In case you have not heard the news, the ramifications of al-Ghad’s irresponsible journalism continue to reverberate.

Jordanian flag burning IraqisThousands of Iraqi Shi’ ites protested Monday after hearing reports that relatives of a Jordanian suicide bomber suspected of killing 125 people in the town of Hilla celebrated him as a martyr.

After breaking into the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad and tearing down the flag, protesters called on all foreign Arabs to leave the country and then denounced Jordan’s King Abdullah.

The journalist that wrote the story has also found himself in trouble with the law. According to Petra news agency (the state news agency), the interior minister announced that the reporter, Hadi al Nsour, was arrested for "publishing false information that harmed the country." Personally, I think it shouldn’t be the journalist alone that takes all the blame. There had to have been a page editor and there should have been a managing editor that allowed this monstrosity to be published.

Flag burning closeupThis all developed because of one tiny inflammatory article published in a new daily that is trying desperately to be “controversial." Amazing no? This likely would not have happened several years ago when the Arabic media published inciting articles regularly but got away with it. Things are no longer the same due to modern technology. If this didn’t teach al-Ghad a lesson, I don’t know what will.

It really is a scandal and a major embarrassment to each and every Jordanian. We say in Arabic "Fada7oona alla yefda7hom," or "they scandalized us,
May God scandalize them." And this is exactly what the suicide bomber,
his family and al-Ghad did to us! They tarnished our reputation. On a personal note, today an Iraqi Shia acquaintance
approached me saying: "What, you guys are celebrating? Natasha, I’m
going to kill you!" He was joking, fortunately.

With regard to the demonstrations, what’s with the the Star of David painted [see picture] on this particular Jordanian flag? On Aljazeera I even saw a report showing an Iraqi holding a banner decrying the "Jordanian (Israeli) Government." Does everything in this region have to be a ‘Zionist conspiracy?’ Grow up people!