Torture claim divides public opinion in Jordan

A polarising public debate about freedom of speech in Jordan has turned into a fight over fake news after a self-styled religious reformist was accused of inventing claims that he was kidnapped and tortured by hardline Muslims for his unorthodox views.

Younis Kandil, the head of Mominoun [Believers] Without Borders, a “research centre” that promotes religious reform in Arab and Islamic societies, sparked an outcry last week when videos and images of him in hospital were shown on Arabic TV and social media.

Images showed Mr Kandil’s back marked with wounds, which he claimed were a result of torture inflicted on him by three masked militants who snatched him from his car in northern Amman last week.

In TV interviews from his hospital bed, a seemingly fatigued Mr Kandil described the incident as a hate crime, saying he was insulted and terrorised for his views.

Mominoun Without Borders released a statement last Saturday claiming militants burnt his tongue, broke his fingers and cut the words “Muslims Without Borders” into his back with sharp knives.

It did not identify the perpetrators but many blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, without providing any evidence.

Mominoun Without Borders described the attack as an attempt to silence Mr Kandil, who sparked controversy in Jordan last month with a lecture series on religion and Islam that he was planning to hold in the capital.

One of the planned lectures drew opposition from conservative elements in Jordan, including some members of parliament, who described the talk as a breach of the country’s Islamic character.

Jordan’s interior minister responded by banning the lecture series, which was scheduled for the first week of this month. Reports of Mr Kandil’s torture by militants surfaced just days later.

His claims of abuse, paired with the government’s ban, led to a wave of criticism from Jordanian academics, activists and media. They denounced breaches of freedom of speech and implied the government was indirectly complicit in the attack by supporting the ban on Mr Kandil’s lectures.

Jordan’s security agencies opened an investigation into Mr Kandil’s assault. But on Thursday, Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate said he had fabricated the incident with the help of a relative. It said the authorities had detained Mr Kandil and his relative for trial.

The announcement stirred an outcry among some members of the Jordanian public, who slammed Mr Kandil and what they called a conspiracy to sow discord and incite religious strife in the country.

Others accused him of dealing a blow to activists and intellectuals who are fighting for freedom of speech in the kingdom.

Mominoun Without Borders released a statement on Friday, saying that Mr Kandil’s actions did not reflect on the work of the organisation.

The group said it respected the authorities’ investigations and stressed the importance of holding perpetrators to account.