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Muslims, Christians Pray For Slain Pilot
Mosques and churches around the Kingdom held prayers on Wednesday in memory of air force pilot Muath Kasasbeh, who was killed by the terrorist group Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State (IS).
Thousands of Muslims performed “prayers for the absent” at mosques, while churches held special evening ceremonies and rang their bells in honour of Kasasbeh.
Dressed all in black, Christians prayed for Kasasbeh’s soul to rest in peace, and for God to give his family and fellow Jordanians the strength to persevere.
“They think that burning Muath like that is a victory. They are wrong, Muath is the victor, the so called IS are the losers. Muath died a martyr’s death,” Nadia Masarweh said while attending the evening mass.
Masarweh told The Jordan Times that her prayers go to his parents so that God gives them strength to endure such a loss.
“I wish to tell his parent that Muath did not die; he is in the heart of every Jordanian and he will always be the heroic story to tell to future generations.”
Yasser Ayyash, archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia, headed the mass at the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
He told The Jordan Times ahead of the mass that Kasasbeh’s death “strengthened our unity” and that “his blood made Jordanians even more determined to unite.”
Denouncing the “inhumane act of killing the pilot”, the archbishop said Kasasbeh is now in a better place in heaven, surrounded by the saints.
Ayyash told the faithful that Jordanians should stand side-by-side to support the Kingdom’s leadership in such times and to apply what Jesus Christ taught them to do.
“We need to remember that the Lord asked us to love each other and pray for those who harm us, and thus we must pray that God would fill Daesh members’ hearts with love instead of hatred,” said the archbishop.
“We should not be afraid because if we pray and trust God, we must trust that he will interfere and stop this evil,” noted 12-year-old Yousif Oglitian, who attended the mass.