عربي

Religion

Islam is the official religion of Jordan, with a majority population Sunni Muslims and four percent comprising Christian communities.

The country enjoys religious liberty and freedom however in certain cases societal pressures could impair or affect this freedom of choice. Such pressures are in no manner, fashion or way within the scope of government control or regulation as they emanate from deep-rooted traditions, but in no way are they institutionalized or legally regulated prohibitions.

Moreover, the Jordanian government does not withhold in an arbitrary way its official recognition of certain religious congregations or religions as long as they are consistent with public order and morality.

Jordan as a largely dominant Muslim society took a stand to dispel misconceptions about Islam, following the aftermath of September 11, 2001 US attacks.

On February 4th, 2002 His Majesty King Abdullah took the podium at the prestigious gathering of political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in New York to refute misconceptions that have linked Islam to terrorism and urge understanding of the peaceful message of Islam.

His Majesty reiterated, "Islam is a religion of peace, forgiveness and tolerance, which sanctifies human life." He added, "on behalf of millions, I rejected terrorism and extremism, firmly and publicly stating that they do not in any way represent Islam or relate to it."

In remarks at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm on Oct. 8th, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah II said, "Jordan's identity as an Islamic nation. This identity provides us with core, positive values - values like tolerance and acceptance of others; concern for the oppressed; respect for men and women alike. From Islam's earliest history, these are the values that enriched our culture... inspired scholarship and scientific advances... and created a thriving, multi-ethnic civilization."

Adding that, "I know that this is not the description of Islam you will hear from extremists, or from those who hate Islam. But they are wrong...
August 4th, 2002 Amman brought together more than 80 Muslim scholars from 40 Arab and Islamic countries including Russia, the U.S. and Europe in the 12th general conference of Al al Bayt Foundation for Islamic Thought, established in 1980 by His Majesty the late King Hussein.

Concluding their three-day meetings in the conference entitled "Future of Islam in the 15th Century" of the Hijra era, scholars said the negative campaign on Islam is not new, but that it has taken a new form as the world is now ruled by one unrivaled super power.

Jordan's Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Ahmad Hilayel said Muslims should deal very carefully with the sensitive issue of globalization, and suggested that the term "clash of civilizations" be replaced by "inter-civilizations dialogue" as one way to bridge gaps between Muslims and Christians in the world.

His Majesty King Abdullah told scholars they could play a vital role in clarifying Islam's true image.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hamzah, deputizing for the King, told Muslim scholars in the opening ceremony that "attempts by some in the mass media to distort the image of Islam is the harshest that we face nowadays."

The Prince, the foundation's higher president, called on scholars to come up with practical solutions to guide the Muslim nation through the right path and help it face imminent threats.

Her Majesty Queen Rania also played a big part in clarifying the West's misconceptions on Islam through various media outlets.

On November 10th, 2001 the Queen told CNN's Larry King that Islam was made a victim in two ways (following the September 11th attacks). First, she said, some extremists distorted Islam's image presenting it in its harshest form, and had stripped it of spirituality and humanity. Secondly, the rest of the world tried to explain the September 11th attacks by blaming it on Islam.

On October 5th 2001, Her Majesty told television show host Oprah Winfrey in her "Islam 101" show, that the important thing about Islam is its spirit. That, she said, is all about tolerance, doing good, diversity, quality, and human dignity

 

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