the clumsiness of the much increased security, although she says, “I realize the importance of security and I am for the freshest safety-related measures in Amman.”

Rami Abdel-Rahman has a very interesting and amusing article on feminism in a country like Jordan, “Women activism is very minimal in such a male-oriented society. Feminists are very few and lack financial and media power and more importantly any grass root support, the way I see it.”

With this week's uncharacteristically gorgeous weather for this time of the year, the bloggers have also been taking many walks around the beloved capital, so take a stroll in downtown Amman with Ahmad Humeid, walk around the old alleys of Jabal Amman with Lina Ejeilat, or enjoy Amman's fall with Roba Al-Assi.

Politics in Jordan; unsexy?
Meanwhile, the “sudden” interest in politics on the Jordanian blogosphere resulting from the Black Wednesday incident gave way to a lot of speculation as to why there is general apathy towards the political scene in Jordan. Haitham Sabbah wonders if the explosions were a “wake up call”, while Naseem Tarawneh points to a recent study on Jordanian newspapers that showed that there is in fact a lack of local political news coverage. Naseem also says, “Our politics is dominated by constant change in governments, the lack of noticable reforms, and more of the same old same old.”

Life for the Jordanian Bloggers
Ladies and gentlemen, behold, the very first Arabic podcast; Dagdegni, by Reef Fakhouri, George Akra, and Karim Arafat.  
Tololy and Sabbah argue the different facets of implementing a dress code in offices, while Yazan Malakha has a post on superstitions, “I find it amusing how we spend our lives doing all sorts of things to protect us from all sorts of evils. Whether those evils are self detonating terrorists, spirits from beyond or a huge stream of carbonated beverage in our face.”
Meanwhile, the monthly Jordanian blogger meet-up for the month of November will be held on Sunday the 27th at Wild Jordan Café at 6:30 PM, all bloggers in Jordan that day, both Jordanian and otherwise, are more than welcome.

Science, Art, Culture, and Technology
Jameed reports about the latest AIDS epidemic on the genral HIV status in the MENA region, especially in Jordan. Lina Ejeilat talks about a new education initiative that is being launched to spread awareness about women’s empowerment and career planning curriculum into 1,500 schools in the West Bank, Gaza, as well as 100 Discovery schools in Jordan.
Eman of Aquacool and Isam Bayazidi report on Jordan's participation in the WSIS summit held in Tunisia this month. Eman writes about the Jordanian participants and provides some feedback while Isam says, “I am glad that light is being shed on Freedom of expression in the internet, specially for bloggers.“
Jordanian movie maker Amin Matalqa posts a link to his latest short, “Obsession“.
Local exhibitions taking place in Amman this month include “Erasing the Black Day“, “Jordan University Exhibition“, and Carmen Calvo at the National Gallery. A little Eastwards, Ahmad Humeid of 360East points to the annual design conference “Tasmeem Doha” held in Qatar early next year.

Freedom in Arabia
Natasha Tynes reports about a study on religious freedom in Jordan, and concludes, “Christians in Jordan enjoy a very good status”, Haitham Sabbah reports to a published a research that reports the status of Political and democracy freedom in the Middle East, as well as a report that reveals that the Arab world is one of the most troubling areas for press freedom.
Naseem Tarawneh writes about abolishing the Jordanian Press Association(of which belonging to is mandatory), which subjects journalists to “constant harassment”.

“Candle Light Vigil in Amman” by Isam Bayazidi

Amongst anger, grief, the detaining of the female accomplice, demonstrations all around the world, new claims released by Al-Qaeda, the week after the bombings has been very busy for the Jordanian bloggers.

Contemplation
Many are contemplating the event and trying to analyze the various aspects of the unfortunate event. Hala of CafeLulu poses a very interesting point in regards to how Jordan should react, “I think that we need to fight smart, and strategize, instead of falling prety to the kinds of changes to our society that have changed the face of the United States internally after 9/11.” Issam Smeir says, “Personally, I believe that Religion, Politics and Democracy just do not mix.” Naseem Tarawneh analyzes the latest polls done in Jordan and which shows that the majority of Jordanians see Al-Qaeda as terrorists.

