Post Letter

This is the letter that I wrote after the bombings in Amman.

Hey Ya’ll,

How are things going in the US of A and around the world, wherever you may be stationed at this point in time ;o) This is a letter that I’ve been putting off writing, but here we go...

On Wed. November 9th at 9.30pm terrorists bombed the Radisson SAS, Hyatt Regency, and Days Inn. 57 people were killed and 100 were injured. The majority of the deaths came from a wedding party at the Radisson SAS, where a husband and wife wearing explosive belts walked into the party. Thankfully the wife’s belt did not detonate for whatever reason, so there were fewer deaths than what may have been. I do not know what stories you are receiving about this in America, and if it has even crossed your mind that I am here, because the Middle East is the Middle East and names blend together.

When the attack happened I was visiting Wadi Rum (the desert) and Petra (Indiana Jones movies), so I was very much removed from the scene (289 km). To many this isn’t much of a relief, since Jordan is still Jordan and distance melts when you really do not know what is going on with someone you care about.

Immediately we were informed of the attacks, and I suppose that is one of the aspects about this country that is more advanced than America, cell phones work literally everywhere. We (SIT) were in the Middle of the desert with nothing around for miles, but Bedouins, tents, camels, and lots of sand, but none the less we found out about the attack before many others in Jordan.

For me this strikes very close to home, because my host father owns the Amman Sheraton, and this very well could have happened in his hotel. As it is, one of the victims (and naturally the family that survives her) was a member of my family’s church that I attend. Lecturers have lost children, and in general Jordan as a whole has been affected in one way or another. While I may not be a citizen and I have only been here for 2 months, Jordan has become my home. This bombing is much closer to my heart than 9/11 or any of the other bombings, because it is personal, and I have no real connection to these other places or the people that inhabit them.

I have never been to the Days Inn or the Hyatt Regency, but the first day I met my family I attended a wedding at the Radisson SAS and went through the exact same motions as the wedding that ended in tragedy. I can see the men that park the cars, the tourists watching the jubilation in a state of awe, the waiters that diligently waited on the wealthy, and the beautifully decorated banquet hall that was destroyed. It was my first real Middle Eastern experience, and before any of this happened it was a vibrant memory, but now it has taken on a different tone that resounds with sadness.

Both the fathers of the bride and groom died in the blast, as well as one of their mothers. The groom spent days in the hospital, and entire families were destroyed, only leaving one or two members surviving, several of them lonely children - Bodies were carried out in luggage racks, guests treated other guests as best they could. In general the images that have emerged make every day seem a little different after viewing them; at times more precious and others a place where forks and spoons can become instruments of death to the unsuspecting.

The following day there were rallies and peaceful demonstrations throughout Amman; Friday Palestine showed their support for their sister land and held their own. Iran, Palestine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other neighboring countries immediately issued statements of support and condemnation of the act. I have not heard of Syria and Iraq, but anything is open for them, and really I think immediate support would be surprising to people here from either of them. I am getting pictures of the rallies that a friend took and I will send those along soon. I wanted to view these occasions myself and show my support, but it just wasn’t a safe place for women in general and an American woman in particular.

The country was given Thursday off from school and government workers (Friday and Saturday are the weekend here; Sunday was King Hussein’s BDay, so everyone was already scheduled off for that), so families stayed close to home and dealt with their wounds in a very Middle Eastern fashion. Family and loved ones are really the most important thing here and everything revolves around them, everything. People returned to their family land or home, visited grandparents, aunts and uncles, and regained strength from their support. Other than rallies, religious gatherings, it really felt like the world had slowed to a near crawl. It was the first time since I’ve been here that I saw the very basic grocery stores, pharmacies, and stationary stores closed. Even during the Muslim holy days of Ramadan and Eid these stores were open for different periods of time.

Overall, things were just dealt with differently here. Today marks a week and the country is for the most part back to its normal working order. It is not that Arabs are cold and feel things less than Americans, because from what I have experienced, almost everything is tied to some strong emotion. It is just that they do not allow their emotions to carry them into a frenzy and they have already experienced so much heartache that anything else that happens in their lifetimes (or within easy remembrance, which a long time in this part of the world) is almost too deep to invoke tears and raw emotion.

There was an initial fear of nationalism going too far and people turning against the Iraqi refugees in the country. That has died down, and was only an initial response. The circles that direct the cities traffic are covered in flags, banners, and signs announcing Jordan’s unity. The bride of peace has become the symbol of the city, and she is being constantly contrasted with the female bomber.

