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AMMAN — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Monday received a letter from the Inter-Parliamentary Union president, Deputy Saber Chowdhury, in reply to Tarawneh’s letter regarding the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Chowdhury expressed his “deep concern” over the continued violence, threat and forcible displacement of the Rohingya minority, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. He noted that the union will closely monitor the situation in Rakhine and will exert its best efforts to help Myanmar authorities reach a peaceful solution. 

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Monday reduced the sentences of two Palestinian nationals after taking into consideration the convicts’ “young age and the fact that they are far away from their homes”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The first convict’s term was reduced to seven-and-a half years from 15. The second convict’s sentence was reduced to five years of hard labour instead of 10. Both were convicted of exporting weapons to the Palestinian territories. The court also sentenced a third individual in absentia to 15 years’ hard labour.

MADABA —  Caritas Jordan on Friday launched the Youth World Peace Forum (YWPF) under the theme “Now is the time”, with the aim of empowering youth in peacemaking. 

More than 400 young participants from 40 countries convened at the American University of Madaba for the two-day event to share their personal experiences and plan initiatives to contribute to a more peaceful world.  

Caritas, a humanitarian charity that counts 160 members worldwide, is a nongovernmental organisation affiliated with the Catholic Church. 

Wael Suleiman, general director of Caritas Jordan, told The Jordan Times that the invitation was a “continuation” of the peace initiative launched by Pope Francis last year, who called all Caritas organisations around the world to spread the message of world peace.  

He added that the youth are taught the values of true peace by listening and respecting each other, which also helps them to understand the importance of sharing. 

For Suleiman, the message of peace can also be conveyed through art: “Most of the activities involved art, singing, music, dancing, where participants expressed themselves as well as their agonies”.

Suleiman noted that a few days before the forum was held, a special camp was established where participants spent time with Syrian and Iraqi refugees, helping fix some of their houses and organising special programmes for the children.

“This is the beauty of the conference: it served as a platform for all peace initiatives by the young generations so that all, whether Christians and Muslims, can share their experiences”, Suleiman added. 

The two-day event saw the participation of the YWPF and the Italian project “Non Dalla Guerra”.

YWPF President Carlos Dario said that Jordan was the “right place” to host such an event because of its visible efforts  in promoting peace.   

He told the Jordan Times that the youth represent “the future” and that adults’ role is to guide and encourage them to work for peace, adding that focusing on proper education was essential. 

Giovanni Zambon, founder of Non Dalla Guerra, said that Jordan’s effort in hosting refugees constituted a “model to follow” for other countries. 

He added that his organisation, which translates into “not through war”, was born in Jordan three years ago when he visited the Zaatari camp. 

“I learnt that donating money is important to help refugees but giving one’s time is even more valuable. Being with the refugees, listening to them and sharing with them taught me a lot about peace. I realised that it starts from within the person itself. Giving is not only about money, time has more of a value,” he explained.

During the event, several institutes held workshops to spread awareness on the value of peace and “spread the seeds of love”. 

Among them was the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies (RIIFS), a nongovernmental organisation that provides a venue for the interdisciplinary study of intercultural and interreligious issues, with the aim of defusing tensions and promoting peace regionally and globally, according to its website.  

RIIFS Academic Adviser Amer Alhafi told The Jordan Times that peace is “the essence” of the three Abrahamic religions, and stressed the importance to emulate actions of peace and kindness in our daily lives.  

Among the participants was Samer Ishaq, 33, from Syria, Khdija Akjabri, 18, from Oman and Srushti Vasani, 17, from India. 

The three agreed that the moments they shared together were extremely valuable, and that even though the path to peace making is not easy, it is not impossible, and they are determined to achieve it.

AMMAN — A group of human rights activists on Sunday visited Swaqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (SCRC) three days after alleged riots as seven police officers working at the prison were referred to the Police Court.

Video clips purportedly showed riots and inmates harming themselves with sharp objects at Swaqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (SCRC) circulated on social media on Friday, causing outrage among Jordanians.

“We met with the prison administration and were briefed on the events that occurred last week at the correctional facility and the medical treatment of the injured inmates,” Government Coordinator for Human Rights Basil Tarawneh said.

Tarawneh, who was part of the civil society and National Centre for Human Rights delegation, added that they also met with some of the inmates to hear their demands.

“The prisoners complained of overcrowding, bad food quality and refusals to their demands to move to different dormitories,” Tarawneh told The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, seven police officers working at the SCRC were referred to the Police Court on charges of “smuggling illegal items to the inmates”, said  Mohammad Shamma, a member of a coalition in charge of combating all forms of torture, who visited the correctional facility on Sunday.

