A group of Evangelical representatives from Jordan and other Arab countries visited the ‘martyrs’ cemetery’ in the town of Hmoud, in southern Jordan, having found it “necessary” to express their condolences in person following the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of nine Christians and injured more than thirty whilst a funeral was being held at the local Orthodox Church.

The assault took place on 23 October, when gunmen opened fire on those gathered outside the church during the burial, shouting ‘Allah is great’.

All Evangelical Focus news and opinion, on your WhatsApp

The Jordanian government – which, unlike other countries in the Middle East, does not usually suffer attacks of this kind and is a model of coexistence between different religious communities – arrested the attackers and promised to investigate “links to terrorist groups” in southern Syria, where it subsequently carried out a military operation in retaliation.

Botrus Mansour: “To offer our condolences in person”

Among those who visited the site to lay a wreath and pray for the affected families, the injured, and the country as a whole, was Botrus Mansour, General Secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance. He explained that the attack “shook us to our core”. Following the attack, the WEA issued a statement expressing its grief over the attack and its prayers.

“But in addition, we felt it necessary to be here to offer our condolences in person,” said Mansour, who described Jordan as “an oasis of tolerance and full citizenship for all its people, without any discrimination between Muslim and Christian”.

Christians are a small faith minority in a Muslim-majority country, representing less than 3% of the population.

Mansour called for continued cooperation and solidarity amongst countries in the region. He also emphasised the message of peace conveyed by the Gospel. “The criminals thought they could kill the body and the story would end, but we tell them that the story will not end … since the Lord Jesus Christ has risen — Christ is risen.”

The head of the entity seeking to represent some 650 million evangelicals worldwide, pledged to encourage Christians from all over the world to visit Jordan, now that the country is commemorating the 2,000th anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.

Botrus Mansour was born in Bethlehem and is the first Arab Christian to represent the World Evangelical Alliance.

“Death is not the final word”

Another participant in the modest ceremony was Nabih Abbasi, president of the Jordanian Baptist Convention and the World Baptist Alliance’s ambassador to the Middle East.

Abbasi said that standing before the martyrs’ graves brings together grief and hope. He explained that the biblical meaning of the word ‘martyr’ means ‘witness’. Everyone is called to bear witness for Christ, he said, and God calls some of His children to conclude their witness by offering their lives.

Abbasi reiterated his condemnation of terrorism: “From this place, we declare that terrorism will not prevail, that hatred will not defeat love, and that darkness will not extinguish the light of Christ”.

He also encouraged prayers for King Abdullah II of Jordan, the government, the security forces and society as a whole.

Visit to the family of one of the victims

Also present at the encounter were Jack Sara, president of the Evangelical Alliance of the Middle East and North Africa, originally from Jerusalem; David Rihani, leader of the Assemblies of God in Jordan; and Rami Hussein Halsa, pastor of the Resurrection Baptist Church in Sweileh.

After visiting the church that suffered the attack, they went on to meet the family of Alaa Masarwa, one of the victims of the terrorist attack. “In a heartfelt meeting, the delegation prayed with the bereaved family and reaffirmed its support”, the WEA explained afterwards.