Jordan pressured to restrict Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

Jordan pressured to restrict Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.(AM).

In Jordan, like any other recipient of Gulf aid, a wide spectrum of political Islam followers are increasingly watched by authorities.

The Muslim Brotherhood cautions about the rise of jihadists on the ashes of their criminalization, whereas the secular parties call for the reduction of the Islamist influence on education to counter extremism. Despite foreign pressures, the Brotherhood is not considered a terrorist organization in Jordan, and the kingdom is not likely to jeopardize its longstanding tacit alliance with the movement.

Like other opposition forces, the Muslim Brotherhood rejects the limits imposed on freedom of expression under the Anti-Terrorism Law, but it also underlines how double standards allegedly impinge on the charge of disrupting foreign relations, depending on what regional power is involved.

Hamza Mansur, a leading Muslim Brotherhood member and former secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front, told Al-Monitor, "There are double standards: The case of a Brotherhood member who criticized the UAE policies is referred to the State Security Court, while a well-known Jordanian journalist [Fahd al-Khitan] is allowed to describe a respectable figure like [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan as 'suffering from delusions of grandeur,' even though he won fair democratic elections in a country like Turkey tied to us by economic interests."

Even though the spotlight is currently on the Brotherhood, it ought to be said that the charge of disrupting foreign relations has also been previously used against journalists who made fun of the Qatari leadership, the main sponsor of the Islamist movement.

The Jordanian authorities bluntly defend their actions by stressing the economic interests that bind the Hashemite Kingdom to the UAE.

"Targeting Islamists on a world scale is dangerous, as it creates a fertile ground for terrorism," Mansur said, adding, "They target Islamists like us, who support 'peaceful transitions' of power and don't call for the use of violence to achieve changes and reforms."

"Peaceful transition, no use of violence??"

The historical relationship between the Brotherhood and the Jordanian regime prompted the secular parties to belittle the chances of a government-led war on the Islamist movement.

"The king no longer receives Muslim Brotherhood members," Abu Alba acknowledged. "They reiterated their aim to seize power completely, demanding the amendment of those constitutional articles related to the king's powers."

"It will thus face restrictions without being persecuted like in Saudi Arabia or Egypt," he concluded.

In such a delicate situation, the best option for the Hashemite Kingdom seems to be a precarious balance between internal stability and foreign donors, placing its long-term hopes in the ongoing reconciliation between Qatar and the other Gulf countries. Hmmm....The only gov embracing the Muslim Brotherhood is the Obama 'Admin'. Read the full story here.