AMMONNEWS -By Alanoud M. Khalifeh - News of the murder of Lt. Muath Kasasbeh shook the nation. A grim cloud of sadness occupied the streets; no sane human could believe his eyes after a shocking video of the brutal murder went viral. Only moments passed before links and screenshots of grief, sadness, and anger flooded the news feed of every social network.

As I scrolled through my feed in an attempt to absorb what has happened, I was inhabited with despair and outrage. Homesickness took its toll and I had a hasty urge to fly back home to be with my family, the people of Jordan.

After a few hours of following the news I sensed a sudden shift in the nature of the content people were posting. Grief turned to strength and Jordan became one unified front, and from then on we were all Muath.
I knew that people were going to express their outrage for what had happened, but the result came as a shock to everyone. People all over the world supported Jordan and expressed their condolences for the death of a hero, whether it was through social media, candlelight vigils, or any other form of social gathering. Every Jordanian, whether they were living at home or abroad, gained the respect of people all over the world.
Up till this day the world has been witnessing a movement that has startled many. People all over the world were commending Jordan and His Majesty’s leadership, some even eager to have him as their own. Moments after King Abdullah heard of the tragic death of Muath, he got on his plane to be with his people. He was a father to his people; he vowed that the blood of one of his own would never be spilled in vein. He stood beside Muath’s family as his own while they mourned. He refused to allow those barbarians to terrorize his people, nor was he going to let their deed go unpunished. His leadership gave strength to his people; every Jordanian was honored to have him as his commander.

This barbaric group, which I refuse to characterize as human, may have taken the life of one of our soldiers. But they will never take away our unity, every Jordanian should hold his head high in honor and remember Muath for the soldier he was, a soldier who risked his life to protect his country and his faith.

The war that Muath was fighting was a war against the so-called Muslims who were bringing shame to a religion of peace. As the late King Hussein I once said, “There is a world of difference between terrorist acts and Islamic Shari’ a. Islam is not only a religion, but a way of life. And at its heart lie the sacred principles of tolerance and dialogue.” At this point this war is not only a war to honor Muath, nor is it a way to protect a faith, but it is a war to preserve humanity. Religion, race, and nationality are of no consequence for we are all soldiers of humanity and should stand as one to fight for our being.