Three Jordanian journalists were sentenced to jail Monday for publishing an article last month that touched on the sexual life of Islam's Prophet Mohamed, a taboo subject here.
The three faced charges of insulting Islam and damaging the prestige of the state with the article published in the independent al-Hilal weekly.
Mohannad Mubaidin, the author, was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but his sentence was commuted to six months.
Ruman Haddad, the chief editor of al-Hilal, was given a 14-month sentence, which was commuted to two months, and Nasser Komsh, the director, was given 15 months, which was commuted to three months.
The sentences of the state security court cannot be appealed.
Al-Hilal was also ordered closed for two months as from the date of its initial suspension, January 16, the day the three were arrested.
The charge of damaging the prestige of the state was leveled notably because Jordan's ruling family, the Hashemites, are considered descendants of the prophet.
The article, entitled "Aisha in the Prophet's Home", focused on Mohamed's relationship with his wives, particularly Aisha who was said to be his favorite.
According to experts, the article drew on classical Islamic texts and did not add anything that was not already known. It recalled that Aisha was the only virgin among the prophet's many wives and, citing ancient sources, mentioned that with her the prophet had attained the sexual vigor of "forty men".
Ahmad Salame, the owner of Al-Hilal, agreed: "Nothing was said more than what was already written by the Moroccan Fatima Mernissi in her book 'The Prophet and Women', an essay on Mohamed's sexuality and his relationship with women, which is available in Amman libraries in Arabic translation."
One of the few people to speak out in favor of the three journalists is Nidal Mansour, who works for a center that defends journalistic freedoms.
"We find the same writings in the library of Juweida prison, near Amman, where the journalists are detained," he said.
Both Salame and Mansour said Jordan's Islamist parties, which hold strong sway in the kingdom's labor unions, pressured the government into taking action.
"By condemning these journalists the government wanted to cut the grass from under the Islamists' feet and prevent them from using the text to spearhead" their campaign for the coming legislative elections, Mansour said.
"I find it abnormal that journalists should pay the price of political calculations," he added.
Salame described the case as more of a "settling of scores than a defense of Aisha."
He also complained that Islamist movements have become "censors instead of leading the way towards liberal thought and open mindedness," and lamented the willingness of authorities to give in to those who hold conservative views of Sunni Islam.
Following the publication of the article, Jordan's key opposition Islamic Action Front party branded the three journalists "atheists" and accused them of committing a "treacherous crime".
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