The alleged riots started on Friday, two days after a decision by the prison administration to move a few inmates to different dormitories and to conduct inspection campaigns. This move resulted in the alleged seizure of illegal substances and sharp objects found with the inmates.

Fire was set to two main dormitories, destroying all properties inside, according to Tarawneh.

The alleged riots were contained by the Gendarmerie and other security forces, which prevented it from spreading to other dormitories that house over 1,600 inmates.

An investigation committee was formed and its preliminary findings indicated that an individual from inside the facility allegedly smuggled a mobile phone to the prisoners in return for JD600, Tarawneh told The Jordan Times.

According to the prison administration, approximately 150 “trouble-making” inmates were sent to other correctional and rehabilitation facilities, said Shamma.

“We met with prison officials and were informed that these 150 inmates were removed from SCRC. Prison officials said that they were causing “harm and danger to other inmates”, Shamma told The Jordan Times.

He added that the building was “old” and needed “an upgrade to meet the latest international standards compatible to prisoners’ rights”.

Shamma added that the SCRC administration informed the delegation that “seven police officers were referred to the police court on various charges related to violating their duties and the alleged activities of smuggling mobiles and other forbidden items”. 

Tarawneh said that the Public Security Department is working on a plan to improve the infrastructure of a few correctional and rehabilitation centres, highlighting that”JD2 million has been allocated for this purpose”.

He added that the prison administration, in cooperation with the local and international organisations, will start plans to include inmates in “various activities and professions”. 

AMMAN — The Education Ministry, with the support of the Crown Prince Foundation (CPF) on Sunday launched a project to include the “HelloWorldKids” programme to teach computer programming for students between the fourth and sixth grades.

The first phase of the project, implemented in partnership with the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) for the 2017/2018 academic year, aims at applying the HelloWorldKids curriculum with the participation of 170 math and science teachers and 30,000 students in 76 public schools in Amman, Zarqa, Irbid, Ramtha and Karak.

During the launching ceremony, Education Minister Omar Razzaz said that the project is a “pioneering step” for Jordan and the region, and comes at a time when developed countries have started adopting and supporting computer programming education for children, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The curriculum is important for the students as it helps them create and develop smart services and products, Razzaz said, highlighting the significance of the project in training children to acquire logical, creative and analytical thinking skills, necessary to reach applied solutions for their daily life.

Through this project, the ministry is seeking to integrate students into the programming field from an early age, especially in the mathematics and science courses, in order to open new scopes for critical thinking, the minister noted.

Meanwhile, Nujood Sarhan, director of programmes and performance excellence at CPF, said that the foundation considers this partnership as an “important national achievement” that aims at enhancing students’ skills and capabilities and providing them with new skills of advanced levels.

Haif Banayan, CEO of QRTA, said that the skills of teaching programming accord with those that the academy seeks to transfer to students in the field of technology, stressing that developing the teachers’ capabilities to insert such skills while measuring their impact on the students is of great importance. 

HelloWorldKids CEO, Hanan Khader, referred to the importance of the project in making the Kingdom a regional hub for business entrepreneurship and ICT, especially as it targets students at the elementary stage, teaching them ways to produce technology rather than only consuming it. 

AMMAN — Olive trees are expected to bear heavier crop this year, with harvest expected to increase by 40 per cent compared with 2016, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

An estimated amount of 252,000 tonnes of olive fruits are expected to be picked this season, Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat said in a statement on Sunday.

Some 201,000 tonnes of olives will be pressed to produce 36,000 tonnes of olive oil, while an estimated amount of 50,000 tonnes of olive fruits to be pickled, Hneifat said in the statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Last year, 180,000 tonnes of olives were picked during the harvest season, while 26,000 tonnes of olive oil were produced and 36,000 tonnes of olives pickled.

Ministry’s spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said that olive trees this year are bearing more fruits than the previous season.

“It is known that, when olive trees produce a heavy crop on one year, it produces fewer flowers on the next year,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Olive presses across the Kingdom are scheduled to start their work on October 10, according to the ministry, which said that most farmers are finishing up olive harvesting.

A total of 125 olive oil presses are spread across the country, especially in the central and northern regions, with an investment volume exceeding JD200 million.

With more than 20 million trees across the Kingdom, Jordan is among the top 10 olive producing countries in the world. Olive trees occupy 130,000 hectares of the country’s total terrain, and constitute 71 per cent of the total area planted with fruit trees.

