Detained Muslim scholar Qourshah denied bail

AMMAN – The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday refused to grant bail to Muslim scholar Amjad Qourshah, who was detained last week reportedly over a video in which he criticised Jordan’s participation in the war against Daesh, according to his defence team.

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

“Qourshah has not committed anything that would damage Jordan’s ties with any country. The video in question dates back to 2014 and if it truly contained anything that affects the country, it would have done so a while ago,” the scholar’s lawyer, Mahmoud Dqour, told The Jordan Times on Monday.

He noted that Qourshah is currently detained at the Jweideh Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre, insisting that he is “innocent of all charges”.

“Free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, the law and international conventions,” the attorney said.

The SSC prosecutor’s decision sparked public controversy, with some supporting the decision because the scholar “promotes extremist ideology”. 

Others have condemned Qourshah’s detention and expressed their support for his opinions, while a third category has opposed his arrest on the grounds that it is against freedom of expression, but voiced their strong disagreement with his views.