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AMMAN — Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Fadel Hmoud has ordered a probe into an alledged attack by policemen on The Jordan Times photo journalist Osama Aqarbeh on Wednesday.

Jordan Press Association (JPA) President Rakan Saideh said he received a phone call from Hmoud on Friday confirming that he had instructed director of the PSD court to begin an investigation into Aqarbeh's complaint.

Aqarbeh said he had filed a lawsuit through JPA against police after, he said, he was "attacked and insulted" by policemen while he was covering the robbery incident of the money exchange shop in Amman on late Wednesday.

Aqarbeh said he was detained and under arrest by police and was "badly treated and insulted" while he was on official mission covering the robbery incident of Al Alawneh Money Exchange Shop in Amman's Wasfi Tel Street in Gardens.

Saideh to The Jordan Times that Hmoud voiced the PSD's respect of JPA and all journalists whom, he described, as "strategic partners of police".

For his part, Saideh said he that Hmoud's move is a "guarantee for all journalists that all problems and disputes are to be resolved through the law".

JPA president also underlined that the association is responsible for ensuring "safe and unobstructed" work for all journalists.

 Following the alleged attack on Aqarbeh, Saideh said: "Any restrictions to journalists' rights are completely rejected and denounced as they are against the Constitution and the relevant conventions Jordan has rectified."

The JPA president also called on the PSD to take all necessary measures to ensure "complete freedom" for journalists while covering events and incidents and to offer them all facilities. 

AMMAN — Jordan, alongside other world countries, on Saturday marked the anniversary of Al Israa wal Miraj, Prophet Mohammad’s nocturnal journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension to heaven according to Islamic beliefs.

His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday received cables of good wishes from several senior officials and officers on the anniversary of the occasion, according to a Royal Court statement.

HRH Crown Prince Hussein also received similar cables from senior officials and officers.

The Israa, followed by Miraj, took place on Rajab 27, the seventh month of the Hijri lunar calendar, in the 10th year of Mohammad’s prophethood, according to Muslim beliefs.

Islamic sources say the prophet was carried from the Holy Mosque in Mecca to the Farthest Mosque (Al Aqsa Mosque) in Jerusalem on a creature called Al Buraq, and in the company of the archangel Gabriel (known in Arabic as Jibril). 

There Prophet Mohammad led a congregational prayer of the prophets of God. 

After that, Gabriel took him to the heavens where he met prophets Adam, John, Jesus, Idris, Aaron and Moses. In the seventh heaven, he met Abraham, according to Islam Online, an authoritative Islamic web portal. 

During the divine journey, Allah ordered the five daily prayers for the Muslim nation. The prophet then returned to Mecca on the same night.

Senders of the cables stressed that Jordan, under His Majesty's role as custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, will remain the first defender of Al Aqsa Mosque, and will continue to be a safe haven for all Arabs and Muslims.

They also praised King Abdullah's stances in preserving and reconstructing Islamic holy sites, and his endeavours to reach a just solution to the Palestinian cause in general, and Jerusalem in particular. 

AMMAN — One man died and 41 were injured on Friday after a bus carrying 46 people overturned in Petra, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted a Civil Defence Department (CDD) statement. 

CDD personnel headed to the location immediately where they administered first aid to the injured and transferred 31 of them to Queen Rania Public Hospital, where they were reported to be in stable conditions, according to Petra. 

The seven other injured, who were reported to be in critical condition, were evacuated to Al Hussein Medical City in a helicopter of the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF), Petra said.

CDD Director Maj. Gen. Mustafa Bazaiah said that the department was following up on the accident closely in coordination with the deputy prime minister, interior minister, health minister, medical services director, in addition to RJAF, according to Petra.

Among the injured, 34 were Nepali, three Sri Lankan, two Indians, two Bengali, three Pakistani, and two Jordanian, while the victim who died was Nepali, said the statement

 Following the incident, Labour Minister Samir Murad contacted ambassadors, diplomatic missions in Jordan, and officials who are in charge of the guest workers, briefing them on the accident and the measures taken by the government. 

The minister asked Petra labour office to follow up on the injured and provide them with all the needed help. 

Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab visited the hospitalised in Queen Rania Public Hospital accompanied by Maan Governor Ahmad Omoush and two MPs Ibtisam Nawafleh and Mohammad Falahat, where he checked on the injured, wishing them a speedy recovery.

Sheyyab directed the hospital staff to provide the patients with the necessary medical care and to transfer them to other hospitals if their conditions require so.  

AMMAN – “Every time when the cameras were turned off and I arrived home, I went into my room, raise TV volume and sob till tears dry up,” says a TV journalist who over the past 10 years produced and presented a programme on vulnerable Jordanians in every corner of the Kingdom, attracting donations to help these people and when he quit the job finally, he started a charity to continue the work, to which he dedicates all his time and resources. 

The emotional reaction to these extreme cases does not cease. 

