[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 152 (Wednesday, November 16, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H10343-H10345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONDEMNING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN JORDAN

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 546) condemning in the strongest terms the 
terrorist attacks that occurred on November 9, 2005, in Amman, Jordan, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 546

       Whereas on November 9, 2005, a series of terrorist bombs 
     exploded at the Radisson, Hyatt, and Days Inn hotels in 
     Amman, Jordan, resulting in the deaths of scores of civilians 
     and the injuries of hundreds of others;
       Whereas the people and Government of the Hashemite Kingdom 
     of Jordan have been targeted in several terrorist attacks 
     over the past few years;
       Whereas Jordan has arrested suspected terrorists with 
     possible ties to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization, 
     including suspected killers of a United States diplomat, 
     Lawrence Foley, who headed the United States Agency for 
     International Development (USAID) mission in Jordan but was 
     shot on October 28, 2002, while leaving for work, marking the 
     first lethal attack on a United States official in Jordan in 
     more than 30 years;
       Whereas Jordan is a stalwart ally of the United States in 
     the global war on terrorism; and
       Whereas on November 10, 2005, President George W. Bush 
     expressed his heartfelt sympathies for the people of Jordan 
     and his condolences to the families of the victims during his 
     visit to the Embassy of Jordan: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks 
     that occurred on November 9, 2005, in Amman, Jordan;
       (2) joins with President George W. Bush in expressing its 
     condolences to the families and friends of those individuals 
     who were killed in the attacks and in expressing its 
     sympathies to those individuals who have been injured;
       (3) expresses solidarity and support of the people and 
     Government of the United States with the people and 
     Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as they recover 
     from these cowardly and inhuman attacks; and
       (4) expresses its readiness to support and assist the 
     Jordanian authorities in their efforts to bring to justice 
     those individuals responsible for the recent attacks in 
     Jordan and to pursue, disrupt, undermine, and dismantle the 
     networks which plan and carry out such attacks.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Schiff) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Last Wednesday the world once again looked in horror at the 
destruction caused by Islamic extremist homicide bombers, this time in 
Jordan. We were compelled to act and first express our deepest 
condolences to the victims of this radical movement that has perverted 
the Koran to fit their extreme twisted ideology of hatred.
  Perhaps, most importantly, we were compelled to offer every possible 
form

[[Page H10344]]

of cooperation in investigating these al Qaeda attacks and in assisting 
in efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice, led by al-Zarqawi. 
Jordan is our strategic ally in an international war on terror. Jordan 
has demonstrated its commitment to secure its borders to prevent 
foreign fighters from entering Iraq to attack our U.S. forces and our 
Coalition forces as well as innocent Iraqis. It has cooperated in 
providing critical information that may have helped prevent countless 
deaths at the hands of these Islamic extremists.
  Just as critical has been Jordan's leadership in addressing the 
conditions that breed instability and are manipulated by the likes of 
al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists to recruit and advance their 
notorious agenda. Jordan has been a leader in reforming politically and 
economically for the benefit of its people serving as an example for 
other Arab Nations.
  King Abdullah's efforts to facilitate and serve as a positive force 
between Israel and the Palestinians towards peace are noteworthy. Mr. 
Speaker, the attacks in Amman last week remove the facade that these 
dastardly acts by Islamic extremists are about anything other than 
death, destruction and hunger for power, control and continued 
oppression.
  These attacks clearly demonstrate the callous and cowardly nature of 
the Islamic extremist enemy that we are facing, an enemy that is 
willing to bomb a wedding reception, kill innocent people of all 
backgrounds and injure over 100 others in order to advance their 
radical al Qaeda agenda.
  Freedom threatens them. Al Qaeda mastermind al-Zarqawi, who is 
believed to be behind the bombings in Jordan last week, acknowledged in 
a February 17, 2004 letter to al Qaeda operatives, he says our enemy is 
growing stronger day after day. By God, this is suffocation. We will be 
on the roads again.
  One of Osama bin Laden's closest associates wrote in a book published 
in September 2003 that a far more dangerous threat is secularist 
democracy. He cautions against democracy's seduction as it drives 
Muslims to refuse to take part in jihad.
  I would like to commend the government and the people of Jordan for 
their courage and their commitment to true democratic reforms. Congress 
thanks the Jordanian people for their support in the cooperation and 
the aftermath of our 9/11 attacks, and we stand by Jordan as it tries 
to give face to this Islamic extremist movement that seeks to pervert 
Islam and to give Muslims worldwide a bad name.
  We render our support in your efforts to bring to justice those 
Islamic extremist operatives, and we will continue to work together to 
pursue, to disrupt, to undermine and to dismantle the al Qaeda and 
other Islamic radical networks that have made possible the attacks like 
the ones in Amman on November 9.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 
546 and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I first want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen), the chairwoman for the Subcommittee on Middle East and 
Central Asia, for offering this important and timely resolution.

