Shi'ite missionaries go on trial in Jordan in a first
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
AMMAN Ñ Jordan is conducting its first trial of Shi'ite missionaries, at the same time it has launched a counter-insurgency offensive.
Officials said six Shi'ites have been prosecuted in a military court on charges of spreading the Shi'ite faith. They said this marked the first such trial as part of an effort to crack down on both Sunni and Shi'ite insurgency movements.
"We're not talking about practicing Shi'ism," an official said. "They are being charged with trying to convert Sunnis and recruit them for terrorism."
Jordan's population is more than 95 percent Sunni. But officials said Shi'ite organizations financed by Iran have sought to establish a presence in the Hashemite kingdom.
The military trial of the unidentified defendants began in mid-August. Officials said the six men pleaded not guilty.
Jordan is the latest country to have arrested and prosecuted suspected Shi'ite missionaries. Egypt and Morocco were also reported to have jailed those charged with trying to propagate the Shi'ite faith.
Officials said the Shi'ites were said to have operated in Palestinian refugee camps. They said some Palestinian groups have been financed by Iran and Hizbullah to convert Sunnis to Shi'ites.