The state's most eloquent message came when His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited the wounded at Al-Karak Governmental Hospital wearing his military uniform; a clear indication that the state is in an open confrontation with terrorism, that the leadership is on the front lines alongside its people, and that the blood of Jordanians, Muslims and Christians alike, is one.
This cowardly operation intended to sow fear and doubt, but the result was the opposite: Jordanians racing to donate blood, tribes standing as one, and popular rallying around the Hashemite leadership, security services, and armed forces, which thwarted every bet on striking national unity. As in every previous confrontation, from the hotels of Amman to the castle of Al-Karak and the cells of Irbid and Al-Salt, Jordan emerges stronger and victorious over terrorism.
However, this battle is ongoing and long-winded, for terrorism is an idea before it is a bullet, and it reproduces itself whenever it finds a gap in consciousness or society. Therefore, security victory, despite its decisive importance, remains half the battle, while the other half is fought in minds and hearts.
Terrorism is not a purely Jordanian affair, but a regional and global issue managed by cross-border networks that invest in the region's crises and recruit and fund through complex international channels. Experience has proven that any security vacuum in any state quickly turns into a threat to the entire world. Hence, Jordan, under its Hashemite leadership, has been at the forefront of calling for a comprehensive international approach that addresses the roots of crises, ends wars and occupation, deepens intelligence coordination, dries up sources of funding, and holds digital platforms accountable for confronting incitement.
This reality calls for continuing to develop the national strategy to combat extremism and terrorism to keep pace with developments. The rapid evolution in communication means has allowed extremist ideology to recruit and incite through closed digital spaces, and the ease of movement has made the movement of individuals harder to track, while regional wars have created a vast market for weapons and active smuggling networks. This requires strengthening digital monitoring and early warning, developing legislation that balances security and freedoms, and tightening border control and combating arms smuggling.
This is complemented by a sustainable preventive path that includes a renewed religious discourse that dismantles takfiri narratives based on the "Amman Message," curricula that promote critical thinking and citizenship values, scientific study of the paths of extremism and recruitment, investment in youth to enhance societal immunity, and national media that confronts incitement and rumors.
It is a shared national responsibility; the family is the first line of defense, the school and university are the incubators of awareness, the mosque and the church are the pulpits of moderation, and the conscious citizen who rejects hate speech and cooperates with state institutions is the true guardian of societal security.
May God have mercy on the martyrs of Al-Karak, heal the wounded, and keep Jordan dear and impregnable. The terrorists wanted to write a message of division with blood, but Jordanians wrote a message of unity with solidarity, and this homeland will remain resistant to strife, victorious over terrorism by the strength of its weapons and the solidity of its people's awareness.