                              {time}  1545

  I would also like to acknowledge my friend and ranking member of the 
Middle East Subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), 
for his role in the crafting of the measure.
  Mr. Speaker, 1 week ago today, hateful and heartless fanatics 
committed a vile crime against the people of Jordan. The terrorists' 
immediate victims were the unsuspecting guests of three hotels, in one 
particularly sickening case, a wedding party at the height of its 
celebration where both bride and groom were of the Islamic faith.
  This brutal attack killed scores of civilians, injured hundreds of 
others, and forever scarred the hearts of the victims' loved ones. 
Through these heinous acts against their own brothers and sisters, the 
terrorists demonstrate once again that they are not merely enemies of 
Western Civilization but of all civilization.
  But the broader target of this assault was the public of a country 
that has been a stalwart ally of the United States in the global war on 
terrorism. This is not the first time that the people of Jordan have 
been victimized in a terrorist attack, but it is by far the most 
extensive offense against innocent civilians in Jordan by ruthless 
fanatics since the war on terrorism began.
  To their great credit, the Jordanian people are not retreating in 
defeat, but are declaring their defiance. They are not making excuses 
for these vile enemies of all mankind, but are demanding 
accountability. They are not cowering in their homes, but taking to the 
streets in protest.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us condemns last week's 
reprehensible events in Amman and expresses our solidarity with the 
people of Jordan. It also declares our country's readiness to support 
Jordanian authorities in their efforts to bring the perpetrators to 
justice and to eradicate the networks that plot and carry out such 
attacks.
  As our country knows all too well after September 11, and as all 
others who have sustained years of wanton terrorist carnage in the name 
of religious fundamentalism know all too well, there can be but one 
response to such inhumanity: unified resolve to bring it swiftly and 
irreversibly to an end.
  This vicious crime must also serve as a cautionary tale to those in 
the Arab world who are content to stand by and watch as Iraqi security 
forces and American troops battle to defeat the vicious insurgency and 
the foreign jihadis who are indiscriminate in their slaughter.
  We may be the primary targets of Zarqawi today, but he and his ilk 
are determined to destroy modernity and retard social and political 
progress throughout the Muslim world in the name of a perverted 
interpretation of Islam. As the carnage in Amman made clear, the war on 
terror is a shared endeavor in which the Arab people must play a 
central role in the victory over terror.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution expresses our profound outrage at this 
vicious attack and our profound sympathy and solidarity with our 
Jordanian friends at this time of their sorrow. I urge all of my 
colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley).
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman from Florida 
(Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for yielding me time and commend her for bringing 
forward this resolution, this resolution of both sorrow and outrage.
  King Abdullah said it best when he expressed his country's collective 
outrage by declaring the world must join in the war on terror. The 
world must join in the war on terror.
  I know at times countries are loath to engage on issues that they 
feel are not theirs, but we are now starting to see a global and 
collective problem that must be dealt with. We have seen recently in 
France horrific rioting in their streets, not necessarily tied to al 
Qaeda, but it is by a radical Muslim group that is feeling oppressed 
and put upon.
  When I went to the Vatican for Pope John Paul's funeral, I spoke to 
the head of the Vatican state, the president who is a Cardinal. He 
suggested too one of Italy's greatest growing menaces is a gathering of 
radical Muslim extremists who are taking root in Italy, and he fears 
for the country and for the stability in the region.
  Other groups like Hezbollah, al Qaeda, Islamic jihad are excited when 
incidents like an Amman, Jordan occur because they feel that they have 
us on the run.
  We recognize that there are so many people of Muslim faith in the 
world, Arabs and others, who truly believe in peace and tranquility and 
the best that life has to offer for their children; but there are those 
who distort the Koran, as the gentlewoman has clearly suggested. They 
distort the meaning of the higher purposes and they use that to twist 
the logic and convince unsuspecting young people that in order to 
attain an ultimate joy in heaven that they too should commit acts of 
violence, of suicide.

