Aqaba, Oct 24 (Petra) – Prominent figures in Aqaba said on Saturday that attacks on places of worship are a crime, rejected on religious, moral, and national grounds, stressing that Jordan's unity is a bulwark against attempts to sow discord and hate, or undermine the country’s security and stability.

Jordanians, both Muslims and Christians, are a single family, brought together by bonds of brotherhood, neighborliness, a shared history, and a common destiny, they said in interviews with Petra.

Any assault on places of worship violates the human and religious values ​​upon which Jordanian society is built, and that such acts will never succeed in shaking the nation’s unity or weakening its social fabric, they said.

The attack on the church in Hamoud village in Karak is an assault on shared human, moral, religious, and national values, said Faris Jawazneh, Director of Awqaf (Endowments) in Aqaba.

It is "a malicious" attempt to destabilize society and sow division among the people of the same country, he said, affirming that Jordan, which stands as a model for coexistence, rejects all forms of extremism and terrorism.

Protecting places of worship is a national and humanitarian duty that is "not a matter for compromise", he said.

Jawazneh said Jordanians band together against "blind extremism", adding that such terrorist acts will only embolden Jordanians in their commitment to national unity and coexistence and fend off attempts to stir up strife.

The bonds of coexistence that unite Jordanians are far stronger than any attempt to sow discord, said Mohammad Jahani, Mufti of Aqaba.

"A wound to a Christian is a wound to a Muslim, and the suffering of the people of Karak is shared by all Jordanians," he said, urging more awareness and national responsibility to deny those who seek to spread hatred and extremism the chance to succeed.

The Aqaba Mufti said the perpetrators of the crime in Karak do not represent Islam, urging the promotion of the tenets of moderation, tolerance, and peace in schools, universities, mosques, and churches.

"This heinous crime will fail in trying to intimidate Jordanians or fracture their unity," commented Imad Amro, former head of the Aqaba Governorate Council, stressing that Muslim-Christian unity is unbreakable.

//Petra//SS