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AMMAN – As authorities are pushing to promote the use of electric cars in the Kingdom, the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) has started training automotive technicians  to be ready for the green technology. 

VTC Director Majed Habashneh told The Jordan Times Wednesday that a number of Jordanian students are currently undertaking training on maintenance for electric cars, adding the corporation has bought equipment for the workshops it developed some two years ago for the purpose. 

“We have already embarked on a mission to have a number of electric car technicians ready for the local market as Jordan is promoting the use of such vehicles,” Habashneh said. 

The VTC director indicated that would-be agents of electric cars in the Kingdom would also have their technicians trained on the technology, as is the case of dealerships of hybrid cars in the country. 

He noted that some four or five years ago, motorists used to be hesitant to own hybrids due to a shortage in maintenance technicians, but currently there is a large number of skilled workers in the field.  

Recently the government has taken a set of measures to promote the use of electric vehicles in a bid to reduce the Kingdom’s fuel bill and protect the environment, according to officials. 

As electric vehicles are tax and customs duties free, the government announced last week the exemption of such cars from registration fees, saving owners between JD8,000 and JD9,000. 

Several days later, the government decided to offer more incentives by exempting charging devices of fully electric vehicles from customs duties and sales tax.

AMMAN – The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) removed a total of 150 illegal sheep pens during Eid Al Adha, which ended on Sunday, a municipal official said on Monday. 

Ahmad Ebbini, director of the GAM department to monitor street vendors, said the illegal structures were removed in collaboration with the Public Security Department and environment police personnel.

“GAM designated 14 locations that were legal locations people could head to for sheep. Many vendors know that the sacrifice season is the peak season for them and this is the reason behind the growing number of illegal locations,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

He noted that the number of street vendors working on the eve of Eid Al Adha was also high. 

“They existed mainly on areas of Wihdat, downtown Amman and Nuzha, and we removed many of them,” he added. 

GAM previously urged residents to buy their sacrifices from designated locations because they were “safer and more organised” as they had tanks built underground to collect blood in addition to having teams of sanitation workers deployed at these locations to ensure the cleanliness of the venues.

The health teams working at these locations also checked the animals’ conditions and prohibited the sacrifice of a number of sheep because they found that they were not healthy, he added. 

In the meantime, municipal teams began removing the pens and cleaning the areas on Sunday, Abdul Majeed Oudwan, GAM’s executive director for markets, said in a statement to The Jordan Times. 

AMMAN – This year, accidents during Eid Al Adha increased by nearly 30 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to official figures. 

During the five-day holiday, which ended on Sunday, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) dealt with 692 accidents across the Kingdom, compared with 535 during last year’s holiday, a source from the department’s media division told The Jordan Times on Monday. 

The vast majority of the accidents were traffic related, with a total of 19 deaths and 385 injuries recorded. Other accidents were related to fire and rescue. 

“We also dealt with 300 medical cases during the holiday,” the source noted. 

Prior to Eid, CDD called on motorists to be cautious while driving on highways and intergovernorate roads during the holiday in order to avoid accidents.

The agency also called on parents to watch over their children and not allow them to buy toys that are not suitable for their age.

In addition, the Public Security Department announced a comprehensive security plan to be implemented during the holiday, focusing on security, traffic and environmental aspects to ensure the safety of the public. 

Traffic patrols were deployed within areas of traffic congestion as part of the plan.

Following is the full text of His Majesty King Abdullah’s speech at the 70th Plenary Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday: 

In the name of God, most Compassionate, most Merciful,

Mr President,

Mr Secretary General,

Your Excellencies:

Thank you. It is an honour to stand before this distinguished General Assembly. I am here representing Jordan, and as a God-fearing, God-loving human being. I am here as a father who wants his children, like yours, to live in a compassionate and more peaceful world.

Such a future is under serious threat from the khawarej, the outlaws of Islam that operate globally today. They target religious differences, hoping to kill cooperation and compassion among the billions of people, of all faiths and communities, who live side-by-side in our many countries. These outlaw gangs use suspicion and ignorance to expand their own power. Worse still is the free hand they grant themselves to distort the word of God to justify the most atrocious crimes.

