From Reuters:
AMMAN - The Canadian and Australian embassy in Jordan shut their doors to the public on Sunday because of an undisclosed security threat a day after Britain closed its embassy in Amman for the same reason, diplomats said."The two embassies closed until further notice due to the security situation. It's possibly related to the same security threat received by the British embassy," one Western diplomat who requested anonymity told Reuters.
Britain closed its embassy in Jordan on Saturday because of fears of attacks on Westerners. Jordanian authorities said the closure was unnecessary...
Police had tightened security around Western missions and hotels since the triple bombings that shattered Jordan's sense of being an island of stability in a troubled region.
I guess somebody was planning a wedding at one of the embassies?
"We now raise a toast to the bride and groom!"
BOOM!
Jordanian Muslims: how dare terrorists attack MUSLIMS, they need to focus on non-Muslims. Destroying embassies is a good way for Al Qaeda to show they are sorry for killing innocent Muslims, instead focusing on the "proper" targets.
Closing embassies and consulates has an additional benefit. Closed embassies mean no visas. In fact, closing an embassy "due to security concerns" is a more PC way of saying, "We do not trust your citizens enough to give them viasas."
Not so fast. Saudi Arabia and Jordan have "fast tracked" visa's, a process by which they can get their visas through a travel agency.
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"Closing embassies and consulates has an additional benefit. Closed embassies mean no visas. In fact, closing an embassy "due to security concerns" is a more PC way of saying, "We do not trust your citizens enough to give them viasas."
-- from a posting above
Exactly right. And since Christian informants in Aleppo have explained their bewilderment that American embassy officials were giving visas to what these infomrations described as "the worst Muslims" one can only conclude that many locals,or American Muslims who speak Arabic, have something to do, much too much to do, with the continuing handout of visas, when they should be carefully vetted by non-Muslims, and non-isalmochristians. To the extent possible, embassies of the United States and other Western countries should be shut down, on one excuse or another, in as many Muslim countries as possible. No visas, student or tourist, no access to Western medicine or Western education, or Western funfairs, or Western shopping or Western freedoms. Condemnted to the solitary confinement of Dar al-Islam.
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That's an initial goal to aim for. The first, tentative step.
The problem with closing the British Embassy in Amman for even a few days, is that Jordan, at this time of year especially, is a very popular country for winter holidays for we British. The jihadists have, therefore, achieved their aim - they have disrupted normal life for tens of thousands of ordinary British people who are merely seeking to enjoy some winter sunshine in a country that has, historically, always been Britain's friend and occasional ally. That this has been achieved without actually doing anything does seem to indicate that fear of attack is enough in itself - they've obviously got us on the run. Of course, the humanitarian question remains - how much should we expect our diplomats to risk their lives for us, they are not, after all, trained soldiers.
"tens of thousands"
Indeed.
More like ten! A trip to Jordan (and one day I want to see Petra, Rose red city half as old as time, but that day is not yet!) is not cheap and not mainstream taste.
No, most Brits wanting winter sun will be in Tenerife, Majorker (spelt phonetically) or Florida. Like dear Tony Banks, may he rest in peace.
Granny Weatherwax, the figures for British tourists visiting Jordan from January to September 2005 are 40,557 and there was a grand total of 436,531 Europeans visited. Out of a total 4,844,086 visitors to Jordan 97,618 were citizens of the USA. It isn't particularly expensive for the average Briton to go to Jordan - in fact, no more expensive than to go to Florida (which is one of my favourite destinations in the winter, by the way). None of that was my point, however. My point was that now even just the suspicion of terrorist activities can close an Embassy and inconvenience us all and that is just what the jihadists want and what they must not be allowed to have.
Really Sheik yer'mami "Piss on Jordan". Very mature argument, what.
Certiorari
That is more people than I expected; a friend and I were looking at tours taking in Petra a year or two ago. Her children being grown she was serious, I was dreaming. Nowithstanding the political situation she decided it was beyond her means and went to Britanny instead.
The nearest I have been to Jordan is looking across the Dead Sea. How many of these visitors were likely to have been day trips from Israel I wonder. But I take your point.
Granny Weatherwax, I took a tour through the Holy Land, Jordan and Egypt four years ago just see for myself how bad (or good) things were. The Jihadists are making life difficult but not impossible, but nonetheles my trip was incredible - no words of mine can do justice to Petra. Go, as soon as you can afford it. Sod the bloody jihadists, just go and have fun because that really gets up their noses. Do as I did and spend your final few days on the Gulf of Aqaba just relaxing in the greatest marine environment on earth - the snorkelling was incredible.
Certiorari Did you take your nickname from the writ?
I have heard that said about the snorkling in the Red Sea. I floundered in the Dead Sea which is said to be impossible!
