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Mudar Zahran (born 19 April 1973) is a Jordanian Palestinian writer and the secretary general of the Jordanian Opposition Coalition. Zahran lives in the United Kingdom, where he sought political asylum in 2010. In 2013, he was indicted by a Jordanian military court for four separate charges against him.

Biography

Born on 19 April 1973, Zahran is a 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 provoked an uproar of criticism by both Jordanians and Palestinians alike. Shortly after the article was published, Mudar sent a letter of apology to Jordanians through Ammon News after his father Adnan Zahran threatened to cut off relations if the former wrote anything else and considered Mudar's continuation of writing as ingratitude on a personal level against his father, and as an ungratefulness towards the country. The father described Mudar's writings as far from truth and reality.

Later that year, after Mudar appeared on Al Jazeera talk show The Opposite Direction, his father Adnan sent out a public letter announcing that he officially cut relations with his son. He said that his son was in no position to speak on behalf of Palestinians and Jordanians. He also called on Jordanians to be aware of what he called the advocates of incitement and hatred.

After leaving 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).

Zahran tried several times to predict the toppling of the Jordanian regime, but failed to do so. He told The Times of Israel in 2012, "The King is not going to survive, it’s out of the question… I give him until next summer, more or less. And even if I am wrong, I can’t see the King making it to 2014 by any stretch."

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)."

Influence

In 2011, the pro-Jordanian government writer, Nahid Hattar, called for a "mother of all protests" against both the Israeli and American embassies, Zahran publicly addressed Jordanians telling them not to protest against either embassies adding that "our problem is with the Hashemites and not the Israelis". On this, Jordanian news website, Al-Sawt, commented: who will win the street, Zahran or Hattar. Nonetheless, as a result of Zahran's call, the Washington Post reported less than 200 people showed up for the protests.

Another exhibit of Zahran's influence over the Jordanian public came On 16 September 2015, when the Jordanian government's media openly called for destruction of the Israeli embassy in Jordan, and the Muslim brotherhood called for "mega protests" against Israel, according to Jerusalem Online news agency, Zahran addressed the Jordanian public with a video published on YouTube, in which he warned them not to go. The video was watched by a few thousands the night before the protests and as an outcome the next morning, and as a result less than 200 protested before the Israeli embassy verses the usual tens of thousands.

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. Ain News (2014-06-20). "والد الأردني مضر زهران يتبرأ منه : شاني معك شان نوح وولده | عين نيوز". Ainnews.net. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
7. "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.
8. "مضر زهران يهاجم الأردن بالتعاون مع كيان العدو". Radicaljustice.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
9. "رسالة من عدنان زهران الى مضر ; وكالة عمون الاخبارية". Ammonnews.net. 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
10. "صحفي - عدنان زهران يرد على ابنه مضر عبر "كل الأردن". Sahafi.jo. 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
11. اردني هاشمي (2014-06-20). "والد الأردني مضر زهران يتبرأ منه : شاني معك شان نوح وولده | عين نيوز". Ainnews.net. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
12. http://www.rumonline.net/index.php?page=article&id=45841
13. http://www.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNo=96173
14. "مضر زهران محكوم ب 47 ألف دينار لأحد البنوك". Amman1.net. 2011-09-18. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
15. "وكالة عمان جو الأخبارية | مضر زهران .. محكوم ومجهول مكان الاقامة". Ammanjo.net. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
16. "صحفي - مضر زهران .. محكوم ومجهول مكان الاقامة". Sahafi.jo. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
17. http://www.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleno=97499
18. "Jordanian court indicts Palestinian writer in absentia". UPI. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
19. "Jordan critic charged with incitement, insulting king". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Agence France-Press. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
20. … "تظاهرة السفارة بين مضر زهران وناهض حتر..من يخطف الخراك الشعبي "". http://alsawt.net. Retrieved 2011-09-12. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
21. … "Jordanian Activist: Help Prevent Islamist Takeover! "". http://unitedwithisrael.org. Retrieved 2015-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
22. … "Jordanian Opposition leader minimizes protests against Israeli Embassy "". http://jerusalemonline.com. Retrieved 2015-09-21. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); External link in |publisher= (help)

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
• 1973 births