Prominent Jordanian Islamic leader receives threats

Mon, 14 Mar 2011

Amman - Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood movement said Monday one of its leaders had received threats and urged the authorities to disclose the identity of the culprits and bring them to justice.

The threats were received over the past few days by family members of Hamzeh Mansour, Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Brotherhood's political arm, according to local media reports.

The development prompted the authorities to heighten security around Mansour and his residence, security sources said.

"We urge the official authorities to speed up the disclosure of the identity of the criminals and those who stand behind them prior to sending them to courts," the Brotherhood said in a statement.

"These irresponsible threats came at a time when we are involved, with other honorable people, in the country in a serious project of reforms," it added.

Mansour is currently in Cairo leading a delegation extending congratulations to the Egyptian people on the success of their uprising that toppled former president Hosny Mubarak.

The Brotherhood and the IAF boycotted Jordan's November 2010 parliamentary elections, citing the failure of the government of former Prime Minister Samir Rifai to conduct the polls in accordance with an election law that guaranteed proportional representation for the Jordanian people.

Islamists contributed to the demonstrations that swept Jordan over the past two months prompting King Abdullah II to sack Rifai's cabinet and ask Marouf Bakhit to form a new government to which the monarch assigned the duty of carrying out "real and speedy reforms".

The Brotherhood, the IAF and allied left-leaning parties expressed reservations over an ad hoc dialogue committee that was formed last week by Bakhit, who is accused by Islamists to have "rigged" the 2007 polls.

Islamists said they wanted a royal panel to lead the dialogue with the king forming its reference.

They also joined other opposition figures in demanding that the country be turned into a constitutional monarchy, a proposal that seeks to trim the king's powers, particularly his appointment of prime ministers and cabinet ministers.

The suggestion drew negative reactions from Bakhit, other politicians, lawmakers and loyalists who contended that the country was already being governed by a constitutional monarchy.

A rally involving thousands of loyalists on Saturday thronged Amman streets to express backing for the monarch and declare rejection of the constitutional demands by the opposition.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371666,islamic-leader-receives-threats.html.