Nahed Hattar: Christian Jordanian Writer Shot Dead Outside Courtroom After He Shared Cartoon Mocking ISIS


Nahed Hattar, a prominent Jordanian writer was shot dead by a gunman outside a court in the city of Amman, the capital of the country on Sunday. The 56-year-old Hattar, who also happens to be a minority Christian from the country, was shot at by an unidentified gunman. Police officials say that the killing happened after Hattar shared a cartoon that was deemed offensive to Islam. In fact, Nahed Hattar was scheduled to appear in the court because a case was filed against him after he shared the offensive image.

Al Jazeera reports that Hattar was shot three times by the assailant from close range. At least one of the bullets was aimed at the victim’s head. The gunman has since then been apprehended by local police authorities. Witnesses confirmed that Nahed was preparing to enter the courthouse when the gunman approached and opened fire. No one else was injured in the shooting. A witness who saw the shooting unfold in front of his eyes told the Associated Press:

“The gunman was standing at a short distance of about one meter in front of Nahed on the stairs of the Supreme Court.”

The witness did not wanted to be named since he feared of serious repercussions.

Hattar’s shocking assassination comes just over a month after he had shared the offensive cartoon on his social media pages. The caricature showed a bearded man, apparently in heaven, surrounded by women asking God to bring him wine and cashews. After facing backlash over the cartoon, Hattar did eventually remove the cartoon later saying “it mocks terrorists and their concept of God and heaven. It does not infringe God’s divinity in any way.”

Hattar also did not reveal the source of the cartoon, and as of now, its creator remains anonymous.

A few days after he shared the cartoon, a case was filed against him by authorities who said that Hattar violated the law by widely sharing the caricature. They also reiterated that the cartoon shared by Hattar was “offensive and against their religion.” Hattar was initially charged for “inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islam.” He was released on bail earlier this month.

The killing of Hattar has sent shock waves through the Jordanian establishment and prompted government spokesman Mohammad Momani to issue a condemnation. He also promised that all necessary actions would be taken to punish the gunman.

“The government will strike with an iron hand all those who exploit this crime to broadcast speeches of hatred to our community,” Momani added.

However, hundreds of supporters of Hattar blamed government officials for his shooting, with some even pointing fingers at the country’s Prime Minister. Saad Hattar, a cousin of Nahed Hattar, had this to say about the government.

“The prime minister was the first one who incited against Nahed when he ordered his arrest and put him on trial for sharing the cartoon, and that ignited the public against him and led to his killing,”

Meanwhile, following the news of the death of Hattar’s demise, Daoud Kuttab, a famous journalist from Jordan said that his killing represents a “scary situation where people with opinions we don’t like or the government doesn’t like become susceptible to assassination. It’s a clear case of intellectual terror. The omen is that many people are now going to be worried about what they say… It’s a scary situation for people who believe in the freedom of thought and opinion and the right of expressing their opinion.”

Hattar, for his part, had on multiple occasions tried to explain his motive behind sharing the cartoon and maintained that his intention was not to hurt the sentiments of Muslims. His sole target was terrorist organization ISIS, which now controls a major section of Jordan’s neighboring country, Syria.

[Featured Image by AP Photo/Raad Adayleh]

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