The terrorism Exception Clause

The news is good coming out of Jordan, everyone writes – even Glenn Reynolds – because the Jordanians are protesting the suicide bombing attacks that killed dozens and wounded hundreds in Amman. Yes, they’re protesting suicide bombings–when the result kills Muslims. They’re perfectly fine if the bombs kill Americans, and especially if suicide bombings murder Jews.

Norm Geras had a roundup of comments last week. I’ve been saving my own roundup for a while. Here’s one of the comments that make me believe that perhaps the optimism is, shall we say, misplaced:

“Oh my God, oh my God. Is it possible that Arabs are killing Arabs, Muslims killing Muslims?” asked a weeping Najah Akhras, 35, who lost two nieces.

That doesn’t seem to me to be a ringing condemnation of suicide bombing. And this gets the award for Ironic Paragraph of the Year:

Similar thoughts were heard over and over in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday, as Palestinians expressed outrage over suicide attacks aimed at civilians.

This article, about 17 dead from one family, went around the AP wires, and therefore worldwide to newspapers:

For more than five years, Palestinian militants have carried out dozens of suicide bombings in Israel, killing hundreds of people, often with wide support from a public that believed the attacks were a justified response to Israeli military rule.

But the mood has changed in recent months following a cease-fire with Israel, and the attacks in Amman could further sway public opinion against suicide bombings.

“Palestinians have tasted the blind violence that does not differentiate between people – children, women, wedding parties, ordinary people,” said Palestinian newspaper commentator Hani al-Masri.

“I expect now a significant change in the Palestinian political culture,” he said. “For sure, this attack will push Palestinians to reconsider this way of suicide bombings, and I think it would reduce support for attacks that kill people without any differentiation.”

Say, did anyone happen to notice a drop in palestinian support for suicide bombings against Israelis? [crickets] Yeah, me neither.

There was another article in the AP, this one about how the people of Al-Zarqawi’s town are “torn” over the bombings.

Some voiced anger of al-Zarqawi’s attack on fellow Jordanians, but others were unsure that he was involved at all, saying it could have been a bogus claim.

Others blamed Israel, which despite its 1994 peace treaty with Jordan is still seen as a pariah by many here, who trace their roots back to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

“I don’t even know if the man is still alive or not,” Abed el-Momany said of al-Zarqawi. “I would not discount the Israeli Mossad. Israel is the worm in the Arab world,” he added.

Ayman Tawalby, sitting cross legged on the ground and stroking his Osama bin Laden-style beard, said he opposed any terrorist attacks inside Jordan.

“I support the resistance against the Americans in Iraq and against the Israelis everywhere,” said the unemployed 47-year-old. “Those are our enemies. But I don’t support bombing innocent civilians.”

In the town’s center, Nabil Daoud said he supported bin Laden when he fought the Soviets and, later, the Americans in Afghanistan, just like he backed al-Zarqawi’s insurgency against the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq.

“But when they started targeting Muslims, I stopped sympathizing with them,” said Daoud, who is in his early 20s. “I don’t understand it anymore.”

They’re not really torn. They simply don’t think it’s okay to target Muslims. Jews? Not a problem. Americans? Go for it. Muslims?

“Oh my God, oh my God. Is it possible that Arabs are killing Arabs, Muslims killing Muslims?”

There have been no protests from the Muslim and Arab world at the hundreds of suicide bombings in Iraq, in which Muslims are killing Muslims nearly every day. And of course, we have never seen an Arab nation protest suicide bombings in Israel.

What I’m seeing from the Jordanian marches is the same thing we’ve seen in anti-terror marches everywhere. They are rejecting terrorism only when it affects them personally. They have no problem with terrorists targeting Israelis and Americans, or other “enemies” of theirs. That is, the majority does not. A tiny minority is arguing that all suicide bombing is a crime against humanity. But they are in the minority.

When I see Jordanians protest a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that kills only Jews, then I will believe that they are having a true epiphany. For now, all I see is self-interest at work.

And Jew-hatred. Always, the Jew-hatred.