“Every time I tell myself: ‘Enough is enough. I cannot take it anymore,’ and every time I go back to business as usual. Once you are in this field, it is so hard to quit,” says Firas Al Maghareez Al Abbadi in an interview on Friday at his office in Wadi Seer. 

He still films the cases, before and after, for purposes of documentation so that donors will know where their money goes, especially when his Bader Centre for Relief and Development builds residential units for the targeted families, which is its core activity, along with food relief, health care and even help some people to get married and start a family.  

The cache of videos shows cases expanding in terms of location from in the remote southern desert community to Palestinian refugee camps and almost every district in the Kingdom. An octogenarian man and his wife raising their dead son’s orphans in a tent get a decent home, while a blind man in Salt is helped to find a bride and get married, while a widow with nine children, one with a physical disability, sees her uninhabitable bamboo-roofed house bulldozed and rebuilt into a decent home and her daughter receive an electric wheelchair with a big smile on her face. 

“You cannot stop when you know that you can help people and that you are not alone,” Abbadi says. 

Of course, he says, donors, especially businesses, are more enthusiastic to extend support when there is a two-hour, widely viewed TV programme that covers a certain humanitarian case and despite the help he gets from family members and young volunteers, a media platform is pivotal to get the message through. He gives special credit to the people of his native rural town of Bader, around 10km to the west of Amman, who contribute to his philanthropic activities despite their modest incomes. 

“I am speaking about TV in particular, not print media. We need crews to roam the country looking for such cases and we need sponsorship for such programmes to ensure that they receive the aid they need,” the 48-year-old father of five says.

Another problem such an approach would help address is that these vulnerable people have no access to aid and are sometimes too marginalised to be noticed. Abbadi says that there are several channels to obtain help, but such aid does not necessary go to those who deserves it most. In several other cases, donors focus more on refugees than hosts. 

“This is the job of the media to attract attention to these vulnerable people and it is the job of big companies and philanthropists to pay attention.” 

Some do fortunately and the tears of Abbadi and his team that fall when they see the case are replaced by smiles when they can make a difference to the lives of the recipients of their services. 

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Saturday reaffirmed the Kingdom’s “unaltered stance” that calls for and supports a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

Momani, who is also the government’s spokesperson, noted that a peaceful solution is the only means to end the seven-year long civil war, in a way that guarantees the stability and unity of Syria and restores security for its people, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Momani’s remarks followed US, French and British strikes earlier Saturday in response to an alleged Syrian regime’s chemical attack on Douma near Damascus a week ago.

The minister added that a political solution can preserve the unity of Syrians and restore security and stability to the country, noting that more violence in Syria will result in more bloodshed, destruction and displacement of Syrians. 

Also on Saturday, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi took to Twitter to comment on developments in Syrian, highlighting the Kingdom’s stance that “utterly rejects” the use of chemical weapons, which forms a crime against humanity and violates international laws. 

At the same time, Safadi reiterated the full support to the right of Syrians to an end to their suffering and the devastating crisis.

The minister called for launching sincere efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis, in a way that preserves the unity and stability of the war-hit country and protects Syrians.

He demanded an independent international investigation into the use of chemical weapons, stressing the need to avoid more destruction in Syria through engaging in uninterrupted negotiations within the Geneva talks until reaching an agreement on a political solution according to the UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

AMMAN — The EU Delegation in Jordan on Thursday celebrated a talent show topping off its “RISE - Fly High” campaign, aimed at advancing youth participation in social development through art and culture. 

With the objective of identifying young Jordanian talents and providing them with opportunities to present themselves to the public, the EU-funded initiative kicked off on February 1 via social media networks, in addition to several grassroots activities. 

Achieving more than 6,000 “likes” on Facebook and 51,000 digital outreach interactions, the campaign gathered over 90 applicants, whose submissions were reviewed and assessed by a jury comprising artists Tareq Al Naser, Ala Younis and Nedy Muna. 

In addition, the campaign included a road show of musical street performances targeting several governorates across the north, middle, and south of Jordan, where posters and flyers were distributed in order to promote awareness on the campaign.

The final talent show celebrated on Thursday saw the participation of over 100 officials at the EU Delegation, Jordanian youth talents, families and friends. 

During the event, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana stressed that “this show  confirms the importance of art and culture in shaping young talents, education, and awareness”, expressing hopes to “deliver a strong message on the role of art and culture in fighting extremism that could hinder the development of youth, and manipulate their values and respect to the different backgrounds and varied cultures that shape the Kingdom”. 

Concluding his speech, the ambassador thanked all youth participating in the event highlighting their “commitment, boldness and passion in presenting their talents in such a modern and professional manner”, stressing the EU’s commitment to “building capacities across sectors related to art and culture”.

Artist Lubna Musa was the winner in the category of drawing, while Luay Hassan and Yazan Abbas were awarded for their singing talent, and Alia Jabali and Dalia Hussein for their musical performances. 

“We can only hope that these talents will enrich our humanistic experiences by virtue of the West-East cooperation,” founder of Jordan Legacy Firas Khalefat said, concluding that “this grand event is another token of the results that arise from cultural openness and international cooperation”.