The ad for the Jordan Ministry of Tourism should be resisted. Any non-Muslim who cannot find enough entertainment outside Dar al-Islam, and chooses to support Muslim economies and Muslim peoples, at this moment in history, when there is a prospect of Western Europe itself becoming islamized, without much being done to oppose it, in large part a result, direct and indirect, of the vast transfer of wealth from the advanced non-Muslim nations to the Muslim oil states, and the belief that the Muslims must be placated, is doing damage to himself and to his fellow non-Muslims.
It is true that here and there local Muslims did not entirely destroy the evidence of Roman ruins or pre-Islamic civilizations. There are Roman ruins in Algeria, in Libya, in Lebanon's Balbek, and of course there is Petra. Quite something. But not quite something enough either to risk one's life, or to support the economy of people who do not wish us well.
As for Aqaba, why should any Western tourist choose to go to a place as potentially risky as Jordan (there have been attacks on Western tourists or visitors or diplomats, often repeeated attacks, with resulting deaths, murdered, for being Western Infidels, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and if I have left out Libya and Bangladesh and a few other places, it is only because no particular attack occurs to me at the moment.
And even were it safe -- which it is not -- why would one need to go to the beaches of Aqaba, where one never quite knows of Western behavior will be tolerated, not just by the tame and carefully vetted staff (one assumes) of the particular hotels in question, but by other Muslims in the vicinity, who may be maddened by Western ways, including the dress code unobserved by its women on the beach.
There are better beaches, free from worry, and the possibility of attacks, all over the world. Why not visit them? Why support Muslim economies, for any reason? Why take risks unnecessarily?
Indeed, a snorkeler will meet the same beautiful fish of the Red Sea when swimming from Israeli Eliat, as from the other place(s).
Granny Weatherwax - Yes, certiorari being the passive form of certiorare it therefore means 'be informed' which is a reminder to myself. I did indeed take it from the English writ - is it the same in the USA?
Hugh - I should stay away from the ancient cradle of our civilization in case I get attacked. I think not, for I am not such a coward. I am a freeborn Englishman whose country has been bombed on and off by various people since 1939. I'll be damned if I let some mad jihadist tell me where I can and cannot travel. I should stay away because I should not spend money in the Islamofascist states. I think not, tourism money is but a drop in the ocean compared to the vast oil wealth they hold.
I go to these places, almost all the places on your list, to inform myself rather than simply taking your word for what is going on (ah, is that what annoys you?) and I go also to annoy the hell out of the jihadist fundamentalist islamofascists. They know our presence as diplomats, travellers and tourists undermines their authority which is why they attack all three groups and why they seek to close Embassies and Consulates. Their approach to all three groups is, in some respects, similar to the approach adopted by the old USSR which is precisely why we should go - to annoy them and to let the poor, ordinary, brainwashed citizens of these states see other human beings just like them, not the devils their mad mullahs and muftis paint us to be. Obviously, I visit many other countries too, including the good old USA. I am, in fact, very fond of your country and your people. Next to my beloved Britain it is the only other place, I think, that I would want to live.
As for the prospect of Europe becoming islamised - I doubt it. There are 17 million (at most) Mohammedans in a total population of 420 million people. That number is set to increase to 25 million in 440 million over the next ten years. As long as our own spineless, politically correct brigade of press and politicians are kept under control then islamisation is pretty unlikely. Apart from the numbers, you can have no idea, because you don't live here, just how actively resistant, in small everyday ways, the vast bulk of Europeans are when it comes to Mohammedans and Mohammedanism.
is it (Certiorari)the same in the USA?
I don't know. Their system is based on English Common Law so they do have some of the same basic institutions, adapted through 250 years of separate development. There are some US posters with legal expertise, if you spot this, let us know please :-)
So far as the argument about visiting Muslim countries is concerned Hugh and I have touched on this before briefly. I can see both sides of the debate. Let us hope that by the time I emerge into the AOSKI status(Affluent Oldie Spending the Kid's Inheritance) I aspire to things have changed.
I am a freeborn Englishman whose country has been bombed on and off by various people since 1939. I'll be damned if I let some mad jihadist tell me where I can and cannot travel. I should stay away because I should not spend money in the Islamofascist states. I think not, tourism money is but a drop in the ocean compared to the vast oil wealth they hold.
As a freeborn Englishwoman I totally agree. I've been all over the Middle East and regret not one moment of it. No bugger is going to stop me going where I want to go, and I will make my own mind up about places I visit. As for safety, well if your number's up, so be it.
Interested - Glad to see there are still a few of us stubborn and loyal English people left. Thanks for the support on this.
Well, if the Foreign Office says don't go there, go there. It's cheap. And you learn. And it's never like people tell you.