Ahmad Humeid highlights the analysis done by his friend Mazen, “The rhetoric of Al-Qaeda is to glorify sacrifice above all. It is an emotional appeal to demonstrate commitment without really offering an ideology of what they are really sacrificing for. What is so great about the wife of one of the suicide bombers following her husband? Presumably this is a selling point? The rhetoric of martyrdom is revolting whoever says it, whichever culture extols it. The notion that something is more sacred than life is extremely dangerous, and frankly demeaning to our peoples.”

As for the latest speech released by Al-Zarqawi, Oleander has an excellent analysis, “Reading into the latest ridiculous Al Zarqwi's audio recording Al-Zarqawi Threatens to Kill Jordan's King and Zarqawi: Amman bombs weren't aimed at Muslims, makes me wonder how stupid this “organization” really is? Did they actually expect the Jordanian reaction to be any different?” Naseem Tarawaneh meanwhile says, ” I don’t believe its a matter of Zarqawi becoming desperate, it’s a matter of suprise at such an angry and vocal reaction from the people he perhaps thought he knew so well, maybe even depended on to stage a revolt of sorts in the midst of the chaos.” Yazan Malakha provides some comic relief, criticizing the tape as witless and illogical.

Need for Reform
A lot of the Jordaian bloggers are stressing that this incident signals a need for an internal change in Jordan. Rami Abdul Rahman says that Jordan needs to get things straight, “How about giving journalists a true freedom of the press, and allow them to dig into all the corruption we have, instead of corrupting them?” Hareega ponders why Jordan was act, saying, “We were attacked because al-Qaeda got access to Jordanians through their minds… We didn't learn lessons from the events around us, and that was a problem because you can't live long enough to learn from your own mistakes.” Isam Bayazidi agrees, “Fixing the situation won’t be through more strict border checks, and hotel door security, but I think that it should be as strong and radical as those movements. The nests that grow those people, and brainwash them is here(local), and this is where we should look, and target.”

Naseem Tarawneh thinks that “There need to be greater civil liberties in Jordan and hopefully the “upside” of this tragedy will be accelerating social reforms to better the lives of everyday citizens.“

Lina Ejeilat, a student in Jordan University, is particularly concerned about the lack of political awareness in the Jordanian youth, “I'm so afraid that in a couple of weeks many people will just fall back into their apathetic attitudes! Yet we as youth in a country like Jordan cannot afford to be apathetic towards politics and ignorant about what goes on, we cannot afford to be reactive!” She also reports from the protests that took place in Jordan University, and referring to the thousands of students that attended the protests she says, “Imagine these thousands representing right-wingers, centrists, or leftists… socialists and capitalists, conservatives, liberals, or neo-liberals!” Lina also points to candle light vigils organized by MERYAN, the Middle East Regional Youth Action Network, that took place simultaneously in Baghdad, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Gaza, Beirut, Belfast, and of course, Amman. May this be the beginning of a more politically active Arab youth.

Signs of reform already here?
Natasha Tynes says, “Jordan announced the resignations of 11 top officials, including the national security adviser, in the wake of the Jordan bombings. Jordanian official says the decision has nothing to do with the terroirst attacks that occured in Jordan on Wednesday.”

Khalaf analyzes this action and the whole resignation saying, “My analysis is that Khair's removal has more to do with his lack of achievement rather than being scapegoated for the hotel bombings, which I think most people would conclude

Natasha Tynes reports about the Economist magazine's “Index of Political Freedom”, saying “Jordan ranks 8 out of 20 in predictions of where and how democracy will spread in the Middle East and Africa next year…. I think, for Jordan, this is not that bad.” Ahmad Humeid says that Al-Rai, Jordan’s biggest selling daily (partially government owned), has announced that it will start publishing a ‘Reform and Enlightenment’ weekly supplement as a contribution to “achieve a clarity of vision against the various forms of extremism and bigotry”.

Anger is also rising about irresponsible journalism in covering the incident. Jameed says in regards to the many news reports about the new proposed anti-terror laws in Jordan, “Journalists! Read before you report!” Natasha Tynes, a reporter herself, refers to news portal Albawaba's insistance on calling insurgents in Iraq “resistance fighters” as “Unbelievable!”

Child carrying sign that says “No to Terrorism, down with terrorism and Zarqawi” by Lina Ejeilat from the Amman Demonstrations Flickr Set.

