In the aftermath of the November 9 attacks on three Amman hotels, King Abdullah II asked close aide Maaruf Bakhit to form a new government tasked with launching an “all-out war against extremist groups and their ideologies.”

“The government’s priority is to adopt a new anti-terrorist law to launch a preemptive war against terrorism,” government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh told AFP, citing a key point in the king’s letter appointing Bakhit.

One of the focal points of the strategy is the determination to fight Muslim extremists who, against all rules, are declaring as apostates Muslims who refuse to join them, Jawdeh said.

Apostasy is punishable by death under Islamic law.

The November bombings killed 60 people, causing not only shock but unease in a country known for the efficiency of its intelligence agencies.

Jordanian Islamist Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, leader of the Al Qaeda group in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the bombings. The fugitive Zarqawi, who was previously sentenced to death in Jordan for the murder of a US diplomat, faces trial in several other cases.

The Jordanian monarch told a UN summit in September that “zero tolerance” should be imposed for those who promote Muslim extremism.

“Jordan wants true, moderate, traditional Islam to replace fundamentalist, radical and militant Islam, everywhere in the world, for every single Muslim,” he said.

During a visit to Thailand in mid-December, the king insisted that “extremism is rejected by traditional Muslims in Jordan, Thailand and around the world, for Muslims are commanded to seek peace at every turn”.

In July, a document known as the Amman Letter was adopted at a conference in the Jordanian capital attended by 180 Muslim scholars and experts from around the world denouncing “the illegitimate, extremist fatwas (religious decrees) that justify terrorism”.

Since then Jordan has pushed for “a new culture that rejects extremism and fundamentalism,” a government official told AFP.

“This means that we must fight against all those who allow themselves to declare other Muslims apostates, namely during sermons delivered in mosques,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“We must introduce the culture of tolerance in school curricula. We must change mentalities.”

“The November 9 attacks are proof that security is not an absolute. Even the most sophisticated measures cannot guarantee security as long as there are people ready to die to kill” others in suicide attacks,” he said.

Jordan’s new prime minister has pledged that his 24-member government will wage war on terrorism while “keeping a balance between security and (public) freedoms”.

“The evil terrorist attacks on our beloved capital Amman will increase our determination to move forward in our preemptive war against terrorism and the culture of apostasy,” Bakhit said.

“Our pre-emptive measures will not exclude those who justify the crime these terrorist commit against humanity,” he said, after presenting his government to the king on November 27.

Bakhit also pledged to push for democratic reforms across Jordan.

“Reforms are no longer a choice but a necessity,” he said.

The government is the fifth under Abdullah since he succeeded his father, the late King Hussein, in 1999. It is tasked with implementing a 10-year reform programme submitted to the king in November.

A damning-report by the Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group released just after the attacks said Jordan must implement quick reforms to avoid further terror attacks, which it said are fueled by popular discontent.

“Putting off long-promised reforms would be a serious mistake. The attacks should be seen as a wake-up call,” the report said.

Jordan has many initiatives in the pipeline, including a mega housing project for the poor, which was formally launched by Abdullah at the end of November.

According to official figures, 14 percent of Jordan’s 5.4 million inhabitants live below the poverty line, but unofficial estimates put the number as high as 31 percent.

Jordanians have been reeling from a series of oil price increase over the past two years, including two successive hikes in July and September.