AMMAN - Jordan’s parliament has approved a law bringing Muslim preachers under government control despite objections from Islamist MPs, a parliamentary source said Tuesday.The law, due to be approved by the senate on Wednesday, covers Islamic sermons and classes in mosques and requires preachers and teachers to get written approval from the ministry of religious affairs. The government said the law was “necessary in the fight against terrorism”, the source said.
Jordan’s 17 Islamist MPs abstained from voting on Sunday, slamming the law in a statement as “a step backward for public freedom and democracy in Jordan”.
| And you have to be a real Islamist to understand public freedom and democracy in an Arab state. |