Amman (Jordan) – The arrest last week of Zaki Bani Irshid, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, could signal a “tougher stance” by the Jordanian government towards the group, analysts say.Local authorities arrested Bani Irshid late on Thursday, November 20, as he exited the Muslim Brotherhood’s Amman headquarters, where he was attending an executive council meeting. He was charged with violating the country’s newly amended anti-terror law and “jeopardising Jordan’s relations with neighbouring countries”.

The arrest stemmed from a Facebook post critical of the UAE’s decision to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist” group, in which Bani Irshid accused the UAE of playing the role of “a police officer for US interests in the region” and of serving “Zionist agendas”.

The Muslim Brotherhood swiftly condemned Bani Irshid’s “police-state style arrest”, telling Al Jazeera it “contradicts the Jordanian constitutional right of freedom of expression”.

“They’re trying to weaken the Islamist movement by succumbing to pressure placed by Arab countries,” Murad Adaylah, deputy head of the Islamic Action Front, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm in Jordan, said.

Muslim Brotherhood leaders say Jordan’s allies have been pressuring Amman to follow the examples of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and ban the group as a “terrorist organisation”.

Adaylah said that over the past two months, Jordanian authorities have arrested 20 members of the group. Most of the detainees had participated in a rally organised by the group in solidarity with Gaza in August; some were charged with possessing weapons and explosives.

Jordanian officials could not be reached for comment on the matter.

Former government spokesperson Samih Maaitah dismissed as “inaccurate” claims that Bani Irshid’s arrest came due to pressure from neighbouring states.

There is increasing fear across the region from the growth of Islamist movements in general, to which Jordan is not immune.

“The government isn’t changing its policy in dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood,” Maaitah said. “What Bani Irshid posted isn’t criticism or political speech, but rather a series of insults and accusations aimed at the United Arab Emirates.” — AFP

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