'Death to ISIS': Thousands in Jordan march, calling on king to revenge the burning of the pilot. Why no Western outrage over, say, the beheading of James Foley?

'Death to ISIS': Thousands in Jordan march,
calling on the king to revenge the burning of the pilot.
Why no Western outrage over, say,
the beheading of James Foley?

'Death to ISIS': Thousands march in Jordan calling to avenge pilot’s slaughter

'Death to ISIS': Thousands of Jordanians marched through the streets of Amman on Friday, joined by Queen Rania, calling on King Abdullah II to exact revenge on Islamic State in return for the killing of pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh.
http://rt.com/news/230095-jordan-march-revenge-pilot/

The king of Jordan: "I will do whatever it takes to get revenge."

Okay, so we may not be generally keen on the "an eye for an eye" approach - but I was so glad to hear someone standing up strong to the murderers. I didn't even experience this as a call for revenge (though he called for revenge) - but as a call for justice. I heard: "We will stop the horror. We will not stop until we have stopped the horror." Loud and clear.

Where was the American and British outrage when, a few months ago, ISIS beheaded American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and soon after UK aid workers David Haines Alan Henning? Why no Western outrage? Why no, "We are Foley."

What I remember most is being told, over and over, "This is not Islam" and "We must be careful not to become Islamophobic - just think of all those poor innocent Muslims" - as if that was what mattered most. I remember the parents of one of the men soon to be beheaded begging ISIS not to kill their son. The mother had her head covered, to show she cared about their feelings. I could understand that mother. But what about everybody else?

"Je suis Charlie" - that was the first time I felt Western outrage, Western strength: "I will do whatever it takes to stand up and protect Western values, like freedom of speech. We will stand up together." And I could see that the outcry came massively from people, everyday ordinary people, not from the supposed leaders.

In Jordan - a first - it is a leader who is crying, "No more!! We will end you."

And the Jordanians in fact have echoed "Je suis Charlie." A chant from the crowd: "We are all Mu’at (the murdered pilot). We are all Jordan."

Last week I wrote to a friend, re the Jordanian king's assertion - 'Kill our pilot and we'll execute ALL your prisoners' - that this is the language ISIS understands.

The friend answered, No, they won't care.

I think they did understand - and therefore upped the horror of the pilot's death, burning him alive and broadcasting it worldwide, not "just" beheading him.

Jordan is playing the same game. The Jordanian foreign minister: “We’re upping the ante. We’re going after them wherever they are, with everything that we have."

A question: who will be able to win in this war?

One answer: Jordan has at least acknowledged they are at war. And they have declared their determination to win.

The person I think of is Churchill. Neither Obama nor Cameron - nor France's Hollande nor Germany's Merkel has ever brought Churchill to mind. Instead Merkel chose to march, just a couple of days after the massacre of the cartoonists, with Muslims to show her non-Islamophobia.

I prefer the response of the king of Jordan.

Another question: has Islamic State - in this game of oneupmanship - overreached itself?

We will see.

I've read that Obama has (as could be expected) denied the request from Jordan for Predator drones in the war against Islamic State. Another Obama response: to reprimand Christians about past failings of Christians. I have begun writing his name as Ughbama. I wonder: will we soon, FINALLY, have a "Charlie moment" re Ughbama among Americans - when the massive response to him turns to utter outrage and revulsion and "We’re going after you wherever you are, with everything that we have."

Moves. Counter moves. More moves. I remember a curse (supposedly from ancient China, but actually it's recent and from the West): May you live in interesting times.

As always, all the best to all of us who care and dare,

Elsa
January 27, 2015

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