Two prominent Jordanian sisters, Soraya Salti, who is listed by Arabian Business, as one of the 100 most powerful Arab women in 2013, was found dead along with her sister, Jumana, at the bottom of a building under construction in Jwiedeh, Jordan on Nov. 6, 2015.
Soraya was the CEO for Injaz Al-Arab, an education initiative that promoted entrepreneurship across the Arab world. Jumana was a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) based in the United Arab Emirates since 2008.
The sisters had been playing golf in a suburb of Amman before their deaths on Friday, family acquaintances told local media. Police suggested that the sisters committed suicide by jumping from the building in Jwiedeh, according to a suicide note that was addressed to their parents before the sisters jumped off the roof.
Friends and relatives have rejected this, are questioning their deaths and demanding for a complete investigation.
After reading this horrific story, all I can think about is how many holes it had. Raed Omari, a Jordanian journalist and commentator, citing a contact who knew the family of the sisters, told Al Arabiya News Omari that the two had never showed symptoms of depression, casting doubt on reports of suicide.
“Their case is, so far, vague and mysterious,” Omari said.
According to a report by the National, “A janitor in a building near the construction site went to investigate after hearing a loud thud found the women’s bodies and notified police. A woman who lives nearby said she saw a car pulling over, and one woman left the car in a rush, looking angry and tense. She entered the building, followed quickly by another woman.”
So, who were these women and why did they run away? How did the sisters have access to an under-construction building and why were they there — did they have keys? Who owns the building? Where was Soraya’s ex-husband, someone friends have commented has been giving the family trouble lately and trying to get custody of their daughter? Where was the security for that building? Are there cameras? Why would Soraya leave her daughter? What did the suicide note say? Has it been checked for fingerprints or to see if the handwriting matches? Who wrote it? Why would they both commit suicide at the same time?
There are many, many questions that need to be addressed and answered.
As the tributes on social media pile, the love, respect and admiration for these ladies is evident. Marwan Muasher, a former deputy prime minister, wrote on Facebook that the two sisters were “an example of vitality, love of life and enthusiasm,” adding that he found it “difficult to believe that they have committed suicide.”
If that is the case, I pray that justice is served for these families and whoever committed these heinous acts — if indeed it was murder — is held accountable for their actions.
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Image: Al Arabiya
