The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan has expressed pride in the historic speech made by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein to the Jordanian people. A statement released by CCSM Director Fr. Rif'at Bader said: The speech has diagnosed illness and lit the way towards the future, since the current and future eras require conversion of beautiful words into constructive deeds that add every day new brick to the structure of dear Jordanian national unity. It furthermore, requires conveying the Jordanian message to the whole world including fraternal Arab, friendly and international societies.
The CCSM statement added that His Majesty the King reaffirmed the constitutional equality for all people, especially when he mentioned that all the spectra of the country are included, namely Muslims and Christians, where the entrenched cultural partnership that links the children of the two sisterly religions, Islam and Christianity, particularly in our Arab homeland, witnessed over the years the Christian Arabs' contributions in the Arab renaissance in several arena among which are the political, economic, scientific, cultural, and medical ones. The statement added that His Majesty the King today expresses his pride in this historic cultural brotherhood that brings the brothers together in good and bad times. That is why the King asserted the stark truth that the Jordanian society is composed of one "clan" and one "family" governed by distinguished sincere, persevering and assiduous work that augurs a better future. The CCSM statement recalled His Majesty's statement at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York, September 2014, when he said: "The Christian Arabs constitute an integral part of our past and our present; and they continue to be part of our future. They had been the cornerstone of the structure of our societies 2,000 years ago and this is a source of pride." His Majesty the King was the first to be aware of the "extremist" dangers jeopardizing this integrated national fabric. So he called in September 2013 for convening the Amman international conference, the first of its kind, to discuss "the Challenges Facing the Arab Christians". We share with His Majesty the King the view that Jordan's clear policies before the world is to have its doors open, thus Jordan welcomed the refugees fleeing the oppression of their rulers and their raging and bloody civil wars. It is also a great source of pride to have Jordan welcome the Iraqis displaced from the cities and villages of the Nineveh Plain to the land that respects pluralism and freedom of worship for all residents without exception. So, they came to Jordan fleeing religious oppression practised against them. The doors of churches were opened to help them fulfill their distinctive, intellectual and cultural nature. This shows His Majesty the King's adherence to maintain the sublime plurality that decorated the Arab region and the Middle East for centuries. Nowadays it is incumbent to be alert in order to combat extremism through the preservation of both pluralism and the sublime Arab Christian presence that actively contributes to the renaissance of the nation, as wells its present and future progress.
Fr. Bader added in the statement that besides maintaining pluralism and the Christian presence in the region, the speech of His Majesty the King and his initiatives that are adopted by the United Nations are also intended to defend the true image of Islam. In this regard, the Arab Christians, with their churches, pastors and the faithful, are ready to support the homeland by standing against statements and deeds of fanaticism that distort the true image of religion.
The statement stressed that we support His Majesty the King's endeavor to preserve the Arab Christian identity and defend the true image of the Islamic religion. As for religion in general, it does not call for murder and strife. The true image of Islam, as elaborated by His Majesty the King in his historic speech, is designed to help the younger generations embrace a "new dictionary term" in the intellectual and ideological war that is designed to eliminate terms of extremism, rejection of others and replacing them by terms that respect "the sanctity of human life'' and consequently be more humane, cultural and intellectual to serve the future generations in the days and years to come such as openness, mutual respect, the sound and peaceful use of religion, "the culture of the meeting", and solidarity so as to ultimately reach the sublime term which represents the sound democratic society, namely full citizenship and equality, in daily thought and practice at the official and popular levels.
The CCSM statement said: "We applaud all efforts made by His Majesty King Abdullah II and the initiatives he launches throughout the world in order to remind the world of the importance of affection and dialogue among the followers of religions, as well as of his tireless call to defend the holy sites, as well as the Arab identity and of the Christian and Muslim presence in Jerusalem and the countries of the East and the world. We pay tribute to the King today, in particular in the war he is leading in the fight against extremism-- that leads to terrorism—in either in the air warfare currently under way or in the intellectual war. Thank God that with the wisdom of the captain the Jordanian ship will cross high waves and reach safely to attain its mission in the two policies, namely a new cultural internal one, and an external one that adopts the open-door policy designed to receive the brethren displaced by political violence and religious oppression.
The CCSM concluded its statement by saying, that the recent speech of His Majesty the King, make us reiterate the words uttered by Pope Francis in Jordan, in front of the King and in front of the one Jordanian family and their friends from everywhere, when he said: "I convey my appreciation for the leadership of His Majesty the King in promoting a better understanding of the virtues taught by Islam and a climate of serene coexistence between the faithful of the different religions.''
Your Majesty, you are well-known as a man of peace and a peacemaker, Thank you! "
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