Terrorism does not always seek to achieve all its objectives in the field; it may suffice to show any state as having lost one of its most important advantages, which is stability and security control. Hence, confrontation is not limited to security, investigation, and punishment, but also includes highlighting the truth and a bold intellectual confrontation.
His Majesty the King realizes that confronting terrorism is not by giving it the opportunity to expand the circle of fear, nor by allowing it to drag society into polarization, but by cementing the prestige of the state, protecting the unity of society, and affirming that attacks will not change the nature of Jordan or the relations among its citizens, as he emphasized through several deeply significant words from Karak during his visit to the injured. This is the equation that should govern the official stance: security firmness that does not tolerate crime, and a national discourse that does not allow attackers to impose their agenda on society.
The King also declared an intellectual war on terrorism and extremism and placed us before a major challenge. Terrorism is preceded by ideas that justify hatred, discourses that strip humanity from the other, and environments that grant intolerance moral, religious, or political legitimacy. Therefore, the intellectual war requires a serious stand from all state institutions, especially socialization-related institutions, foremost among them the family, school, university, religious, cultural, and media institutions, alongside the specialized security agencies that bear the responsibility of monitoring, prevention, and law enforcement.
It is not enough to condemn extremism after a crime occurs, and then return to ignoring the conditions that allow it to infiltrate minds; what is required is a continuous review of public discourse and the creation of a massive national database to monitor aberrant trends.
It is true that Jordanian society possesses a unique ability to restore its cohesion after every crisis, which is naturally good, but what is more important is what comes after that; solidarity must be translated into clear and decisive measures.
