In the hours following the bombings in Amman, Muslims took the streets of that city to demand justice. They also took to the Web, and this weekend the outrage and anger only seemed to grow in intensity.
As a blogger at Muhajabah points out, Al Qaeda is firmly on the defensive as Jordanians march around with signs saying "Zarqawi Must Burn in Hell." That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the cause.
It seems that this attack which killed innocent Muslim lives has lifted the veil off Al Qaeda's face and revealed something that cannot be excused as freedom fighting any longer.
The blogger E Mullah says it is time for Muslims to stop making excuses and wake up. "These people are just mercenaries and are not following the true spirit of Islam," he writes.
And Muslim scholar Dr. Hesham Hassaballa, always a thoughtful voice, is explaining to his readers that even the anger some Muslims feel toward the United States for the occupation of Iraq and the assistance given to Israel does not justify violence.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere, the identities of the bombers are being discussed. One of them, Safah Mohammed Ali, is of particular concern. This man may have been detained by U.S. troops in Iraq and then released. Black Iris has the report. While it is not confirmed that he and the man detained are one in the same, the case is strong.
And finally, the one bomber taken alive was a 35-year-old woman named Sajida Mubarak Atrous al Rishawi. She obviously does not fit the profile we have come to expect, the angry 18-year-old Muslim man. There have been women used as suicide bombers before, but never a married couple of this age. Bloggers are reacting to the luck of this arrest--her bomb did not detonate.
At No War in the Name of God, the blogger believes that God kept her alive to bear witness to the Muslim world that these acts of violence are nonsensical.
Israeli blogger Micah Halpern has a more practical take on the matter, saying that the "asset" of having a live suicide bomber in custody is invaluable. Hopefully they will extract as much information as possible from her. Jordanian officials have already said that she will be tried, and if convicted she will be executed.
And there is, of course, other news that we are watching today. Today on Capitol Hill, members of the Senate Intelligence committee are meeting to map out a strategy for approaching "Phase II" of the investigation into the bad intelligence that led us to the war in Iraq.
And we'll also ask two terrorism experts if America is prepared for attacks like the ones we saw in Jordan. Are our hotels and public places secure?
Join us.
