What's happening at HSS?
Workshop on 'The phenomenon of the intellectual and religious extremism in the Muslim communities and its impact on the unity and development', January 25 - 26, 2017 in Irbid / Jordan
The year 2016 left behind a number of terrorist incidents that took place in different governorates in Jordan. Jordan is a country of few resources, with high unemployment and a struggling economy, many feel economic dissatisfaction and a lack of jobs has led people to join the militants. The government and the monarchy have attempted to boost the economy, but with Jordan hosting more than one million refugees, the tiny Kingdom has been stretched to its limit.
For this reason the UNIHRD and the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung in collaboration with the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) agreed to work intensive on how to fight terrorism. Our work is based on prevention by promoting dialogue and logical analysis and raising the awareness among the young people who are the future of every country.
The workshop aimed to awaken youth in the country towards realization and raise their consciousness of early Muslim history to enable them to correct the flaws should they resort to extremist tendencies in speeches, interpretations, actions, articulations, sermons, references, writings and teachings, either consciously or unconsciously, whether in academic, religious, social or political discourses.
Highlighting the role of Islam in tolerance, moderation and coexistence, how to strengthen the role of youth in maximizing national and religious values and how to immunize young people against extremist ideology were some topics discussed.
Youth from various Governorates, from villages from the north such as Kufer Assad, Kufer Alma, Kufer Youba, Kufer Abb, Howara, Hatrha, Kufer Assad, Koura and from the in South such as Maan, Tafileh, Kerak as well as from different initiatives such as 'All Jordan Youth Commission' took part at the workshop. Most of these villages are marginalized as well as having a large number of Salafis and extremists, where the population of these villages, especially the youth, are under the influence of these groups and extremist beliefs, due to the lack of a sufficient amount of awareness and education.
To inform and educate them as well as make them aware of the right provisions of Islamic religion, which is totally different from what is being indoctrinated them by these extremists, the workshop aimed to as well as to develop a more profound understanding of the different religions and the ways in which people adhering to them.
he workshop offered a platform for an open discussion with Imams from various outlaying villages, a priest and representatives of Ministries in Jordan such as the Ministry of Awkaf, the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Interior. Furthermore representatives of the Preventive Security, the General Security, the General Intelligence and the Anti-Terrorism Department were involved in the discussions about the impact of terrorism and extremism on the development of the country and the future of the Arab nation in general.