WHEN is a mosque not a mosque? In Jordan on a Friday, it turns out. To stop militant preachers ascending the minbar (pulpit), Jordan’s leaders have come up with a novel approach. Each week, ahead of the main day of prayer, they temporarily order the closure of unlicensed mosques—over a third of the 6,000-odd in the country. Other measures being phased in require preachers to recite only approved sermons sent to them by mobile phone, and insist that only registered and government-trained imams may preach. “The Friday sermon is potentially a dangerous media channel,” explains the kingdom’s religious-affairs minister, Wael Arabiyat.
The government has reason to be fearful; support for jihadist groups is widespread once you get outside the plush parts of western Amman. In the covered market of Baqa’a, the largest and grimmest of Jordan’s ten Palestinian refugee camps, shoppers exchange news of Islamic State’s latest doings when getting their groceries. From Othman bin Affan mosque, a preacher condemns rulers for obstructing the religious obligation of jihad and the defence of the Sunni realm—whether against Israel or...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2cIAIGT
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