All of us here are united by our conviction that these forces must be defeated. But before we ask how to achieve this objective, let us ask: What if they were not defeated? What would our world look like? Can we tolerate a future where mass murder, public beheadings, kidnapping and slavery are common practices? Where the persecution of communities is law? Where humanity’s cultural treasures, preserved for thousands of years, are systematically destroyed?

I’ve called this crisis a third world war and I believe we must respond with equal intensity. That means global collective action on all fronts.

But make no mistake; the more important war is the one we wage on the battlegrounds of the heart, soul and mind. And in this fight, all countries, all people, must come together.

Jordan has been proud to work with your countries to spearhead global initiatives for tolerance and dialogue. This has been reflected in the Amman Message, and A Common Word, and, four years ago, we helped create the UN’s Global Interfaith Harmony Week, an annual event to focus all people, especially young people, on the essentials of tolerance and coexistence.

These efforts must continue, and the UN has a central role. But all of us, as individuals and as leaders, must help build the road ahead. Let me suggest seven essential steps.

First, let’s get back to basics, to the essence and shared spirit of our respective faiths and creeds. It seems to me that we can sometimes lose sight of the larger picture. What separates humanity is miniscule compared to what we hold in common: deep values of love, peace, justice and compassion.

In the name of God, most Compassionate, most Merciful,

‘And My mercy embraces all things’ (Al A’raf 156)

Second, let’s change our tone. On my travels not long ago, I saw a roadside sign that said “Fear God”. A few miles down the road, was another, saying the same thing, then another and then a final one, saying: “…or you will go to Hell”. I thought: When and how did fear and intimidation creep so insidiously into our conversations, when there is so much more to be said about the love of God? Most people may think they have nothing to do with the hate expressed by extremists. But our world is also threatened when violence, fear and anger dominate our discourse, whether in school lessons or weekly sermons or international affairs.

Third, let us act upon our beliefs. And here, I mean more than praying, fasting or zakat [giving alms]. I mean integrating our values into every part of our daily lives, every hour of every day. By loving our neighbour, showing respect to those different from us, being kind to our own children, each one of us can do something to reflect the spirit of our creator.

Fourth, let’s amplify the voice of moderation. It is one of the greatest ironies of our time that extremist voices use advanced media to propagate ignorant ideas! We must not let our screens, airwaves, broadband and social media be monopolised by those who pose the greatest danger to our world. We too must populate our media, and more important, the minds of our young people, with the purity and power of moderation.

Fifth, let us recognise deceit. When we examine the motives of these outlaws, the khawarej — and indeed, the motives of extremists on all sides — we find hunger for power and control: of people, of money, of land. They use religion as a mask. Is there a worse crime than twisting God’s word to promote your own interests? Is there a more despicable act than feeding on the vulnerable and innocent, to recruit them to your ranks?

In the global Muslim community — 1.7 billion good men and women, one quarter of humanity — today’s outlaw gangs are nothing but a drop in the ocean. But a drop of venom can poison a well. We must protect the purity of our faith from worldly contamination. As Muslims, this is our fight, and our duty.

Sixth, by all means, let us be intolerant of intolerance! Extremists rely on the apathy of moderates. But moderation does not mean accepting those who trample on others and reject all who differ. Today’s global fight is not between peoples, communities or religions. It is between all moderates, of all faiths, against all extremists, in all religions. Leaders of every country, every belief, every neighbourhood, need to take a clear and public stand against intolerance of any kind. This includes respecting all places where God is worshipped, whether mosque, church, synagogue or temple.

And nothing can be more important and can have more impact in framing this respect and coexistence than Jerusalem. The Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites is a sacred duty, and we join Muslims and Christians everywhere in rejecting threats to the holy places and the Arab character of this holy city.

My friends,

Our seventh step is hyper-connectivity. In our era, “connectivity” defines how we live and interact: in our work, our communities, our schools, our lives. Only a few years ago we had the Internet of Computers; now we talk about the Internet of Things. But above them all must be the Internet of Humanity — a hyper-connection, bringing us together in collective consciousness and common cause.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

By gathering here today, we acknowledge that the power of working together far exceeds any individual effort. This great General Assembly must address urgent world issues: sustainable, inclusive development that can deliver more opportunity, especially to young people, and peaceful political solutions to regional crises.

