Gag order bans coverage of detained preacher Qourshah

AMMAN — The Jordan Media Commission (JMC) on Sunday banned all forms of publication regarding the case of detained Muslim scholar Amjad Qourshah, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

JMC Director General Amjad Qadi issued a circular notifying media outlets of the ban, in pursuance of Article 39 of the Press and Publications Law, Petra reported.

Following Qadi’s letter, the State Security Court prosecutor general’s office issued a gag order on the case. The order, which also applies to social media, bans the publication of any news or information related to the investigation.

The ban is intended to “protect the secrecy of the investigation”, the order said.

Qourshah, a professor of Sharia (Islamic law) at the University of Jordan and a former TV show host, was detained on June 13, reportedly over a 2014 video in which he criticised Jordan’s participation in the war against Daesh.

The prosecutor had ordered the preacher’s detention on charges of harming Jordan’s ties with a friendly state.

Qourshah, a UK graduate of inter-religious studies, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included “putting the security of the Kingdom at risk of hostile acts”.

The circular said the gag order will remain in place until the investigation is complete, Petra reported.