Article By Christian Daily International
In a rare attack in a country known for peaceful inter-faith coexistence, suspected Islamic extremists attacked a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan on Friday, shooting at least seven people to death and wounding 28 others, according to reports.
The gunmen opened fire on the gathering at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hmood, Karak Province, with a public security agency official saying later in a news conference that the mass shooting was a terrorist attack against Christians attending a funeral, CNN reported. Karak is about 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of Amman.
In a post on X, King Abdullah said Jordan will harshly respond against those responsible for the “terrorist act.”
“The blood of Jordanians is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against anyone who oversteps against this country,” the king posted.
A religious rights source whose name is withheld messaged other activists that video indicated the assailants were Islamic extremists, and that local Christians asserted the gunmen were young Muslims.
One of the assailants was armed with an AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle, CNN reports, citing a witness who spoke with state-run Al-Mamlaka television. Another witness told CNN the assault “lasted a long time,” and gunmen shouted the jihadist slogan, “Allahu Akbar [God is greater]” as they targeted the church courtyard where most of the mourners were standing.
She told CNN it was a “massacre,” adding, “they struck people who were gathered to grieve and mourn. I never ever imagined anything like this would ever happen anywhere in Jordan.”
Security camera footage on social media showed three gunmen firing weapons on the street before heading toward the church site, according to CNN.
Christians make up 2 to 3% of Jordan’s population, but the town where shooting took place has long been predominantly Christian. A witness told Al-Mamlaka television that there were more than 150 people within and outside the church building at the time of the attack, according to CNN.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Farrayeh described the attack as a “terrorist operation carried out by a group of extremists” and that security personnel had been dispatchd to the area to search for the assailants, according to news outlet al-Monitor.
Though anti-Christian violence is rare in Jordan, a Lebanese Christian choir in Amman was attacked in 2008, and officials foiled an attempted attack on church buildings and a Christian cemetery that year, as well as a plot to bomb a Roman Catholic church in 2009, al-Monitor reported.
Other major attacks have occurred that did not target Christians exclusively, such as suicide bombings of three hotels in Amman that killed at least 57 people in November 2005, according to the news outlet. A police training facility near Amman was attacked in November 2015, with a Jordanian officer killing five people, including two Americans, and in June 2016 suspected Islamic State militants on a border post reportedly killed seven Jordanian security personnel.
In Karak in December 2016, gunmen killed 14 people, including security personnel and civilians, and three U.S. special forces soldiers were killed by a Jordanian guard at King Faisal Air Base in November 2016, according to al-Monitor.
The Rev. Botrus Mansour, secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), expressed deep sorrow and strong condemnation over the attack in a press statement.
“The WEA condemns the attack by masked men that targeted a church funeral in the village of Hmoud in the Karak Governorate, south of Amman, leaving seven dead and 28 injured,” Mansouor said. “The World Evangelical Alliance rejects, without qualification, all forms of violence and any assault on the God-given right to life and personal security, regardless of any claimed motives or justifications.”
Extending sincere solidarity to the victims, the injured and their families and offering condolences on behalf of the WEA, Mansour called on the faithful to offer prayers for the families of the victims, for those who have been injured, and for Jordan.
“We pray that God may protect our nation, grant wisdom to the country’s leaders and its security services, and sustain the blessing of security and stability in Jordan,” he said. “In line with the values of faith, justice, and peace, the World Evangelical Alliance emphasizes that Jordan’s national unity and social cohesion are foundational to preserving stability and safeguarding social security. Any attempt to exploit this tragedy to sow division, incite sectarian tension, or spread hatred must be firmly rejected.”
Jordan remains and will continue to remain a safe place for all its people, regardless of religion or origin, he said.
“The World Evangelical Alliance further underscores the importance of protecting social cohesion, affirming that the right to life and security, freedom to worship and practice religious rites, and the protection of places of worship are essential responsibilities for both the state and society,” he said. “These commitments ensure that all citizens’ rights and dignity are upheld without discrimination.”
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