There is a new way of life in Jordan: residents now have to be searched before they will be served.
Since last week's deadly hotel bombings, metal detectors have been erected at shopping centers and restaurants and body searches and ID checks have become routine.
"I don't like it, but I'll just have to adjust and accept it," said 28-year-old shopper Roula Hijazi, who had to pass through a detector to enter Mecca Mall.
PHOTO: EPA
Jordan had prided itself on being one of the most stable and safest countries in a region racked by violence and instability. Security checks -- while normal in countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt -- had been alien to Jordanian society.
But authorities say the new security measures are a necessity following the Nov. 9 triple hotel bombings that rattled this tranquil Middle Eastern country.
The death toll from the blasts rose on Thursday to 62 -- including three suicide bombers -- with the death of the mother of a bride whose wedding was devastated in the Radisson SAS bomb.
Hala al-Faroukah died of her wounds in an Amman hospital. Her husband, as well as the groom's father, were killed instantly when the Iraqi bomber blew himself up in the hotel's ballroom.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the terror group led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Security has been tightened around embassies, hotels and and even some upscale restaurants.
At Mecca Mall, one of Amman's biggest and fanciest shopping centers, security guards now carry out a tedious search of customers that includes metal detectors as well as a baggage and body search at the entrance.
Fares, 44, an engineer, was "not at all concerned" by the new security measures.
"I would be bothered if they were not there," he said.
Fares said he knew the metal detectors were probably not enough, especially when dealing with suicide bombers, but said, "It's better than nothing."
At the Fakhreddine Lebanese restaurant, whose clientele regularly includes VIPs, a metal detector has been installed at the entrance and security guards discreetly vet people outside.
People who are not regular clients are sometimes subjected to bag searches and may even be asked to produce identification, said manager Youssef Mekdad. As he spoke, the detector buzzed several times when clients passed through; they were not stopped.
Mekdad said he is not worried about losing clientele because of the searches.
``On the contrary, I think people feel more comfortable when they know we are not taking any risks. Many people voluntarily open their bags for a search without us asking,'' he said.
Jordanian authorities have also introduced strict security measures aimed at foreigners -- such as requiring landlords to inform the state of any non-Jordanian renters. The suicide bombers had rented apartments in Amman before carrying out the attacks.
The government has announced it is drafting the country's first anti-terror legislation, which would propose, among other things, allowing suspects to be held for questioning indefinitely.
Some have expressed concern that the measures would infringe on civil liberties and political freedoms, calling on the government to strike a balance between ensuring public safety and safeguarding civil rights.
"Our authorities must observe our treaty commitments on how far we may go to ensure the safety and security of the public and the country,'' said an editorial on Thursday in the English-language Jordan Times daily.
Asma Khader, a former Cabinet minister who served as government spokeswoman, said the extra security was meant to ensure that "what happened does not happen again and would stay in place as long as Jordan is under threat."
ELECTION DISTRACTION? When attention shifted away from the fight against the militants to politics, losses and setbacks in the battlefield increased, an analyst said Recent clashes in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country’s federal system and creating an opening for militant group al-Shabaab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states — Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West — that maintain often fractious relations with the central government in the capital, Mogadishu. However, ahead of elections next year, Somalia has sought to assert control over its member states, which security analysts said has created gaps for al-Shabaab infiltration. Last week, two Somalian soldiers were killed in clashes between pro-government forces and
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
‘NO INTEGRITY’: The chief judge expressed concern over how the sentence would be perceived given that military detention is believed to be easier than civilian prison A military court yesterday sentenced a New Zealand soldier to two years’ detention for attempting to spy for a foreign power. The soldier, whose name has been suppressed, admitted to attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose and knowingly possessing an objectionable publication. He was ordered into military detention at Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch and would be dismissed from the New Zealand Defence Force at the end of his sentence. His admission and its acceptance by the court marked the first spying conviction in New Zealand’s history. The soldier would be paid at half his previous rate until his dismissal
RSS