AMMAN — Dozens on Saturday staged a sit-in in front of the US embassy in Amman in protest against the Western strikes on Syria.

Participants in the protest, mostly of leftist and pan-Arab leaning, and members of the Jordanian Communist Party, called for a unified Arab position that rejects the Western strikes on government positions in the Syrian capital.

The US, UK and France have bombed multiple government targets in Syria early in the morning on Saturday targeting alleged chemical weapons sites. 

The Western allies said their joint strikes came in response to a suspected chemical attack on the Syrian rebel-held town of Douma last week.

Protesters condemned the strikes as “naked aggression” a flagrant breach of international law.

Also on Saturday, the Jordanian Communist Party issued a statement condemning the “limited” Western strikes on Syria saying “they will indirectly serve the terrorist groups” in the war-torn country.

The party described the US-UK-France strikes on Syria as another “tripartite aggression” in reference to the 1956 joint Israeli-British-French attack on Egypt. 

AMMAN — “Anes or Maiden”, “forbidden”, “not allowed”, “you cannot”, “you’re a shame”, “that’s not your right”, “you are weak” are some of the words and phrases that hinder women’s economic, social and political participation that Sally Qadoumi is willing to change through her initiative “Ana Mish Haik”.

With the aim of reducing the presence of large number of words and phrases used by men that negatively affect women and reduces their self-confidence, leading to isolation and lack of strength and motivation to reach leadership positions, Sally Qadoumi, 23, said she will lead plays and panel discussions at academic institutions in Aqaba, 330km south of Amman, her residence area. 

“I believe that I can change the violence and hate speech that targets women through dialogue” Qadoumi told The Jordan Times. 

 “Ana mish Haik” that means “I’m not like this” is the initiative that won the first place in Darabzeen for Human Development’s Abshiri project on Saturday.

Abshiri, which means a promise to be given a hand, aims at empowering women in underprivileged areas that include Mafraq, Northern, Central and Southern Vallies, Tafileh, Petra District and Aqaba governorate to reach to decision-making positions.

The initiative was one of 20 other initiatives that were presented and discussed during (Dukkan Abshiri)’s event at Gallery Ras Al Ain, where a jury, headed by the Jordanian National Committee for Women`s Affairs President Salma Nims, evaluated them and decided to extend a 1000 euros fund and support to three winners.

During the event, the project, that is funded by Hivos International and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, launched a field study titled “What does the Jordanian Women Face on her way to leadership positions?: Challenges and Solutions”. 

Rawan Estetieh, the project’s coordinator said that 500 decision makers, opinion leaders and local community members from 7 governorates filled surveys, and participated in 21 Café talks — Darabzeen’s regular activity where they meet youth and discuss various topics — and 70 researches through Participatory Rapid Appraisal. 

The field study found that the economic participation of women is controlled by social considerations of professions as acceptable and not such as the social stereotypes and the reputation connected to a profession like “Men’s job” and family observance of customs and traditions.

The study outlined the factors that impede women’s access to leadership posts in economic, social and psychological challenges. 

The economic challenges listed in the study are: poverty caused by social issues such as early marriage and divorce, poor transportation system and unemployment because of the lack of jobs.

The stereotypical role given to women by the society due to misinterpretation of religious proverbs is the main constraint facing women socially, according to the study.

While poor promotion of women’s success stories that has led to few successful leadership roles in the local community, fear of social rejection that results in low self-confidence and lack of courage and faith in their abilities and selves, negative view of women’s performance in leadership positions and women fighting one anther out of jealousy and not supporting one another are the main psychological constraints outlined in the study.   

Most of the 20 initiatives were funded by local community members, NGOs and private companies at the end of Dukkan Abshiri (Abshiri’s market).

AMMAN — Twenty-nine imams and preachers working at the Awqaf Ministry and Iftaa departments in the army and security agencies have benefited from His Majesty King Abdullah’s makruma to help clerics intending to get married, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Saturday.

Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi, who also heads a committee to follow up on Royal initiatives, and Awqaf Minister Abdul Nasser Abul Bassal delivered the aid to the beneficiaries this year who met the criteria during a ceremony held at King Hussein Bin Talal Mosque. The initiative was launched in 2003 and has benefited hundreds of imams and preachers so far, Petra reported.

AMMAN — Jordan participated in the International Energy Forum (IEF) that concluded on Thursday in New Delhi, which mainly focused on the future of global energy security.

Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh, who headed the Jordanian delegation to the event, said that Jordan succeeded in attracting $2-billion investments to the sector, in a move that seeks to increase its contribution to the total energy mix to 20 per cent by 2025, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

To serve this end, the Kingdom endorsed the Renewable Energy Law and other relevant bylaws, which resulted in generating some 2,000 megawatts of electricity from solar and wind projects, with a total investment volume of more than $2 billion despite surrounding political conditions, he pointed out.

Established in 1991, IEF aims to foster greater mutual understanding and awareness of common energy interests among its 72 member countries.