Official figures indicate that more than 80,000 families are directly involved in olive farming in Jordan and that olive production generates approximately $145 million in annual income for these families.

Olives are one of the most important crops in arid regions, as well as date palms, according to the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas.

AMMAN — A conference on “The Role of Development, Education and Media in Fighting Extremism” was held on Sunday, under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Arab Thought Forum (ATF).

The event, which gathered politicians, diplomats, researchers, academics and media experts from Jordan and the rest of the Arab world, was followed by the inauguration of the fifth edition of the “Arab Research Centres Alliance” initiative that started in 2015.

This year’s alliance meeting, held by the ATF in Amman, aimed to analyse, and discuss the reasons  behind regional conflicts and to come up with solutions based on critical thinking and shared visions between the research centres on Arab social and political issues. 

In his remarks, Prince Hassan said that most of the attempts to fight extremism have failed due to practices that stir hate, racism and discrimination conveyed through school and university curriculum, religious discourse, media and social platforms. 

The expansion of social media outlets and apps has formed a challenge for the region, the prince said, noting that numbers from the Worldsat website showed that over half of the Middle East population is using the Internet, amounting to around 41 million. 

“Challenges can be turned into opportunities,” he said, explaining that the ability of social media to connect millions of people can be used to create a development plan that would define its role as a tool to maintain peace and help settle conflicts. 

Mohammad Abu Hammour, ATF secretary General, stressed the need to fill the gaps in the educational and media system to make use of the “young people’s energy”, noting that they will represent 70 per cent of the Arab population by 2030.

He noted that large unemployment rates tend to create fertile grounds for recruitment by terrorist organisations.

In order to understand the conflicts of the Arab world, one must look at the interconnected elements of development: education, media, and critical thinking , Abu Hammour continued.

He called for the implementation of a study on the educational outcomes in order to move towards a society of knowledge, and an efficient learning culture to avoid producing underqualified individuals, which can increase unemployment rates. 

Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalid Khalifa, the Arab Research Centres Alliance treasury committee’s member and President of Eissa Cultural Centre in Bahrain, said how ignorance and weak educational systems have played a “major negative role” in recent political events and revolutions in the region. 

“Ignorance has always been a challenge in the Arab world and the fuel to conflicts; hidden behind masks and slogans where chaos and hate are mottos,” Khalifa said. 

“[Meanwhile], media in the region face conflict between different political, religious and sectarian orientations to serve regional and international agendas,” Abu Hammour concluded, noting that extremist groups have been using social media professionally to expand hate and provocative speech.  

AMMAN — The British Red Arrows air display team on Sunday flew an aerial circuit of the Kingdom on the first leg of their Middle East tour, in a celebration of the beauty of Jordan, a statement from the British embassy said.

The Red Arrows display team, part of the British Royal Air Force, flew over several of Jordan’s famous landmarks such as the Amman Citadel and Karak Castle at an altitude of 452 metres, trailing blue, white and red smoke to represent the British flag.

The team, which first visited Jordan on one of its very first air displays in 1965, flew in a tight diamond formation, with their Hawk fast jets flying 1.8 metres apart from each other at a speed of 482 kilometres per hour

“The Red Arrows truly represent the Best of British,” said Ambassador Edward Oakden at a reception to celebrate the team’s latest visit to Jordan. 

“Not only is their flying a spectacular display of skill; the specialised team of engineers which keeps the planes in the air represents the UK’s particular expertise in science and innovation, with a technology sector larger than the rest of Europe combined,” he added.

Jordanians around the country took part in a photo competition on the embassy’s Facebook page, attempting to capture the Red Arrows on camera as they flew overhead. 

Prizes for the best photos included a track day experience in a British Aston Martin sports car as well as a stay at the Dead Sea, courtesy of the Jordan Tourism Board, who partnered with the Red Arrows to capture aerial footage of the Kingdom’s most popular destinations.

“We are delighted the Red Arrows were able to experience Jordan, both its beauty from the air and the hospitality of its people on the ground,” said Tourism Board Chief Executive Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat. 

“Flying at such speed, the Red Arrows were able to complete a tour in two hours which most people would do over the course of a week. We will soon be releasing a short film capturing their visit and promoting Jordan as a great destination for foreign tourism,” he added.

The British Royal Air Force has a long history of cooperation with the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army, dating back to the establishment of the Royal Air Force in 1918, when squadrons were based in what is modern day Jordan. 

