Islamists Clash With Supporters of Jordan’s King

ZARQA, Jordan (AP) — Hundreds of protesting Islamic hard-liners clashed in this town with supporters of Jordan’s king on Friday, leaving dozens wounded, in the latest move by the extremist movement to assert itself amid the country’s wave of antigovernment demonstrations.

About 350 Salafi Muslims faced off against a slightly smaller group of supporters of King Abdullah II. Salafis beat the government supporters with clubs and fists, and the two sides hurled stones at each other, leaving people bloodied on the ground.

The violence began when Salafis rallied in front of a mosque, listening to speeches by Salafi leaders who denounced Jordan’s ties to the United States and called for rule by Shariah law.

Government supporters gathered nearby, and one of them waved a portrait of the king and marched toward the Salafi crowd. The Salafis pushed him back, then beat him, and he fell to the ground, his face bloodied. Other Salafis rushed to nearby cars, pulled out clubs and cables and attacked the rival group, said a reporter for The Associated Press who was at the scene.

Stone-throwing and fistfights erupted, and the police intervened and persuaded the government supporters to move away.

Eighty-three police officers were wounded, and four of them, stabbed by Salafis, were in critical condition, said the police chief, Lt. Gen. Hussein Majali.

The Salafi demonstrations are separate from the protests by leftists and more moderate Islamists demanding democratic reforms.