Jordanian Inquisition, Egypt Frowns on Humor

(This item appeared earlier on my website)
Jordan and Shi'ism:
Saudi-owned Alarabiya TV reports (3/23) that Jordanian authorities have expelled 23 Iraqis from the country for "spreading Shi'ism". The report also claims that an investigation (a favorite Arab term for a serious interrogation where hands and fists are often used) has been conducted with six members of an Islamic movement "accused of 'Shi'ism". The six "confessed" to having received religious teachings from a Shi'ite activist.
The report claims that Jordanian authorities have called in several 'families' for interrogation, in order to find out about their "religious and political loyalties".
So far, there have been no reports of any burnings at the stake in Jordan, and there may never be.....since this was a purely European invention used mostly to counter the spread of heresy and the persistence of Judaism.

Egyptian Humor:
Egyptians are a humorous people, perhaps the only funny people in the whole Arab World, one that often uses self-deprecating humor to overcome life's hardships. Normally an Egyptian, any Egyptian, even Ayman al-Zawahiri or Husni Mubarak (I know the latter may be a stretch), has more humor than a basket of 21 Arabs representing all other Arab countries (to use an economic yardstick). Therefore it was sad to read this week that the Egyptian government has banned a lecture on "humor", merely because the lecturer belonged to an opposition group. Scartch Husni Mubarak from the list up there. Now most Arab authorities, especially the Jordanians (see the above item) will never have to cancel any such event, because there is no serious humor in most of these countries, at least none that we can take seriously.

So, both the freedom of religion and the freedom of humor are alive and well in the 'moderate' allied states of Egypt and Jordan. Now about Saudi Arabia, that other cornerstone of the axis of democracy and moderation in the New Middle East.......

Cheers
Mohammed