Shi'ite missionaries go on trial in Jordan in a first
AMMAN — 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, Middle East Newsline reported.
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.
