Big screens
were set up in IS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria to watch video of
Jordanian pilot being burned alive at the same time the organization
posted the execution online.
On Tuesday evening, big
screens were set up on the streets and squares of the Syrian town
Raqqa, the stronghold of the self-styled Islamic State. As word spread
of the show that was about to begin, thousands of men and young boys
gathered around the screens and the projectors.At exactly the same time, the organization posted online its
sickening execution of 26-year-old Lt. Moa'ath al-Kassasbeh, the
Jordanian F16 pilot downed on Christmas eve over IS-controlled
territory. Media outlets around the world decided the video was too
gruesome to be aired.
Jordanians show their support for the government campaign against terror during a rally in Amman. (AP)
A prominent jihadi preacher has lashed out
against Islamic State militants for burning to death a Jordanian pilot,
saying this it was "not acceptable in any religion".
Abu Mohammed al-Maqdesi, considered a spiritual mentor for many
al Qaida militants, spoke a day after being released from more than
three months in detention in Jordan.
His release and harsh criticism of IS come at a time when the
Jordanian government is trying to win broad popular backing for
intensified air strikes against the militants in response to the killing
of the pilot.
Earlier this week, IS militants released a video showing the pilot,
Lieutenant Moaz al Kasasbeh, being burned to death in a cage.
In an interview with Jordanian TV station Roya, al-Maqdesi said that
such an act "is not acceptable by any religion and by anyone".
The cleric indicated he had been involved in back-channel talks to
arrange a possible prisoner swap to win the release of the pilot, who
was captured after his plane crashed over Syria in December.
Jordan offered last week to swap an al Qaida prisoner for the pilot,
but said after the release of the video that it became clear that the
pilot had already been killed in early January.
Al-Maqdesi said the militants were never serious about arranging a swap.
"During my communication, they lied and they were evasive," he said.
"They acted like they were interested (in a swap), but in fact they were
not interested."
He also criticised IS for declaring a caliphate last year in the
areas under its control in Syria and Iraq. Al-Maqdesi said a caliphate,
or state run according to Islamic law, is meant to bring Muslims
together, but that the militants have been a divisive force.
A decade ago, al-Maqdesi was considered a mentor of the al Qaida
branch in Iraq, a precursor to the Islamic State group. However, the
cleric fell out with his proteges over their methods, including attacks
on fellow Muslims.
Jordan arrested the cleric in October after he criticised Jordan's
participation in a US-led military coalition against IS. Jordan, which
borders Syria and Iraq, joined the coalition in September.
In the wake of the killing of the pilot, Jordan said it would
intensify its attacks. Dozens of fighter jets struck IS weapons depots
and training areas yesterday, the military said.
