News of the University of Jordan (NUJ), Zakaria Al-Ghoul – The University of Jordan signed today with RIIFS an academic Cooperation Agreement in the religious, cultural and civilizational fields.
The University president Dr. Ikhleif Tarawneh signed the agreement on behalf of the university, and Dr. Majeda Omar signed on behalf of the Institute in the presence of representatives of the two sides.
The Agreement seeks to bolster joint cooperation and to develop it by available means in the fields relating to dialogue and harmony between the adherents of the various religions and cultures, and to also entrench human and moral values.
The Agreement seeks to establish joint scientific and academic projects and programs, to organize conferences and symposia, exchange data, documents and studies related to the dialogue of civilizations connected to the values of religious and cultural diversity and pluralism, to strengthen cooperation in the fields of publishing and distribution, in addition to supporting efforts to exchange specialists, scholars and researchers. In the wake of the signing ceremony Tarawneh said in a press statement: “The Agreement emphasizes the common vision that seeks to invest in the youth so that they carry a culture of tolerance, respect and the repudiation of violence and extremism.” Tarawneh called for us to be inspired by the vision of H.M. King Abdullah the Second in deepening the climate of harmony and the respect of human dignity and freedom, and he stressed that Jordan with its Hashemite Leadership caries a religious and civilizational heritage which instilled values of openness to cultures and civilizations, and enshrined this in the Amman Message and other Royal documents. On her part Omar said, “Today we need to intensify efforts to spread a culture of tolerance, peace and moderation, and to also spread societal harmony between all the peoples of the region and the world.” She expressed the hope that the Agreement would promote the dialogue of civilizations, coexistence, religious, cultural and civilizational pluralism, particularly in the shadow of the exceptional circumstances in which the region is passing through punctuated by extremism and terrorism. It may be mentioned that RIIFS was established in 1994 in Amman. Its Board of Trustees is chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan Bin Talal, and it seeks to provide a springboard for studying and discussing issues related to cultures and religions, with the aim of defusing crises and tensions and promoting peace, both regionally and globally.