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AMMAN — The board of the Higher Education Accreditation Commission (HEAC) on Wednesday downsized the allowed quota for non-Jordanian instructors at Jordanian universities from 50 to 25 per cent per major.

The board convened under the chairmanship of Bashir Zu’bi to discuss measures of prioritising the appointment of Jordanian professors and teachers at Jordanian universities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The number of non-Jordanian instructors at any Jordanian university must not exceed 20 per cent of the university’s total faculty members, down from 25 per cent. Accordingly, the maximum quota of foreign instructors per major taught in any bachelor’s degree programme was reduced from 20 to 10 per cent.

AMMAN — Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Nasser Abul Bassal on Wednesday reaffirmed the importance of Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem, describing it as a historic and religious duty.

Addressing an Israa wal Miraj celebration at Al al-Bayt University, the minister said that Hashemite Custodianship in Jerusalem was a global, Arab and Jordanian mission, adding that Jordanians would not forfeit Al Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic holy sites and would stand by His Majesty King Abdullah against anyone who tries to tamper with them.

Al Aqsa Mosque is the right of Muslims alone, he said, rejecting any division or negotiation. Universities must look to institutionalise a culture to support for Hashemite Custodianship, not only in Jordan, but across the Islamic world, he concluded.

AMMAN — On behalf of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat inaugurated the launch of the “Youth Empowerment” project at the King Hussein Bin Talal University in Maan Governorate.

The project aims to promote inclusive media and information literacy among society, especially youth, Ghunaimat said at the ceremony. The project was launched in cooperation with the EU and the UNESCO Amman office, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The youth empowerment project is being carried out in cooperation with the ministries of state for media affairs and education, the Jordan Media Institute and Media Diversity International to strengthen media and information literacy capacities of education institutions, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) is scheduled to organise a Jordanian-Cypriot-Greek business forum on the sidelines of the trilateral summit between His Majesty King Abdullah and the Cypriot and Greek presidents.

The Amman-hosted forum, which will be attended by ministers and business owners from the three countries, will focus on the tourism, energy, renewable energy and ICT sectors, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The event, will include a session titled “Jordan: a gateway for accessing the Iraqi market”, mainly in the supplies and reconstruction sectors.

The presidents of the chambers of commerce of Jordan and Cyprus and the investment and commerce commission of Greece will speak at the inauguration ceremony of the gathering.

Business representatives and companies from all three countries will hold a series of bilateral meetings as well, on the sidelines of the summit.

The Cypriot side will deliver a presentation on the economic conditions of the Middle East, according to Petra.

JCC President Nael Kabariti said that holding the forum is part of His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts to enhance Jordan’s political and economic ties with various countries, praising His Majesty’s efforts in promoting the Kingdom’s business environment and attracting investments.

The forum will contribute to opening new markets for the private sector and develop the performance of the national economy, Kabariti said.

He also stressed that enhancing economic cooperation and signing agreements with other countries can play a role in boosting the Kingdom’s economy, worldwide.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan, chairperson of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies’ board of trustees, on Wednesday said that respecting pluralism and diversity in the “Mashreq” (eastern Arab world), would lay the groundwork for civilised coexistence based on understanding, dialogue and maintaining human dignity.

Prince Hassan’s remarks came during a meeting with Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and his accompanying delegation, according to a statement issued by Prince Hassan’s office.

Prince Hassan said that continuous Muslim-Christian dialogue emphasises the two group’s shared destiny and invites people to develop a social dialogue that bolsters tolerance and mutual respect and deepens the unity of society.

During the meeting, Prince Hassan attached importance to discussing democratic security for all nations, noting that when tackling international laws, especially the right of protection, the right of respect must play a role as man and integrity are integral parts.

The delegation commended the Kingdom’s role in defending Jerusalem’s holy sites, as well as the Hashemite family’s efforts to safeguard Christians in the Mashreq, highlighting sharif Hussein Bin Ali’s role in this regard.

Talks also covered Prince Hassan’s efforts to shed light on the kidnappings of bishops, as the guest delegation praised the prince’s efforts on the international stage.

Condemning the kidnappings, Prince Hassan had issued a statement calling on all stakeholders to pay attention to the issue and work to resolve it, saying that the bishops worked to serve members of the Church during times when violence in the name of religion had been escalating.

AMMAN — The Senate on Wednesday endorsed the 2019 amendments to the agriculture, regular court formation, customs and vocational work laws as referred from the Lower House.

The agriculture bill would allow investors in the mining sector to establish projects on forested land aimed at increasing Treasury revenues and creating job opportunities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Shahahdeh said that the law would replace 107,000 dunums of land owned by citizens with adjacent forested land, adding that there are 127,000 dunums registered as forests that cannot be used for farming but are suitable for other projects.

