Captain Osama Shakman

Every time I watch the video, the shock returns. I look at the three figures and ask myself how this could have happened in my country. In the kingdom I call home, how could people gathered to mourn become targets of such cruelty?

The footage ends. The grief does not.

I feel anger, then sorrow, then a disbelief I cannot shake. How does someone see the terror of defenseless people and keep going? What conviction could possibly make their suffering seem justified?

The possibility that the attackers could come from our own communities makes the wound deeper. Their identities and affiliations must be established through the investigation. But the question remains painful. How could someone raised in this country turn a weapon on the people who share it? How could anyone enjoy the protection of a homeland and then deny that same protection to a neighbor?

Those who deliberately attack innocent people to spread fear are terrorists. No slogan can excuse their actions. No claim of religious devotion can make murder an act of faith. What cause is served by turning a funeral into another family’s lifelong grief?

A gun gives its carrier the power to take a life. It confers no right to do so.

The terrorists leave behind consequences that extend far beyond the footage. Families must face an empty chair, an unanswered call, a future abruptly changed. Survivors may carry their injuries and memories long after public attention moves elsewhere.

Our anger must lead to an honest examination of what we tolerate. Who excuses the condemnation of others as unbelievers? Who circulates hatred? Who mistakes intolerance for strength and rewards it with attention or standing? These questions do not presume the findings of an investigation. They ask whether we are willing to confront dangerous ideas when doing so becomes uncomfortable.

Jordan’s history places that responsibility on us. The Emirate of Transjordan was established on April 11, 1921. Independence followed on May 25, 1946, as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Generations helped build and sustain this country. We owe them, and our children, a homeland where every citizen’s life is protected.

When those responsible are apprehended, I want Jordanians to see a transparent accounting of this crime on Jordanian television. I hope for a public trial, consistent with the law, in which evidence is examined, defendants receive due process, and responsibility is established. The victims deserve justice that is both rigorous and credible.

That process should send an unmistakable message. We are one people, bound by this land and entitled to equal protection under its laws. No terrorist gets to decide who belongs here or whose life may be taken.

I love Jordan. That is why this attack hurts so deeply, and why I cannot accept a response that ends with expressions of outrage. We must support the bereaved, care for the wounded, and protect the trust that allows neighbors to live without fear of one another.

May those who lost their lives rest in peace. May their families find strength, and may the injured recover. May God protect Jordan and keep its people united in safety and mutual care.