Jordanian Chief Justice Ahmad Hilayel Submits Resignation after Calling upon Gulf States to "Save Jordan" and Warning about Possible Syria-Like Scenario in a Nationally-Televised Friday Sermon

In a January 20 Friday sermon in Amman, Sheikh Ahmad Hilayel, Jordanian Chief Justice and Imam of the Royal Hashemite Court, called upon the Gulf countries to "use some of the riches bestowed upon them by Allah to save Jordan." "Shouldn't we learn a lesson from what is happening in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, and now in Bahrain?" he asked, exhorting the Jordanians not to take to the streets. In the sermon, aired live on national TV, Sheikh Hilayel further said that the Jews are "the only ones to stand to gain from all that is happening in our Arab world." The sermon caused media uproar in Jordan, and two days later, Hilayel submitted his resignation and transferred his responsibilities to the Mufti of Jordan.