Don’t allow Muath’s life to be fuel for the US war

The video of ISIS gang members burning alive the Jordanian pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh in a disgusting semi-celebratory ritualistic manner prompted a shift in the kingdom’s public opinion. It caused people to call for revenge, struck by the heinousness of the crime, while those who had opposed the war went quiet. However, a war that is not be led by Jordan, or whose course and goals will not be determined by Jordan is very risky. It only serves Washington’s plans as well as those advocating extremism in the region.

The government in Amman utilised the anger and grief that was heading towards incitement and mobilisation, because it boosted the people’s support not only for the authorities (needed badly following the government’s lost credibility), but also for the US war, turning it into a Jordanian conflict. In doing so, it made opposition to the war a waste of the young man’s blood. The last moments of his life shook the hearts of every Jordanian, regardless of their political or doctrinal beliefs.

The brutality of the tragedy, not least because ISIS made us witnesses to it, is an opportunity to undermine support for the extremist group, especially amongst the Salifis or young individuals who have been affected by their religious justifications and see the movement as a means to take desperate revenge against their living conditions. This is helped by the fact that Muath himself was a member of a struggling family exhausted by poverty which found a job opportunity for their son in the military, like tens of thousands of other families.

It is also a chance to deal a blow to ISIS’s “halo” in the eyes of its supporters, except for the ultra-extremists, because burning somebody to death, or even killing a prisoner of war, contradicts the teachings of Islam, according to the consensus of the scholars. The Jordanian government also chose to use the tragedy and the psychological impact to gain support for the war; it is as if Jordan is basing its strategies on, and the countries involved in the war care about, Muath’s life, the fact that he was tortured to death, the mourning of his mother or the tears of his father.

Since the news of the killing came through, most of the media outlets in Jordan have been influenced by the official position. I do not mean in expressions of sadness and mourning, nor do I mean in the publishing and broadcasting of heartfelt and genuine articles and words. I am talking about the campaign that deliberately mixes natural human feelings with political goals; the campaign that only sees the fire as a spark for war that will satisfy Washington and fulfil its dreams.

“It is our war” is the slogan repeated by former, current and future officials who know and even complain about the fact that the strongest international coalition never cared about Muath’s life, neither when he was captured nor when he was burned alive. He was seen as nothing more than “a soldier in a battle” and the coalition only cares about utilising the emotional impact of the crime to gain support for the war.

The justification is that the battle to eliminate ISIS is crucial for Jordan and the Arab world. However, the problem with this is that, first of all, those using the argument know that the roots of extremism are present within Jordanian society in its poverty, marginalisation and the education system. Secondly, they know that America is leading the war and will not allow Jordan to do anything that does not serve America’s interests.

What we have now is a campaign to prevent people from asking questions, gagging them with regards to the war and Jordan’s role therein, as well as the war’s consequences. It is strange that Jordan has started to speak officially in the name of the international coalition. What if the information is inaccurate, as we have seen in previous US wars? What if it has killed hundreds of civilians in Al-Raqqa and other areas? Would Jordan promote a false narrative in the name of the coalition?

This is a great responsibility, as, given their geographical proximity it is the Jordanians who will face the anger of the civilian victims of the coalition. At that point, America will escape any responsibility or accountability. The popular calls for revenge are normal, but the war is being managed and controlled by cold minds; do not allow our grief and Muath’s ashes to be fuel for a war that we have no say in other than obedience and execution.

Translated from Al-Araby Al-Jadid, 10 February 2015

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.