The Jordanian community is in a state of rage at the bombings that took place in the much beloved capital Amman on Wednesday night. Demonstration in Amman have been occurring in plentitude, Roba Assi, Lina Ejeilat, and Isam Bayazidi have been attending and you can find pictures from these demonstrations on the Flickr Pool created for the demonstrations and on Isam Bayazidi's Gallery

The news came as shock for most Jordanians despite the fact that the idea of terrorists attacks occuring in Jordan was not completely absent from everyone's mind. Hala of Café Lulu said, “I am truly speechless. All I can think of is what, why, when, who, how?”, and Isam Bayazidi said, “I am a little nervous, don’t know what to say or think.” Laith Majali meanwhile said that his day at work had stopped, “I am just going from one site to another searching for any new piece of news”, and Tololy said, “I am trying not to be emotional but the freshest incidents in Amman, the capital of Jordan, have overwhelmed me.” Abeer Bayazidi also described her initial reaction to the news and said, “I felt like it’s a small explosion, nothing will harm our country!”

Beisan, on the other hand, said, “I wasn't shocked. I think a lot of us saw it coming somehow. Many people sadly have been living in denial, ignoring the fact that terror has been spreading all over the world and very close to home.” Yazan Malakha agrees with Beisan, saying that “freedom has a price“. Lina Ejeilat remarks, “It's no surprise that Jordan has been targeted. When I pose to think about it, I can't help but wonder, what purpose did these explosions serve for those terrorists? So they are anti-US and anti-Israel and they are up against America's war in Iraq and its plans for the Middle East… how exactly does this support their “fight” and help their “cause”?“

Everyone is enraged though- Natasha Tynes said, ” Nothing in the world can justify this. Those that try to justify this can rot in hell as well! May God protect my country and my people. May God bless the souls of those barbarically massacred today. We will never forget!”

Khalaf believes that “We should looks at ourselves with more scrutiny than we are comfortable with”, then says, “We must face is that religious discourse is what is driving these young men to blow themselves up in crowds of innocent victims.” Eman of Aquacool said, ” They waste their lives brainwashing generations, and the brainwashed explode themselves with pride and satisfaction! Not for a second does it even cross their minds that they’re doing nothing but spread fear, destroy tranquility, and cross out stability and peace from countries they belong to, countries that give them shelter!“

Tololy said, “Do not have it in your heads to mix true Islam with those who cling to bits of it, modify them as they please, and act upon such false pillars of belief that they themselves have distorted into that shape“, and Palforce said, “I'm angry some group is hijacking my religion and claiming this is a teaching of Islam.”

Ahmad Humeid shares a few emails he received from his friends around the world. Jameed, who was of the people affected by the losses occuring, reported that there is no truth to report of Israeli evacuations before Amman bombs. Oleander imparts his frustration at the fact that US cable news networks (FOX, CNBC, CNN) are referring to the incident as “an attack on 3 US owned hotels in Amman and how this is likely the result of Jordan being an ally to the US… but I wish that for once news networks would just state the facts without trying to spin the story one way or another.”everyone to go march in protest against these atrocities saying, “You have two options really: watching the news on tv or going out to the streets and making the news.” Amino Zawawi is also enraged and says, “We should all stand up united, young and old, and say “Terrorism is not my option.”

The Jordanian Blogosphere sends its condolences to the families and loved ones of the casualities. May God protect Jordan and the world from such heinous crimes against humanity.

I would like to thank Haitham Sabbah, Isam Bayazidi, and Natasha Tynes for their immense help in the reporting of the incidents in the “Live Coverage” post during the past 24-hours.

More reactions from the Jordanian blogosphere:
Jordan Planet; Amin Matalqa; Ammar Ibrahim; Hareega; Firas(I Heart Amman); Haitham Sabbah; Hatem Abu Nimeh; OceanCreep; Issam Smeir; Mozzy; Linda Haddad; Mira Shnoudi; Mohammad Arrabi; Nader Shnoudi; Nasim Tamimi; Sabri Hakim; Samir Rawashdeh; Sugar Cubes; Ziad Kawar; Journeys in Jordan; Body on the Line.

For more on the explosions occuring in Amman:Aggregated news feeds from Jordanian blogosphere community, Jordan Planet; AP ; Flickr; MSM RSS; Technorati posts tagged with “Amman Explosions”; Flickr Pool of demonstrations.