Yes, I can honestly say that Amman is safe. Amman was always safe, just as America is safe...Actually; I have felt much safer here than I have usually felt within the States. Al Qaeda can strike anywhere, and no one’s security is going to completely stop them. Jordan has one of the best secret services in the world and they have found out every large scale attack that has been set against the country. Al Qaeda resorted to methods that were harder (near impossible) to trace in their simplicity. They have never targeted individual civilians (that is the work of the Syrian extremists), and go for things that will cause the world to look at them. In that aspect in makes me cringe to see Zarkarwi’s (Sorry don’t know how to spell it in English) name condemned on banners, because that in itself is acknowledging him and he must love the thought of his name being all over his homeland’s capital *sigh*

There might not be anything to be afraid of, but it is scary to see the once peaceful city on full alert. Before it was rare to see police officers, except for guiding traffic and responding to calls and the military guarded the embassies, palaces, etc, but now they are everywhere. When we first pulled into Amman from our trip there was a HUGE tank guarding the front of the American Embassy, and even though it is gone now, there is extra security everywhere. It is scary in a way that is useless, because there is nothing to be afraid of, but it is like watching something you love bristling in fear and your heart breaks for it, longing to calm the fears, but knowing you can’t.

Thinking about my safety, I have literally never felt threatened here and I know that if someone did try to hurt me I would just have to scream and there would be all kinds of men coming to help. It is haram (sin, shame) to hurt a woman in the streets, especially a stranger. I have been pinched a couple of times, but all it took was a look of disgust on my part to make them feel small, and to remind them that I am like their sister. Now, that would be haram!!

The biggest thing to fear here is the natural issues that can not be helped. Insects that cause illness, lack of water, or dirty water – All things related to poverty and developing nations. While Jordan may receive more money than the majority of other countries in the world from Aid and Relief organizations, there is a disparity that is disgusting, and of course the rich keep profiting from the game.

Ok, I want to leave you with a few paragraphs from the Jordan Times:

What We’re Made Of 11.11.05

A mix of shock, outrage and grief pervades minds and hearts as we try to pick up the pieces of so many shattered lives and come to terms with the cowardly brutality that took away so many loved ones on Wednesday night.

It is the deepest and most painful wound to have ever been inflicted on this nation. But we will recover, stronger in our resolve to defend our way of life, protect our security and stability, fight for the values and principles we all share as Jordanians – East and West Bankers, Muslims and Christians, Bedouins, Circassians, Chechens, Armenians.

We were attacked because of what Jordan stands for, because of what it represents in this region and beyond: A model of stability and security in a constantly turbulent area, an example of moderation and tolerance amidst bloody wars and religious and ethnic tensions, a success story of modernization in a gravely underdeveloped region.

Terrorists hit Jordan because it embodies what they despise the most; Peace. They hit us because we are the champions of the true Islam of tolerance, dignity, respect for human life and understanding of the other.

They hit us because we have always been at the forefront in the fight against terrorism, long before September 11, long before the “war on terror: became as integral part of US policy, long before Washington and all other Western capitals had ever even heard of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

The response of the state to the heinous crimes of Wednesday night is swift and firm. As His Majesty King Abdullah vowed immediately after the blasts, those responsible will be brought to justice.

We take pride in our unrivalled security services and our highly professional law enforcement agencies; they have won countless battles and will win this one too.

We also take pride in the exemplary response of the Jordanian people, in the dignity they show as they bury their dead, in the resolve with which they stand united in the face of terror, hatred and violence.

By early Thursday morning, some had already draped windows and balconies with Jordanian flags. Others had hoisted the country’s banner on their cars. Most companies regularly opened for business, reflecting the determination to go on with the productive and peaceful lives of which terrorists tried to deprive us. Families went about their usual business, renewing their trust in the security forces and their allegiance to the principles this country represents.

This is how we respond to those who try to take from us what we hold dearest: By upholding it more strongly and firmly than ever.

That is the best description of Jordanian emotion I think exists in English. Very well stated – Anywho that is my life right now. Tomorrow is the last day of classes for me and then I start on my Independent Study Project. Hopefully I will be moving to Jabal Amman into an apartment that a fellow student and myself found. We are still waiting to hear back from the owner who was in Lebanon. It will be awesome to be so close to the city center and to be able to better observe the life of the city. I live so far out in the suburbs now it is a bit difficult at times to get anywhere without spending a lot on taxis (relatively speaking). More will follow as life continues, but I will be home in almost exactly a month, so hopefully there will be time to catch up with people before the semester begins.

Lotsa Luv from Amman

–Danie
داني