The regular court formation and customs laws aim at expanding the jurisdiction of the public prosecutor’s office, increasing money collecting efficiency and transferring the jurisdiction of customs and tax cases to the regular court.

The vocational work bill is meant to facilitate classifying procedures for various shops and classify vocational employees into different categories to better organise inspection practices.

During its last meeting, the Senate also approved MPs’ decision to endorse the 2010 temporary labour law as referred from the Senate.

AMMAN — The Microfund for Women (MFW) dropped 523 cases against gharimat, indebted women, as part of His Majesty King Abdullah’s initiative, launched last month, to support indebted women.

The total value of the executive cases on claims ranging between JD500 and JD1,000 that the MFW had dropped stood at JD400,000, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The MFW, in accordance with the criteria and conditions set by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Awqaf, informed the Central Bank of Jordan that the debts were written off and the suits against the delinquent beneficiaries were dropped.

Executive procedures against women who took out loans of less than JD1,000 but did not meet the criteria of the gharimat initiative were also halted, the MFW said.

They were granted a six-month grace period, as of March 26, to rectify their delinquency status, according to the MFW.

Some 150,000 women are currently benefitting from the fund’s programmes and services, at a payback rate that exceeds 98 per cent.

King Abdullah, in a call-in with Jordan Television’s “Yise’d Sabahak” programme on March 22, saluted all Jordanian mothers on the occasion of Mother’s Day, and called for a joint national effort to support indebted Jordanian women unable to pay back loans they had taken to support their families.

On March 30, the Zakat Fund announced that His Majesty would cover the debts of 1,500 gharimat.

The Zakat Fund, which is in charge of supervising the execution of the initiative, had already raised JD3 million before the King’s donation.

Women whose debts exceed 1,000 will also receive help if additional funds are received, said Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Nasser Abul Bassal, who also heads the Zakat Fund’s administration team, noting that the fund is still receiving donations for the cause.

AMMAN — The 11th annual international Warrior Competition kicked off on Wednesday at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre (KASOTC).

A total of 40 teams from 27 countries are taking part in the 11th annual Warrior Competition showcasing the skills of counterterrorism and special operations forces, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Warrior Competition is an international event held annually to promote cooperation and measure participants’ abilities and endurance under psychological and physical pressure, Petra reported.

The competition was first organised with the establishment of the KASOTC in 2009 and has since become an annual event.

The competition includes teams from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Belarus, Kuwait, Ukraine, Nigeria, Iraq, Kenya, Tunisia, Poland, Kosovo, Benin, Brunei, Oman, Bahrain, Senegal, Guinea, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Macedonia, Lebanon, Sudan, the US and India, Petra added.

AMMAN — Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jordan Christoforos Attallah on Wednesday said that Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s holy sites guaranteed a continued Christian presence in the occupied city.

During a meeting with journalists from The Jordan Times and Al Rai, Attallah said that Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites was a continuation of the Pact of Omar signed in 638AD by the Caliph Omar Ibn Al Khattab and the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius.

“We have legitimacy to speak on behalf of the Christians of the Mashreq [Levant], and our legitimacy granted us the right to ask His Majesty King Abdullah to be the custodian of Jerusalem’s Christian sites.”

The archbishop said that Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s holy sites was a continuation of the culture of coexistence between Muslims and Christians which was institutionalised by the Pact of Omar some 1,400 years ago.

Attallah also said that there have always been attempts by the Israeli occupation to change Jerusalem’s Arab identity and empty it of its Christian inhabitants, adding that the number of Christians in the Holy City has decreased from 30,000 to around 5,000 as a result of these “de-Arabisation and de-Christianisation” measures.

“This scheming aims at transforming the conflict to be between Jewish Zionists and Muslims,” Attallah said.

He added that Christians in Jerusalem and elsewhere were not against any single religion, and that “we believe, as the King believes, that Jerusalem is for Christians, Muslims and Jews”.

AMMAN — President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Wednesday delivered a message on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, expressing his well-wishes to the emir and his people. 

The Qatari emir hosted Tarawneh on the sidelines of the closing proceedings of the International Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) 140th session, held in Doha.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the Qatari emir reaffirmed the importance of uniting Arab efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, reiterating his country’s support of Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites.

For his part, Tarawneh stated that the Palestinian cause is nearing “a crossroads that requires united efforts”.

He also pointed to the role of parliamentary officials in “building bridges of cooperation and unity in support of the Palestinian cause at various international forums”.

“Jordanians stand behind His Majesty King Abdullah, united in defending the Palestinian cause and protecting Jerusalem, starting with the Hashemite Custodianship of the city’s Christian and Muslim holy sites,” Tarawneh concluded.

According to Petra, Tarawneh participated at the IPU session in his capacity as head of a Jordanian parliamentary delegation comprised of seven MPs and two senators.