Where is the OUTRAGE in the Arab Press Over the Jordan Bombings?

By Andrew Cochran

I received an e-mail from a reader in an Arab country (name & location withheld) about the initial non-coverage of the bombings in the Arab press. I quote from the e-mail (spelling out "KSA") with deep appreciation and an invitation for more such e-mails:

"Always questioning the moral fiber of Gulf Arab governments in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack, I checked today�s Gulf News and then the online Arab News from the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). The front page of the GN featured Prez Bashar�s ho-hum speech in Syria with a smaller story on the Jordan tragedy. Pictures and the major Jordan story were discreetly tucked inside the paper � so un-GN-like. We viewed the murdered and abused daily when Jeneen was under siege. Conspicuously absent was any editorial condemning the attack. The online Arab News was similarly plain vanilla.

The silence on this attack is frightening and western analysts should be all ears and asking, �why?� Editors are silent because both the imams and sheikhs are silent. The monarch of Jordan is out in the cold and while regional buddies will �make nice� in the coming days, he took a pro-western stand and is now paying for it. The folks here and in the KSA appear to have made other choices with today�s lack of condemnation silently screaming those choices. Having listened for years to the vitriolic ranting of the imams with regard to western issues, I fully understand the meaning of their silence. Listen up Langley: AQ is the region�s high roller and venture capitalist.

Over the next few days, a few leaders will comment. Let's see who's first and what's said. Then, let's see who remains silent...the truth is often in what isn't said and who doesn't speak. I would love to have been in Riyadh today for the noon prayer and listened to the imams at the smaller less significant mosques."

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