Jordan PM threatens tough measures against Salafists

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

By ABDUL JALIL MUSTAFA | ARAB NEWS
Apr 17, 2011

AMMAN: Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit threatened Saturday to resort to “hard security” measures in dealing with Salafist groups which the authorities accused of injuring 83 policemen on Friday.

“We will deal severely with any sedition and all attempts of cheating and behavior which is strange to our habits and conventions,” Bakhit said during a visit to policemen receiving treatment at hospitals in Zarqa, 30 kms east of Amman. “These are not good Salafists but a misled group who try to exploit the atmosphere of democracy and freedom in the country,” he added.

On Friday Salafists held their seventh rally in three months to press for the release of about 200 comrades who are serving jail terms after being condemned by the State Security Court for involvement in terror activities.

The function ended peacefully but one of the Salafist groups, wielding sticks and knives, was involved in clashes with policemen that were blamed on the Islamic fundamentals by the Public Security Chief Gen. Hussein Majali.

Majali threatened to resort to the “iron fist” in dealing with Salafists that found immediate expression in the arrest of more than 50 of them Friday night and early Saturday, according to security sources.

Among the detained leaders of the Salafi movement were Abu Mohammad Tahawi, who appeared on the Doha-based Al Jazeera television Friday night to deny the government charges and Saad Hunaiti, who was arrested along with two of his brothers.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article362926.ece.