Jordan spearheading anti-extremism drive — Dawood

AMMAN — Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Minister Hayel Dawood on Saturday said that Jordan and its Hashemite leadership are leading the efforts to combat extremist and takfiri ideology, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Participating at the annual conference, titled “Problems Facing the Islamic World” in Tehran, Dawood showcased His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts in the region and international platforms to defend Islam and bring the different sects closer to combat terrorism. 

The conference is held to mark the occasion of Prophet Mohammad’s birthday, which fell Wednesday.

Participants discuss various issues that the Islamic world is facing in the present, including the spread of extremism and terrorism. 

Dawood also outlined the outcome of Jordan’s efforts in defending Jerusalem’s holy sites, crowned by a UNESCO resolution that considers the entire Al Haram Al Sharif/Al Aqsa Mosque a purely Islamic waqf, brushing off Israeli claims in the noble sanctuary. 

In a related development, a Jordanian-American professor, Omar Yaghi, won the conference’s chemistry award, along with other Muslim scholars who received prizes in various fields of science. 

Yaghi is currently the James and Neeltje Tretter chair professor of chemistry at University of California, Berkeley.