My brothers and sisters, the sons and daughters of our beloved Jordan,
I greet you with much affection and appreciation.
As I write this letter, I am well aware that you never expected me, Um Hussein, to address you with a message that carries within it a sense of disappointment, but, as family members say to each other, “sometimes disappointment comes from a place of love.” As I put pen to paper, I am all but certain that many will criticize and disapprove of my speaking out - even those who have my best interests at heart - and I will undoubtedly hear the comment “you shouldn’t have spoken out yourself.”
However, times have changed, and what applied in the past is no longer valid. Today, social media can serve as either the greatest champion or enemy of the truth – with many abusing these platforms to bully, to sow doubt in every achievement, and to stifle every glimmer of hope.
For a while, I thought I had grown accustomed to being intentionally thrust out of nowhere into debates occupying public opinion – that is, until the recent teachers’ strike, which has thankfully ended with the return of our students to their schools. This time, I found myself in the eye of the storm and at the center of a disproportionate smear campaign, with no idea why I had been dragged into it! Nonetheless, throughout the recent weeks of public sparring, I refrained from commenting to avoid being accused of trying to hijack the conversation. But we all have a responsibility towards the truth, at all times.
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