That history of cooperation is to be celebrated further in a visit by 6 Squadron RAF this week, who were presented with a Jordanian Royal Standard on October 15, 1950 by King Abdullah I as he had been so impressed with their airmanship, and who visit Jordan to cement the long-standing relationship between 6 Squadron Royal Air Force and 6 Squadron Royal Jordanian Air Force, according to the statement.  

AMMAN — “When I saw a kid get run over by a car, I knew I had to do something about it,” said Mousa Zweiri, Jordan’s noted volunteer in protecting school children from the dangers of traffic. 

The 62-year-old, who has been unemployed for the past five years, has been helping school children cross the streets safely for almost 30 years.

“I started volunteering after I witnessed a kid get run over by a car in front of Samir Al Rifai School. Then I realised there was a need to ensure the safety of our children,” Zweiri explained, adding “there are loopholes in our rules, laws and even in our behaviours”.

He noted that some parents send their kids to school without “knowing anything” about them or their whereabouts.

“I started at Samir Al Rifai School where I used to go in the morning, and in the afternoon as soon as the kids finished school,” he said.

“Once the former Amman mayor saw me volunteering in the rain, and gave me his word that the municipality would build a pedestrian bridge, and he did,” he recalled.

After that, Zweiri spent around six years volunteering in three different schools before spending 14 years at another school in Al Hashmi Al Shamali.

“I worked hard to get a certificate from the Ministry of Education in order to form teams of guides from each school I’ve worked with, and then train them in guiding children on busy streets,” he said.

The teams he formed have been distributed into 50 different schools in Amman and Zarqa, which he keeps monitoring regularly. Since then, none of these schools have witnessed any accident involving minors, he stated.

Abu Rafaat, as he is known, said he is now volunteering at Al Batraa (Petra) School in Jabal Al Hussein., noting that he chooses the schools that are located on dangerous streets.

He said that no one wants to witness a painful accident, let alone involving a child.

“People’s behaviours are improving though. Now, we see most of them stop by themselves without me having to pull out my stop sign,” he noted.

“My advice to parents is to take care of their children, and be a good role model,” Zweiri noted.

He also suggested for schools to pay more attention to children safety, teaching them how to act safely on roads, and recommended for the location of the main school gates to be switched from high-traffic streets to safer side-roads. 

AMMAN — Shedding light on the interconnectedness between Europe and the Middle East through the issue of North African and Arab migrants in the Netherlands, the “Arab/Dutch Film Nights” will kick off on Tuesday, for a three-day cinematographic event.

“Held by the Dutch embassy in collaboration with the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation and ‘Notre Dame International Festival’, the event aims to create understanding of difficulties and opportunities that people of Arab origin have in Europe,” Ahmad Abuhamad, cultural officer at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

“Organised for the first time in Jordan, the joint film nights will help create bridges of cooperation between Jordanian and Dutch filmmakers, make the Jordanian audience familiar with the high level quality of the Dutch film industry, and transfer the experiences of Dutch filmmakers to Jordan,” he added.

In the presence of an Arab/Dutch movie critic who will be facilitating the session, the audience will be exposed to three critically acclaimed movies which explore the themes of racism, integration and assimilation of Arab migrants in Europe.

The film nights will start off with the screening of “Layla M”. by director Mijke De Jong, which follows the story of Layla, a young woman of Moroccan origins living in Amsterdam. Confronted with the increasing suspicion towards girls with headscarves and boys with beards, the 18-year-old’s faith intensifies.

The movie follows her path towards extremism from her marriage to fellow extremist Abdel, to their awareness raising campaign around the world up to a tragic incident they get involved in. Forced to move to the Middle East, Layla is confronted with her own internal contradictions in a world that initially nurtured her ideas but now raises her doubts.

On Wednesday, the “Chronicles of My Village” by director Karim Traidia, portrays the life of Bashir, a 10-year-old boy in an Algerian village during the Algerian War. Driven by the idea that sons of martyrs are rewarded with great futures, Bashir sets plans to sacrifice his estranged father and his friend-turned-enemy against his own country, Franco is the French soldier, the statement read.

The film nights will conclude on Thursday with the Belgium/Dutch movie “Problemski Hotel” by Manu Riche. The movie, in Russian, English and Arabic, takes place at the Problemski hotel, a “place where life never really ends”. 

Depicting the cross-frontier migrant’s life “within the system”, the movie offers an insight into an endless, futureless round of queues. 

Abuhamad voiced the hope that the event will contribute to creating a dialogue on cultural exchange and cultural identities between the Arabs and the Netherlands.