1. Layla said:

Shame on you to use this article to promote your political or religious views. Islam is not about being a terrorist and the Jordanians are the most diplomatic of all the Arab Nations. What happened there is a tragedy just like it would be a tragedy if it happened in Israel or anywhere else in the world. Have some respect for those people who like all of us....are just trying to live their life peacefully and responsibly. The handful of terrorists out there are giving the Arab population a bad name. It really is a shame. Just like in any religion there are extremists. What they preach is certainly not what Islam is about and is certainly not representative of an Arab person.

2. J Blankfort said:

Perhaps, you should save your energies by explaining the following story that first appeared in Haaretz, then was denied, but reappeared with more details in today's LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bombings10nov10,0,2022733.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israelis staying at the Radisson on Wednesday had been evacuated before the attacks and escorted back home "apparently due to a specific security threat."

Amos N. Guiora, a former senior Israeli counter-terrorism official, said in a phone interview with The Times that sources in Israel had also told him about the pre-attack evacuations.

"It means there was excellent intelligence that this thing was going to happen," said Guiora, a former leader of the Israel Defense Forces who now heads the Institute for Global Security Law and Policy at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. "The question that needs to be answered is why weren't the Jordanians working at the hotel similarly removed?"

3. georg von mecklenburg said:

You both answered your own questions. The Israelis knew through their intelligence networks about an impending attack. The Israelis most probably told this to the Jordanian Government who most probably refused to take heed thinking that no Arab would kill another innocent Arab, afterall, Islam is a religion of peace. Well you know the rest of the story.

4. Bill Narvey said:

To Layla:

You ought to read Ms. Bridges-Samuels' comments again. Ms. Bridges-Samuels neither minimizes the tragedy of the terror bombings in Joradan nor does she use that tragedy as a springboard to advocate her religious or political views.

Anyone even passingly familiar with Palestinian culture and attitudes, knows that part of that culture is an implacable hatred of Israel, Israelis and Jews. That aspect of Palestinian culture finds its counterpart in the culture of many Arab and Muslim nations where their leaders, imams and state controlled media daily disseminate and incite such Jew hatred. That same Jew hatred is a well known part of radical Islamic ideology.

Ms.Bridges-Samuels states that Palestinian Jew hatred blinds Palestinians to seeing that the tragedy of a Palestinian murdered by Muslim terrorism is no less a tragedy than innocent Israelis murdered by Palestinian terrorism and that such hatred also blinds Palestinians to the fact that they are as guilty of heinous immoral murder by their terrorism against Israelis as Muslim terrorists are guilty of murder of Palestinians.

It is not only a fair observation that Ms. Bridges-Samuels makes. Based on all the evidence over the last 40 years, Ms. Bridges-Samuels observation rises to the level of an incontrovertible fact.

Layla's claim there are only a handful of terrorists giving Arabs a bad name, ignores the realities that the numbers of terrorists and their supporters have been estimated in the many millions and she further ignores the reality that most Arab and other Muslim nations, including Palestinians, daily disseminate to and incite Jew hatred in their citizens.

Layla's comment, "Just like in any religion there are extremists" is specious. You do not find extremists from Jewish, Christian or other religions engaged in murder and terrorism. While obviously not all Muslims are terrorists and indeed the vast majority are not, almost all terrorism in the world today is Muslim terrorism. That is a fact that Layla and many others like her, avoid even speaking about, let alone dealing with it.

That some Palestinians endorsed Iran's call for Israel to be wiped off the map and the rest of the Muslim world, either endorsed those views or said nothing, speaks volumes about the Muslim world's view of Israel, Israelis and Jews. Also Palestinians dancing in the streets for joy at America's 9/11 tragedy and Palestinian support for Saddam Hussein and dancing for joy in the streets when Saddam lobbed over his rockets into Israel or paid family members of suicide bombers a substantial reward for their children murdering innocent Israelis, speaks volumes about the Palestinian Jew hatred and anti-American mindset.

For so long as those Muslims who privately or off the record denounce radical Islam, but remain publicly silent and allow radical Islamists and Muslim/Palestinian terrorists to speak for Islam, it should come as no surprise that many non-Muslim's have a negative view of Islam.

It behooves those, such as Layla who wish the non-Muslim world to have a more favorable understanding of Islam, to openly condemn and act against radical Islam and Muslim terrorism to show the world the face of Islam that they want the non-Muslim world to see.

To J. Blankfort:

If you are suggesting that Ms. Bridges-Samuels ought to have instead written about the snippet of information you provided, there is not enough information in that snippet to determine its relative worth to inspire further comment.

If the full story you allude to is worth Ms. Bridges-Samuels time to write about it, I am sure she will make the time. Her comment here however was not a waste of energy. It was insightful and right on the money.

5. felix quigley said:

Layla should understand that the originator of the Palestinian movement was Hajj Amin el Huseini. He became a leading figure in the German Holocaust against the Jews. This hatred of the Jews is the main emotion and characteristic of the whole Arab and Muslim world. So why did the Islamofascists attack Jordan. Not because Jordan likes Jews but because of other reasons to do with other splits within Islam and also because perhaps Jordan does not hate Israel sufficiently for the Jihadists.

6. Leonard said:

I find myself agreeing with Layla - that it is inappropriate to have used this article to support or promote any political view point since the Al Quaida bombings of the Hotels and wedding reception represent a tragedy for the free world regardless of the identity of the victims. She can be rest assured that I believe the majority of Jews and supporters of Israel share this view point and recognise the role that the Jordanians Royal family have played in securing the peace in the region and ensuring that Terrorists do not use Jordan as a front for Terror attacks on her neighbours.

She recognises what many Arabs are coming to terms with - that the Terrorists that are giving their people a bad name - that most of them wish to live in peace with their neighbours. She realises that if the Terrorists are allowed to win then a new darkness will descend over the region as its descends into uprecedented chaos and bloodletting.
That is why its important for the Jordanian authorities and new Iraqui government to get a grip on the situation and identify, round up and imprison the extremists that have no respect for life. There is no alternative for Jordan but to maintain a pro- Western stance and maintain peaceful relations with Israel.

As for the suggstions that somehow Israel knew about the impending attacks and evacuated their nationals. These reports have already been dismissed by Israel as totally false and without foundation. No doubt such stories herald from the same conspiracy theorist who claimed that somehow Jews knew about September 11th - utter rubbish!