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Mudar Zahran (born 19 April 1973) is a Jordanian Palestinian politician and the secretary general of the Jordanian Opposition Coalition. Zahran lives in the United Kingdom, where he sought political asylum after being indicted by a Jordanian military court for four separate charges against him.

Biography

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Born on 19 April 1973, Zahran is a prominent Jordanian opposition figure and writer. Zahran’s parents were born in Jerusalem, and moved to Jordan during the period when the West Bank was under Jordanian rule. His family, the Zahrans, are one of the most influential and formerly wealthy within Jordanian society. The most affluent part of Jordan’s capital had been officially named Zahran district after the family’s former dominance, and the most cosmopolitan street in the country is Zahran Street, where Zahran Palace still stands today. Zahran's parents sent him to the United States, where he continued his education in New Hampshire from an early age. He has two master's degrees from Southern New Hampshire University and a PhD in Middle Eastern banking in the UK. Before seeking asylum in the UK, Zahran was serving as Economic Specialist and Assistant Policy Coordinator at the US Embassy in Amman, serving also the US Embassy in Baghdad. During his work at the US Embassy, Zahran covered critical and sensitive matters regarding Jordan, reporting to two US ambassadors, with his reports being forwarded to the US Department of State, the US Department of Treasury, the CIA, the US Department of Homeland Security and ,occasionally, the FBI.

In 2010, Zahran wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post that described Jordan as an apartheid state which drew criticized by Jordanians and Palestinians alike. Shortly after the article was published, he sent a letter of apology to Jordanians and Palestinians through Ammon News after intense pressure from his father, Adnan Zahran who threatened to cut relations with Mudar which he did later on, if the latter wrote anything else, and considered that "Mudar's continuation of writing would be considered 'ingratitude' on a personal level against his father, and an 'ungratefulness' towards the country". The father described Mudar's writing as "far from truth and reality".

After fleeing Amman in 2010, he has been called by HSBC bank in Jordan for failing to repay the bank amounts totaling up to 50,000 Jordanian Dinars (about $71,000).

Palestinian activists through Facebook and other media outlets have accused him of being a Mossad agent in Europe.

Trial

In 2013 Zahran was indicted by a Jordanian military court and scheduled to be tried in absentia for four separate charges against him, relating to what it labels incitement against the ruling political regime of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, calling for changing the basic conditions of society and using a long tongue against the king and undermining an official entity" in addition to damaging the country's image and inciting hatred. According to the Jordanian newspaper Al Ghad, “Zahran’s social networking sites carry articles and phrases offensive to Jordan and his own people (Palestinians)."

Personal life

Zahran lives in London and has two daughters and a son.

References

1. ^ "Jordan critic living in Britain to face military court for insulting King on social media". Al Bawaba News. Agence France-Press. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
2. ^ Ben Solomon, Ariel (31 December 2013). "Jordanian Palestinian who writes for 'Post' indicted in Jordan for 'inciting hatred'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
3. ^ Assouline, Philippe (31 December 2012). "Preaching the gospel of liberalism to the Jordanian street". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
4. ^ Soffer, Ari (31 December 2013). "Jordan: Palestinian Dissident Indicted for Criticizing King". Israel National News. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
5. "المشاهير | تهجّم على الأردن المُعارض مضر زهران في إسرائيل بالشماغ الأردني فيديو". Almshaheer.com. 2013-11-20. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
6. "Zahran: "I will not write on Jordanian domestic, foreign affairs any more" | Gotcha | Ammon News". En.ammonnews.net. 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
7. "مضر زهران محكوم ب 47 ألف دينار لأحد البنوك". Amman1.net. 2011-09-18. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
8. "وكالة عمان جو الأخبارية | مضر زهران .. محكوم ومجهول مكان الاقامة". Ammanjo.net. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
9. "صحفي - مضر زهران .. محكوم ومجهول مكان الاقامة". Sahafi.jo. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
10. "القلعة نيوز :المدعو"مضر زهران" أردني من أصل فلسطيني في إسرائيل يتهجم على الدولة الاردنية... فيديو..!!". Alqalahnews.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
11. "المدينة نيوز |مضر زهران يشتم الأردن من " إسرائيل "". Almadenahnews.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
12. "Jordanian court indicts Palestinian writer in absentia". UPI. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
13. "Jordan critic charged with incitement, insulting king". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Agence France-Press. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.

External links

• Writings by Mudar Zahran at the Gatestone Institute
• "Jordan is Palestinian", Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2012, vol 19, no.1, pp. 3–12

• Jordanian activists
• Jordanian people of Palestinian descent
• Jordanian writers
• Living people
• Refugees in the United Kingdom