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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Jordans Muslim opposition to resume protests |
| 2011-02-23 |
| [Jerusalem Post Front Page] Jordan's powerful Moslem Brüderbund vowed to resume protests, saying Tuesday that the government did not keep a promise of speedy reforms. The announcement puts added pressure on Jordan's King Abdullah II to give up some of his sweeping powers, but is not seen as a threat to his rule. Opposition figures have called on the king to surrender the authority to appoint Cabinets and dissolve parliament. Under pressure from street protests inspired by uprisings roiling the Arab world, Abdullah instructed his government earlier this month to enact "quick and real" political reforms, allowing greater public say in the decision-making. However, The infamous However... protesters say little has been done so far to meet their demands, such as changing a controversial election law, which the Brotherhood says favors the king's loyalists. The Brotherhood is Jordan's largest opposition group. The Brotherhood and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front, had refrained from participating in protests for the past two weeks, saying they wanted to give newly appointed Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit a chance to carry out reforms. However, The infamous However... Brotherhood front man Jamil Abu-Bakr said Tuesday that the government installed on Feb. 9 has not carried out the promised reforms. He condemned attacks on protesters last Friday in Amman, which saw eight maimed in the first violence in weeks of demonstrations. Abu-Bakr claimed that "thugs" were used or hired to carry out "aggression by groups that do not want reforms." He urged the government to take action against those behind the attack and move quickly toward reform. |
| Posted by:Fred |