Three explosions hit Jordanian capital Amman Wednesday night; one in Radisson SAS, the second in Hyatt Amman, and the third in Days Inn.

For more on the explosions occuring in Amman:
Aggregated news feeds from Jordanian blogosphere community, Jordan Planet; AP ; Flickr; MSM RSS; Technorati posts tagged with “Amman Explosions”

Up-to-date Jordanian bloggers reaction:

Random Consistent Ideas, Arab Chatter, Tololy's Box, SHIFAA, Whats up in Jordan?, I Heart Amman, mozzy's blog, 360east | Ahmad Humeid's blog and podcast, Thoughts that Echo, Into the Wind, Isam Bayazidi's Blog, jameed.net,Reega Reega Hareega, Sugar Cubes, Mental mayhem, And far Away, Sabbah's Blog, Abeer’s Blog, Chronicles Of A Utopian Writer, PALFORCE, Part of MY world, Bataranzi, Discovering life, AquaCool, Daoud Kuttab.

Update[November 10, 4:40 PM]: Thousands of angry Jordanians rallied Thursday shouting, “Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!”

Update[November 10, 1:40 PM]: Jordan TV - There is no truth to reports that Israelis staying at the Radisson SAS hotel in Amman on Wednesday were evacuated by Jordanian security forces before the bombing that took place there.

Update[November 10, 12:06 PM]:Tourism Board Hotline - +9626 5678444

Update[November 10, 12:04 PM]:Demonstrations of anger sweeps Jordan - Largest Demonstrations expected to take place at 1:00 PM today starting from the Third Circle in Jabal Amman and heading towards Dakheleyeh Circle.

Update[November 10, 11:00AM]: Jordan Planet publishes the names of the casualities.

Update[November 10, 7:16 AM]: Al Qaeda claims Amman blasts.

Update[November 10, 6:26 AM]: King Abdullah the Second visited the affected hotels earlier this morning.

Update[November 10, 5:05 AM]:Shocking photos from Jordan News Agency here and here.

Update[November 10, 4:11 AM]: According to Al-Jazeera, Jordanian Police put their hands on a video recording showing the suicide bomber of Hyatt taken by someone in the hotel by accident.
Al-Arabia also confirms that a fire was started earlier last night in Amman in order to divert attention from the incident about to occur.

Update[November 10, 3:44 AM]: According to Elaph, Jordanian authorities have arrested 12 people from different nationalities including Iraqis, Bahrainis, and Jordanians. Al-Muashar also said that death tolls could have been higher if one of the explosive laden-cars managed to smash into the entrance.
The Islamic Action Front and the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood both condemned the attack referring to it as “Terrorist and criminal attack”.

Update[November 10, 1:31AM]: Eye witness on Al-Jazeera says that suicide bomber was speaking in an Iraqi accent.

Update[November 10, 1:06 AM]: Al-Arabeya reports that Iraqis have been arrested, and Mamdoh Abadai called for marching in opposition against such acts of terrorism.

Update[November 10, 12:29 AM]: Jordanian police Maj. Bashir al-Da'aja said officials believe all the Amman hotel blasts were carried out by suicide bombers.
“The attacks carry the trademark of al Qaeda,” a police source said on condition of anonymity in line with police regulations. “However it is not certain. We are investigating.”
Ayman al-Safadi, editor of Jordan's Al-Ghad newspaper, told Al-Arabiya satellite network that it was a “terrorist operation.”
“Finally, the terrorists succeeded in breaking the security in Jordan,” he said, referring to past success in foiling a number of terror plots.
Source: CNN

Update[November 10, 12:29 AM]: There are conflicting reports on the matter of casualities; Al Arabaya reports 67 fatalities and over 150 deaths.

Update[November 9, 11:50 PM]: Jordan announces three days of mourning.

Update[November 9, 11:27 PM]: According to Al-Jazeera, casualities have reached 53 deaths and 300 injuries.

Update[November 9, 10:59 PM]: According to Jordanian officials, latest casualities are 31 deaths and 200 casualities, among them Chinese and Iraqi nationals, most casualities are Jordanian.

Update[November 9, 10:50 PM]: According to Al-Jazeera, some suspects have been detained, their involvement has not yet been determined though.

