Cowardly and alien to Jordanian culture

The killing of columnist Nahed Hattar yesterday morning, while on his way to attend a court hearing, is a despicable and cowardly act that is alien to Jordanian culture.

Hattar had been accused of ridiculing Islam by disseminating a caricature deemed disrespectful. He had since expressed regret for sharing the image on social media and repeatedly said that it had never been his intention to attack the true message of Islam.

Authorities had him in protective custody for a while, but two weeks ago he was released and was to face an open court session that would have either exonerated him or had him condemned.

The wheels of justice were grinding, and he would have had his day in court, but some misguided fanatic decided to take the law into his hands and murdered him.

The act was terribly wrong and an arbitrary condemnation of a man who must have been regarded, like all accused people in civilised countries, innocent until proven guilty.

Silencing someone, through death no less, before his day in court is neither warranted nor in keeping with the Jordanian sense of justice.

Now Hattar will not be able to explain his association with a caricature deemed hostile by many and Jordanians will be denied the opportunity to comprehend the essence of the offence with which Hattar was charged.

The killer was apprehended and he will probably shed light on his motive for taking away the life of a fellow human being.

But he should have not had the chance to get near the columnist who had enemies not only related to religion but also for his position on the Syrian conflict and had reportedly received death threats.

Whatever Hattar thought or wrote about is something that could have been rebutted in a rational and peaceful way.

His murder is unconscionable and the perpetrator has to be meted the right punishment for it.

Jordan is a state of laws and no one has the right — or should be allowed — to take the law into his hands.

This has to be made clear to anybody who entertains different thoughts.