Jordanian artists come together against terrorism

AMMAN — In the fight between an enlightenment ideology and terrorism, culture and art are the most important tools to face khawarij (outlaws of Islam) and terrorists, Jordanian artist Suhair Fahid said on Tuesday. 

During a candlelight vigil held by the Jordan Artists Association outside their premises in Amman on Tuesday, Fahid urged each family in Jordan to include art and culture in their lives, adding that families, schools and "anyone with a proper mind" can combat terrorism and extremism. 

The event was organised to pay tribute to security members who were killed during a recent raid on the hideout of a suspected terrorist cell in Salt. 

“We hope that, as artists, we will be able to face them. I hope that art and culture can be as important as security,” Fahid said.  

The security operation in Salt on Friday resulted in the deaths of four officers of the joint force that carried out the raid, as well as the killing of three suspected terrorists and the arrest of five others.

Hussein Khatib, the president of the association, said that event was held to "highlight the feelings of Jordanian artists towards what happened". 

“We wanted to say no to terrorism and to send a message that there will be no place for terrorism; all the artists and intellectual people came to convey this message,” he stated. 

Motasem Qamhawi, a Jordanian artist, said the participants wanted to tell the whole world that Jordan is strong, adding that they wanted to send a message to terrorists "that they are all murderers and their message is only destruction and killing". 

“We are standing together and Jordan proved to the whole world that its people love it,” he commented. 

Some 200 people attended the event, including artists and members of the public.