Update[November 9, 10:39 PM]: According to Abeer El-Ziben of Jordan TV, all roads in and out of the capital have been blocked; authorities are now looking for suspects il Al-Weibdeh area in West Amman, near explosion sites.

Update[November 9, 10:15 PM]: Jordanian News Agency Petra reports that the bombings were results of suicide attacks. As is natural in such cases, videos and images captured by reporters have all been confiscated.

Update[November 9, 10:11 PM]: Casualities have reached 20 deaths and 120 injuries according to Al-Jazeera.

Update[November 9, 9:58 PM]: Casualities have now reached 18 deaths and 45 injuries according to the AFP.

[November 9, 9:30 PM]: Five fatalities have been reported and tens of injuries.

Jordanian Bedouin posing in one of Jordan's vast deserts by Laith Majali

With the occasion of Eid, a holiday celebrated bi-annually by over a billion Muslims, the Jordanian Blogosphere wishes everyone a happy and blessed Eid. Don't miss out pictures of Ma'mool, the holiday dessert, and a  special Eid podcast by Ahmad Humeid.

Freedom of speech isn't having a very good week. Sabbah reports that the draft of Press and Publications Law is problematical and needs to be significantly reworked if the Kingdom is to deliver its stated goals of modernisation and democratisation. This event coincides with the detaining of Egyptian blogger Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman, and the sentencing of Libyan Abd al-Raziq al-Mansuri, an Internet journalist, to one-and-a-half years in prison after he published articles critical of the government.

On a more local front, Shaden of Sugar Cubes writes about the environmentalists protest against the pollution of Wadi Himara while Firas of IHeartAmman wonders “Why don't we have Greenpeace in Jordan?” Natasha Tynes of Mental Mayhem claims that she found the recent reports on drug-use by Jordanians disturbing, and Naseem Tarawneh of The Black Iris speculates, “Why is it that pessimism must surround everything in Jordan?“

Lina Ejeilat meanwhile poses a question to all- “Have we lost the ability to laugh at ourselves?”, and also has pictures of her explorations of the South of Jordan.

Photography taken in the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan.

“Girl Playing the Flute” by Sabri Hakim

This week marked two celebrations- Jordan's Al-Faisali brought home the first-ever Asian trophy in the history of Jordanian football, and Jordan's first English daily, The Jordan Times, turned 30.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Humeid has a very interesting post about the road Amman's taking to becoming a real city, and he writes about Bill Gates first visit to Jordan. Khalaf dissects the Islamic Action Front's new document outlining their view of reform in Jordan.

Hareega has a quite nostalgic post paying tribute to Amman in winter, Roba Assi of And Far Away is frustrated with a poster spotted at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia by Farooha, and has some pictures of the “entrancing overdramatic use of color in almost every single aspect of display in downtown Amman”.  Natasha Tynes says that she is pleased with the fact that the Jordanian Mamnou channel chose to take new controversial show al-Shatat off the air.

Move over to Sabbah's Blog to read his interview on Spanish media. He also urges everyone to protest against the Nobel Prize for Aumann and Thomas Schelling.

The Jordanian Blogosphere on breaking cultural borders:
Ryan of “Journeys in Jordan” remarks that “it is interesting how people come to learn lessons” and talks about her experience in trying to understand a different culture. Natasha Tynes reports about “Bridge For Peace”, which featured Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian DJs  drawing over 800 people to Jerusalem's dance club Haoman 17, then she says that she believes that “these initiatives should be highlighted in the local and the international press as it shows that in spite of the bloody mayhem taking place in our region we can still co-exist peacefully and even create music.” Lina Ejeilat reports that the Jordanian band RUM will be performing in Tunisia and Syria this week, and urges everyone anywhere close to “NOT MISS IT! Their music is amazing - passionate, authentic, vibrant… and different!”

Rami Abdulrahman meanwhile reports about an Iftar they organized in Sweden, “We sent our class mates an invitation yesterday to fast today and prepare for a night to remember, surprisingly, the number of fasting non-Muslims was far greater than I expected!”
Eman of Aquacool writes about Jordan TV's efforts in its national campaign to relief victims of the Pakistan Earthquake, “For a -relatively- small community like Jordan, I believe the results of this campaign are a big success!”, and points out that Jordan will have an open day for Churches to gather donations for our Pakistani brothers.