[[Page H10345]]

  This is a sad commentary on those innocent people who choose a 
desperate path of destruction based on the tutelage of someone who 
simply does not care. Interestingly enough, many of those who are 
training the suicide bombers stand aside and watch as other innocents 
kill themselves convinced they are doing something right. How sad that 
they have twisted the minds of individuals to the degree that they 
would not only kill themselves but kill other human beings, and they 
sit there and watch and celebrate after the fact.
  We are joined together as the United States of America in this battle 
not because it is one of our choosing, but it is one we accept based on 
our ability to help guide and govern the world to a safer, better place 
for all people.
  The Middle East and other places have been rocked by turmoil over 
decades, but now this greater and growing menace of al Qaeda threatens 
friends, allies and, yes, even enemies. Even people that may not agree 
with us on certain geo-political issues may find themselves sacrificed 
at the hand of this evil group of people.
  So I join with King Abdullah in his declaration; and I urge Members 
of Congress, I know there are political and partisan battles going on, 
I know there is disagreement on the war in Iraq, I know there is a 
tendency to sit here and criticize constantly our Commander in Chief, 
but there is one thing for certain, if we are going to divide, we will 
not conquer. If we are going to criticize publicly and openly, then we 
will not give our troops in the field the strength to fight the battle 
ahead.
  However and whatever reasons we came to Iraq, we now know that it is 
not just about Iraq. The World Trade Center bombings in 1993 and 2001 
were not about our presence in Iraq, because we were not there then. Al 
Qaeda knows no boundaries. They know no group that they will not 
willingly sacrifice for their higher mission. And when they detonate a 
bomb in a wedding ceremony among fellow Arabs, among fellow Muslims in 
order to prove a point that they simply can, indicates how sad and 
despicable this group is.
  So I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) and the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and members of the 
committee who found it appropriate not only to signal our displeasure 
but to record in the annals of the Congressional Record, because I know 
in my heart if we stand together we will, in fact, beat this scourge 
around the world and save humanity.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we now enjoy a tragic kinship with the people of Jordan, 
just as we enjoy with the people of London, the people of Madrid; and 
we all remember what it was like on September 11. Perhaps one of the 
only positive repercussions at the time was the outpouring of support 
that we enjoyed from around the world as countries around the globe 
expressed their solidarity with the United States in confronting this 
new and terrible force.
  We now join the people of Jordan in their time of sorrow, in their 
time of need. We express our solidarity with our Jordanian friends. Our 
hearts break with their losses and our resolve is united with theirs to 
combat this terrible evil confronting the world. I want to just, in 
closing, once again thank our wonderful chairwoman of the subcommittee.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle in supporting this Resolution, which condemns in the strongest 
possible terms the barbaric terrorist attacks in Jordan last Wednesday.
  These attacks at three Amman hotels--including an attack on a wedding 
party--killed 58 innocent men, women and children, and are yet another 
demonstration of the uncivilized, unrepentant evil that possesses the 
Al Qaeda terrorist organization, which claimed responsibility. And this 
was, sadly, not the first time Jordan has suffered at the hands of 
terrorists because it maintains close relations with the West.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to commend King Abdullah for his forthright 
public comments after these attacks. As reported in the Washington Post 
today, the King stated: ``What the attack did was show to everybody 
what we've been saying--that this is an issue of ideology and the 
Muslim world can no longer be complacent. People can't sit in the 
middle.''
  The fact is, the savage bombings last week in Amman were perpetrated 
by Muslims, who directed their hatred at Muslims.
  The fact is, the entire civilized world--be they Christian, Muslim or 
Jew--must recognize our common interest in uniting and defeating this 
mortal threat to our way of life, to the democratic form of government, 
to basic human decency and to the rule of law.
  None of us, as the King said, can be complacent.
  Mr. Speaker, the people and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom 
of Jordan have been a stalwart ally in the war on terror.
  And, I believe it is important today that this Congress condemn these 
cowardly attacks; express its condolences to the families and friends 
of those killed, and its sympathies to those injured; express its 
solidarity and support of the people and Government of Jordan; and 
express its readiness to assist Jordanian authorities in bringing those 
responsible for these outrageous attacks to justice.
  I urge my colleagues to support this Resolution.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 546, as 
amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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