For weeks now, Jordan’s punditry has been debating the same issue: Will the kingdom become the next target for the Islamic State (IS)? Government officials, newspaper columnists and members of the political establishment have responded to growing fears by citizens that the extreme Salafist jihadist organization may soon direct its attention toward Jordan, in light of recent territorial gains in Syria and Iraq and the latest incursion into the Lebanese border town of Arsal.
Adding to local concerns is the fact that Jordan’s own Salafist jihadist movement is now divided over its support of IS, and the declaration by its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, of an Islamic caliphate in territories under his control. Last month, a group of Jordanian Salafists were caught on video, in the eastern city of Zarqa, chanting slogans in support of IS and pledging allegiance to Baghdadi. The video went viral on social media networks.
