From the Pain of Karak to the Tear of Jawad Al-Slayta’s Mother.. How Long Will Jordan Pay the Price of Terrorism?

Al-Taj News – By: Humam Al-Fraihat

There is a pain that words cannot describe, and there are mothers whose days will never be the same again, and homes that will remain waiting for their sons who went out to perform their duty and never returned.

From Karak, which still carries in its memory the pain of blood and terrorism, to the martyrdom of Corporal Jawad Al-Slayta, the question returns that aches the heart of every Jordanian: How long will the blood of innocents and security men remain the price for extremist ideas and minds that chose the path of killing?

In Karak, the story was not merely a passing terrorist incident, but rather heavy days for an entire homeland. Blood was shed, souls ascended, mothers lost their sons, and families had their lives transformed in a moment. Today, the pain is renewed with the martyrdom of Corporal Jawad Al-Slayta, that young man who went out to his work and duty, and perhaps it never crossed his mind that it would be the last time he bid farewell to his family.

Imagine Jawad’s mother.. Perhaps she was waiting for his return, perhaps she was thinking about what she would prepare for him when he returned home, and perhaps she was watching her phone waiting for a call from him, before receiving the news that no mother can bear. How can a mother’s heart comprehend that her son, who went out to protect people, will not return to them?

What sin did a security man commit to pay with his life as the price for a terrorist crime? And what sin did a family commit to lose its son, who was doing nothing other than his duty in protecting the homeland and the citizens?

Terrorism is not merely a crime that happens and ends, but rather an attack on the security of the state and society’s right to life, and an attempt to sow fear in the hearts of people. What is most dangerous is that behind some of these crimes stand extremist ideas that transform into bloody acts, pushing their holders to believe that killing innocent people and targeting security personnel is a path that can be justified.

Hence, it is no longer sufficient that we condemn, denounce, and set up mourning tents, and then return to our lives waiting for a new tragedy. What is required is that these events turn into a genuine review of legislation and penalties, and that there be a clear national stance against anyone who plans, executes, finances, or recruits for the benefit of terrorist organizations.

The time has come for the government and the House of Representatives to move toward issuing a special law or introducing legislative amendments ensuring the toughening of penalties against perpetrators of terrorist crimes, and everyone proven to have joined terrorist organizations, participated in their criminal activities, or financed them and recruited individuals for their benefit. And that penalties reach life imprisonment, leading up to the death penalty in the most severe crimes that fulfill their legal conditions, especially those that include premeditated murder and targeting security personnel and innocent citizens.

There must also be a serious review of the penalties related to incitement, recruitment, planning, and financing, while distinguishing between mere thoughts and beliefs, and terrorist acts and direct incitement to them, so that no room is left for legal loopholes, and so that accountability is based on evidence and fair trials.

What is required is not legislation written under the influence of anger, but rather a law that expresses the state’s will to protect its citizens, achieves deterrence and justice, and affirms that the blood of Jordanians is not cheap, and that assaulting security personnel is not an ordinary crime that can be dealt with as a passing incident.

For every martyr left behind a grieving mother, an aching father, brothers, friends, and homes that lost part of their soul. Jawad Al-Slayta is not merely a name in breaking news, and the martyrs of Karak are not merely numbers in an accident log; they are the sons of this homeland who paid with their lives as the price for its security and stability.

We do not need to wait for a new tragedy to open the file of penalties, and we do not need the tear of another mother to realize the gravity of terrorism. The time has come for legislation, review, and accountability, and the time has come for the message to reach clearly everyone who considers targeting Jordan and its people: the security of the homeland is a red line, and the blood of its sons is not permissible to shed.

May God have mercy on the martyrs of Jordan, protect its security men, and comfort the hearts of the martyrs’ mothers and their families.
How many mothers must weep, and how many homes must be broken, before deterrence becomes an unavoidable priority?