Momani outlines Jordan’s media approach to terror

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Sunday delivered before an Islamic anti-terror summit a speech on media role in fighting terrorism and extremism.

The first meeting of the council of defence ministers of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism in Riyadh, attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, aims at joining efforts of the alliance in facing terrorism and extremism at all levels, and addresses four main aspects related to the media, ideology, military and funding aspects of the fight against terrorism, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At the meeting, dubbed "united against terrorism", Momani highlighted the importance of using media outlets in raising awareness against hate and extremism speech that leads to terrorism.

The minister said that this meeting is extraordinary not only because "we are a nation of peace, justice and moderation", but also because Muslims must be at the forefront in the fight against those who kill in the name of Islam.

He called on Arab and Islamic countries to intensify cooperation and coordination, exchange expertise and views, and build on previous successes, until reaching effective tools that contribute to fighting terrorism at the ideological level and falsifying distorted allegations that contradict with religious and human values.

Momani also called on the moderate and professional media to work for having a more effective impact than outlets used by terrorists and extremists to distort the identities and histories of Arab and Muslim nations.

He noted that the responsibility of refuting allegations and broadcasting a mainstream content is bigger in light of the successive technological developments the media sector has been witnessing, especially when it comes to social media that have been used by terror recruiters to broadcast their crooked ideologies to hunt for new followers.

The minister reviewed Jordan’s experiment in dealing with media as an effective tool in addressing terrorism through three main levels.

The first, he said, is the political and professional level that identifies frameworks and policies of dealing with media outlets, so as to enhance the role of moderate media that seek the truth.

The second approach was at the legal level, under which laws were enacted to fortify communities and put clear legal constrains to limit violations, Momani explained, adding that the third level is related to the security aspect, or tracking violations that may threaten the security of nations.

He stressed that Jordan’s work under these levels proved the possibility of turning media outlets into factors of resilience.