Khaberni - Ahmad Al-Hourani – Yarmouk University
The day before yesterday, some of my affairs led me to visit the Community Peace Center in the capital Amman, affiliated with the Public Security Directorate. I was soon overwhelmed with amazement at what I saw. I deeply appreciate the esteemed director, a noble son of our nation, who did not hesitate to answer the flurry of questions and inquiries that I had concerning the center's mission, vision, and goals after its establishment ten years ago. The center has risen to significant tasks, proving capable and responsible through numerous plans, programs, and activities affecting most regions of the kingdom and their targeted groups, ultimately aligning with the core principle of working to enhance values of coexistence, tolerance, and global solidarity for shared living and human diversity, and combating extremism, violence, and hatred.
The Community Peace Center and its staff recognize that Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, remains at the forefront of every international and regional effort to confront terrorist groups and violent extremism as well as proponents and followers of extremist ideology everywhere. This approach includes a comprehensive strategy that considers military, security, and intellectual confrontation. Hence, one of the main priorities is the persistent effort to implement the directives and visions of our sovereign in confronting those with destructive shadowy ideas attempting to influence the minds of youth and deviate them from the path of truth and righteousness. It is well-known that extremist groups disseminate their poisonous ideas and reach the youth through various means, the most prominent being the internet and social media. This places the center at the forefront of institutions responsible for fortifying the nation's sons and daughters against the repercussions of dark ideologies, if they do not find guidance to nurture their awareness and strengthen correct values and concepts that align with logic, religion, and healthy customs, making them active agents in combating these evils and resentments with unity, brotherhood, and a return to our righteous religion and belief in pluralism, enhancing values of love, brotherhood, and acceptance of others.
The Community Peace Center performs its duties excellently, operates with a vibrant spirit, and is staffed by a group of distinguished men and women from the Public Security personnel, all characterized by responsible sense, vigilance, alertness, and intelligence. Furthermore, they are empowered with knowledge and wisdom which enables them to perform required duties knowing the heavy responsibility trusted upon them as they continuously confront promoters of hostile ideologies against all noble values in our society. In all departments of the center, there is a sense of pride and honor knowing that behind every achievement are eyes that have faith in the nation, complying with His Majesty's visions in crafting strategies that address the youth's minds with enlightened thought through various curricula and programs to deepen the enhancement of supreme national values and national affiliation, instilling concepts of loyalty and belonging to the nation and to its Hashemite leadership.
Furthermore, the center believes in establishing the value of working with the spirit of one team and translates this high standard through affirming partnerships with various local community institutions, especially universities and schools under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education. Needless to say, this has a significant impact in achieving the goals of the Community Peace Center because community partnership plays an indispensable role in addressing the root causes of conflicts or social issues such as poverty, exclusion, and marginalization. Essentially, this fosters bridges of understanding between different components of our Jordanian society that unite on a common thought and purpose, which is to combat extremist thinking among the youth and to counter it through a precise plan to enhance loyalty and national belonging and to confront those with deviant ideas preventing them from exploiting various circumstances of the youth to achieve their false objectives, which contradict our righteous religion, our Islamic values, and the customs and traditions of our society.
