Pilot killing triggers backlash throughout Middle East

The killing of pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh has sent shockwaves through Jordan, where many, including the pilot's father, are calling for revenge against Islamic State. Nathan Frandino reports.Video provided by Reuters NewslookJordanians chant slogans to show their support for the government against terror as they were waiting for Jordan's King Abdullah II, returning from the U.S., at Queen Alia Airport in Amman, Jordan, on Feb. 4, 2015.(Photo: Raad Adayleh, AP)The brutal killing of a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State has sent shock waves through the Arab world and galvanized support for a forceful response to the militants."They have lost public support across the region," Mustafa Alani, director of national security for the Gulf Research Center in Geneva, said Wednesday, a day after the extremist group released a video showing the pilot being burned alive in a cage.The video of Lt. Muath al- Kaseasbeh's death "is not shocking to Americans and Europeans only," he said.Jordan responded Wednesday by executing two al-Qaeda prisoners, including Sajida al-Rishawi, who had been sought by the militants in a trade for the pilot.The deal fell through when militants refused to provide proof that the pilot was still alive. The Jordanian government said it believed he had been killed a month ago before a swap had been reached.Jordan's King Abdullah II cut short a trip to the United States and returned home Wednesday, where he was greeted by thousands of supporters. The Senate Armed Services Committee released a letter calling for expedited U.S. shipments of military hardware to help the country combat the Islamic State."This evil can and should be defeated," Mohammed al-Momani ,a Jordanian government spokesman, said.The pilot's father called on Jordan to avenge his son's death. "I expect the government to seek revenge, severe revenge for the blood of (Muath) against this horrid organization, this criminal organization, this organization that is far from Islam and the spirit of Islam," Safi al-Kaseasbeh said in an interview with Al Arabiya News Channel.Beyond Jordan, which has long been a staunch U.S. ally in the region, religious and political leaders reacted with shock at the video.The pilot's gruesome death will bolster public support in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for their participation in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, said Sterling Jensen, assistant professor at the United Arab Emirates' National Defense College in Abu Dhabi."The brutality was a bridge too far for the large majority of the Arab and Muslim populations and (the Islamic State) will witness a backlash of stronger public support for Arab governments to participate in the coalition," Jensen said.Iyad Madani, the leader of the 57-nation, Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation — the world's largest bloc of Muslim countries — condemned the killing, saying it "utterly disregards the rights of prisoners Islam has decreed, as well as the human moral standards for war and treatment of prisoners."The fact that the militants burned the pilot alive has triggered anger in a way that earlier beheadings have not. The Islamic State has released a series of videos in which they have beheaded captives."Beheading is not foreign to Islam or Arabs," Jensen said. The Saudis regularly carry out executions by beheading those convicted of capital crimes.Islamic religious leaders were unusually outspoken in their criticism of the video.Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of Egypt's Al-Azhar Mosque, Sunni Islam's most respected seat of learning, said the militants deserve the Quran-prescribed punishment of death, crucifixion or the chopping off of their arms.Other analysts say the video will have its intended effect of striking fear in the Islamic State's enemies and convince sympathizers of their power and strength."It may strengthen resolve in some quarters but it is sending a signal to potential sympathizers that will be heard," said Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute.He said the official response from Arab governments will differ from the reaction among the public, particularly young Sunnis who make up the bulk of the Islamic State's support.The pilot's death is part of a 22-minute propaganda video that attempts to demonstrate he is being punished for being part of coalition airstrikes that allegedly injured civilians, a message that would resonate among the militants' sympathizers."This video was scripted as a morality tale," Thompson said. "The burning of the pilot is presented as retribution for military attacks on civilians."Still, Alani said, most of the world has focused on the barbaric manner in which the pilot was killed, undermining whatever propaganda benefits the Islamic State sought. "They are manufacturing more enemies," he said.Contributing: Associated PressHack attack: 80 million at risk in Anthem breachFeb 05, 2015