(New York Times) Michael Slackman and Mona El-Naggar - By every measure, it would seem that Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, should be roundly vilified in Jordan after having taken responsibility for sending suicide bombers into three hotels in Amman last week, killing 58 people. But it is not that way - according to interviews over the past week with dozens of people throughout this city. Over and over people said they simply did not believe Zarqawi was behind the bombings. Or if he was, they condemned him for that, while still holding out support for his anti-American activities. Officials said they hoped this marked a turning point in Jordan, and throughout the Muslim world, where the so-called silent majority would rise up against Islamic extremism. But King Abdullah II said in an interview on Tuesday that he expected it would take years to overcome the extremist ideology that has infiltrated Islamic societies.
2005-11-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive