Jordan orders Islamist party to take down 'Hamas-style' triangle logo amid elections

Jordan's independent electoral commission has ordered an Islamist party to remove a logo slightly reminiscent of a symbol used by the Palestinian group Hamas from its election posters, according to a candidate from the party.

Jordan is due to hold nationwide parliamentary elections on 10 September.

The Islamic Action Front has adopted a green inverted triangle as one of its logos for the elections. It bears a passing resemblance to the inverted red triangle that Hamas uses in videos it publishes showing its fighters attacking Israeli forces.

The electoral commission reportedly said that if the Islamic Action Front doesn't comply, it will be faced with fines and the removal of its posters.

Yanal Freihat, a candidate for the Islamic Action Front published a video on Facebook saying that the electoral commission was justifying this on the grounds that there was another logo on the posters and the law only allowed for one logo.

He said he was "surprised" at the order to remove the logo and questioned whether it was related to events in Gaza and Palestine.

"This logo disturbed the commission apparently, and I don't know if it's to do with the [Palestinian] resistance or a legal reason – as [the commission] says – which prohibits two logos on advertisements for parties and candidates," he said.

He added that the IAF had tried to appeal the decision but the commission remained insistent on its decision.

He said that as a result, he was considering spraying the inverted logo on all his posters with white paint.

The Islamic Action Front is considered to be the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and is one of the most prominent opposition parties in the country.

The Palestinian movement Hamas also has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood and in his video, Freihat expressed support for Palestinians fighting against Israel in Gaza.

Earlier this year, Jordan was rocked by protests in support of Gaza, with many of them targeting the Israeli embassy in Amman.

Over half of the country's population is of Palestinian origin – descended from refugees who fled their homes after being ethnically cleansed by Zionist militias during the creation of Israel.

Despite this, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty, known as the Wadi Araba Accords, in 1994.