As Jets Roar Overhead, Jordan Remembers Its Fallen Pilot
Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh's village curves around mountainous slopes not far from the ancient city of Karak, where the walls of a sprawling castle were once washed in blood as the Crusaders lost out to the forces of the mighty Muslim warrior Saladin in the 12th century.
Today, the village's narrow streets were clogged with civilian and military vehicles bringing mourners to pay respect to the memory of the 28-year-old Kaseasbeh, whose fiery death his village and country are still coming to terms with.
Four of Kaseasbeh's fellow air force pilots made a pass over the village, before dividing into two pairs that wheeled and came again, this time much lower.
Committed To The Fight
Kaseasbeh's father, Safi, emerged from the funeral hall and worked through a sea of well-wishers to dispel any concerns that the family, from a prominent Jordanian tribe, would be attacking the government for its decision to join the coalition fighting the self-declared Islamic State — known here by its Arabic acronym, Daesh.
"A couple days ago I prepared this place to celebrate my son's return, only to learn of his murder by Daesh," the father said.
But he also said that Wednesday's executions of two Iraqis, convicted of terrorism in Jordan, were not sufficient revenge. He said the goal for everyone — Arabs, Muslims and the outside world — must be to destroy Daesh before it ruins the name of Islam around the world.
Kaseasbeh's wife Anwar al-Tarawneh, center, holds a poster of him with Arabic that reads, "We are all Muath," during a rally in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Tuesday.
The comments mark a shift from the days before the gruesome video of Kaseasbeh's death, when the family had joined many in southern Jordan in questioning their country's role in the coalition against the Islamic State.
None of those questions came up Wednesday, nor did criticism of the air force for failing to rescue Kaseasbeh when his plane crashed in December in territory controlled by the Islamic State.
As mourning prayers for Kaseasbeh began, his older brother Jawdad remembered him as a "lovely" man, a quiet village boy who surprised people by rising to become an air force pilot.
Now, said Jawdad, his horrific killing leaves no doubt about the "ugly and disgusting people" they're dealing with — people he said must be stopped.
"But really now, Daesh war, it is my war — and it is war for all Muslims, and for all countries," he said.
'They Feed Off The Lives Of Others'
Whether war against Daesh really becomes Jordan's war remains an open question.
Sympathy for the extremists is relatively high in this part of the country and questions are growing about whether Jordan had reason to believe that the young pilot was dead weeks before the talk of a possible prisoner swap became public.
In any case, all of Jordan now knows the stakes are high. A cousin of the dead pilot, Ala'a Kaseasbeh, didn't quite succeed in keeping the emotion from his voice as he addressed the neighboring states and the young people watching the horror unfold.
"My message to Turkey is: Guard your country dearly, because Daesh is very close," he said. "And I call on all young people to be very careful when you decide about joining an Islamic fighting group. These groups only want money, and they feed off the lives of others."
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Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
We begin this hour in Jordan, a fractious country that's seeing an unusual degree of unity right now. The collective shock and anger is a response to the killing of Jordanian air force pilot, Muath al-Kaseasbeh. The self-proclaimed Islamic State posted a video yesterday showing him being burned to death. Jordan responded today by executing two Iraqi militants. NPR's Peter Kenyon traveled to the village in southern Jordan where people gathered to mourn for the family of the pilot.
PETER KENYON, BYLINE: Muath Kaseasbeh's village curves around mountainous slopes not far from the ancient city of Karak, where the walls of a sprawling Crusader castle were once washed in blood as Christian forces lost out to those of the mighty Muslim warrior Saladin. Today, the village's narrow streets were clogged with civilian and military vehicles bringing mourners to pay respect to the memory of the 28-year-old pilot, whose fiery death his village and country are still coming to terms with.
(SOUNDBITE OF AIRPLANES FLYING)
KENYON: Four of his fellow air force pilots made a pass over the village before dividing into two pairs that wheeled and made another pass, this time much lower.
(SOUNDBITE OF AIRPLANES FLYING)
KENYON: Kaseasbeh's father, Safi, emerges from the mourning hall and works through a sea of well-wishers to dispel any concerns that the family, from a prominent Jordanian tribe, will be attacking the government for its decision to join the coalition fighting ISIS, known here by its Arabic acronym, Daesh.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SAFI KASEASBEH: (Foreign language spoken).
KENYON: "A couple days ago, I prepared this place to celebrate my son's return, only to learn of his murder by Daesh," the father says. He doesn't think the government's predawn execution of two Iraqi militants, one of whom Jordan had offered up in a swap to save Kaseasbeh's life, is sufficient revenge. He says the goal for everyone - Arabs, Muslims and the outside world - must be to destroy Daesh before it ruins the name of Islam around the world.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).
KENYON: The comments mark a shift from the days before the gruesome video of Kaseasbeh's death, when the family had joined many in southern Jordan in questioning their countries partnering with the U.S. and others in the anti-ISIS coalition. None of those questions came up here today, nor did criticism raised in recent weeks of the air force for failing to rescue Kaseasbeh when his plane crashed in enemy territory in December.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).
KENYON: As morning prayers for Kaseasbeh begin, older brother Jawdad remembers him as a lovely man, a quiet village boy who surprised people by rising to become an air force pilot. Now, says Jawdad, his horrific killing leaves no doubt about the ugly and disgusting people they're dealing with, people who he says must be stopped.
JAWDAD KASEASBEH: But really, now Daesh war, it is my war. And it is war for all Muslims and for all countries.
KENYON: Whether war against Daesh really becomes Jordan's war remains an open question.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).
KENYON: Even though anger at ISIS ran high in the mourning tent today, in general, sympathy for the extremists is relatively strong in this part of the country. And questions are growing about whether Jordan had reason to believe that the young pilot was dead weeks before the talk of a possible prisoner swap became public. In any case, all of Jordan now knows how high the stakes are. A cousin of the dead pilot, Ala'a Kaseasbeh, doesn't quite succeed in keeping the emotion from his voice as he addresses other neighbors of Iraq and Syria and impressionable young people everywhere watching the horror unfold.
ALA'A KASEASBEH: (Through interpreter) My message to Turkey is guard your country dearly because Daesh is very close. And I call on all young people to be very careful when you decide about joining an Islamic fighting group. These groups only want money, and they feed off the lives of others.
KENYON: Jordan's King Abdullah, who's been under growing pressure since Kaseasbeh's capture, is suddenly enjoying a rare blossoming of public support, one brought on by breathtaking display of cruelty to a quiet young man from a village in the mountains east of Karak. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Jordan. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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