An important read

A brief diversion from Africa today -- some suggested reading on the Middle East by my colleague, Hannah Allam. She has a story on two Jordanian families who are questioning the jihad after this month's attacks on the hotel wedding in Amman. It's a rare, compelling piece -- delving into the minds of Arabs to put some meat on the bare-bones descriptions of the jihadists that we are normally treated to.

An excerpt:

"The change of heart by these once-enthusiastic supporters of jihad - holy war - suggests that Jordanian terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who claimed responsibility for the hotel bombings, has miscalculated. While Bush administration policies in the Middle East remain deeply unpopular, al Zarqawi's tactics are soiling his image among potential foot soldiers."

The story is available at: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13225985.htm.

(Incidentally, Hannah became our Baghdad bureau chief at age 27.)