It is the world’s obligation to find solutions and provide relief for the millions of refugees in my region. Today, we are still facing huge shortfalls, cuts and threats to vital UN programmes and agencies, including UNRWA, UNHCR and WFP.

Today, we are haunted by the images of thousands of refugees on the shores and borders of Europe seeking hope far away from their homeland. In Jordan, we have been faced with this challenge since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Today, Syrian refugees alone constitute 20 per cent of my country’s population.

We have been taking on a significant part of the burden of this humanitarian disaster off the international community’s shoulders since the beginning. However, support to our country has been a small fraction of the cost we have endured. It is high time that the international community acts collectively in facing this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and support countries like Jordan and Lebanon which have been carrying the brunt of this burden over the past four years.

My friends,

In all these areas, we must act, collectively, for the future of our world. And connectivity is key. The values we share —equality, compassion and hope — need to be connected to everything we do. And we must keep ourselves connected to each other, for the good of all.

These bonds are the power and promise of our United Nations. Here, together, we can and must create the future our people need: a safer, stronger world of coexistence, inclusion, shared prosperity and peace. Seven steps can bring us closer to our destination. God willing, our countries and peoples will achieve these and many more.

Thank you.

AMMAN — Health Minister Ali Hiasat on Monday called on pilgrims returning to the Kingdom to visit the nearest hospital or health centre if they notice symptoms of respiratory system diseases or high temperatures. 

Hiasat explained that this advice was intended to allow hospitals to conduct necessary medical tests on sick pilgrims and to detect any cases of coronavirus in its early stages, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The minister added that pilgrims who visited health facilities for respiratory system diseases would be offered free medical treatment and tests at the ministry’s hospitals and health centres regardless of their nationalities.

Coronaviruses make up a large family of viruses that cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). 

The global SARS epidemic in 2002 killed nearly 800 people.

MERS is a strain of coronavirus that was first identified in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, and is believed to have originated in camels.

Hiasat also highlighted the importance of pilgrims’ monitoring their health during the first two weeks after their return, which represents the virus’ incubation period, during which symptoms can appear in those infected, according to Petra.

For years, the ministry has been actively engaged in detecting acute respiratory diseases at its hospitals and health centres across the Kingdom to investigate influenza and coronavirus, said Hiasat, adding that the ministry’s communicable disease control department identifies hospitalised cases and takes samples.

The Jordanian medical mission accompanied pilgrims at all stages of the Hajj and protected their health by presenting them with medications for prevention and treatment where needed, the minister said. 

AMMAN — A second Jordanian man, 39-year-old Tareq Hassan, has been reported missing in the Hajj stampede incident in Mecca, an Awqaf Ministry official said Monday.

The ministry’s secretary general, Abdul Monem Hyari, added that the department does not have any further information on Hassan as he was not part of ministry’s official Hajj group. The ministry was in contact with his family, he said.

The stampede, which occurred Thursday between the Jamarat pillars and bridge in Mina, during the ritual of the Stoning of the Devil, resulted in the death of over 700 pilgrims and the injury of hundreds.

Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam and the religious high point of a Muslim’s life. It is performed during a five-day period from the 9th through to the 13th of Dhul Hijja, the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar.

Ahmad Abu Awali, 56-years-old, lost his life during the stampede, while 70-year-old Sami Batayneh was reported missing earlier this week.

The two men were still missing when this story went to print.

“The ministry’s team on Monday paid another visit to hospitals and to the location of the stampede incident near Mina looking for the two men, in coordination with concerned Saudi authorities,” Hyari told The Jordan Times over phone.

The team is to stay in Mecca to follow up on the issue until Friday, with hopes of finding the two missing men. The official added that if they were not found by then, the Jordanian consulate is to follow up.  

Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafie told The Jordan Times that the ministry was following up on the issue of the missing Jordanians with the Jordanian consulate in Saudi Arabia.

She added that the ministry was also in contact with both families.

Meanwhile, 120 busses carrying Jordanian pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom on Monday morning, with pilgrims travelling via planes scheduled to arrive soon, said Hyari.

Hajj season

Commenting on the overall Hajj season, Hyari said this year witnessed advancement in the level of services provided to pilgrims.

He stated that there was a variety of housing options at varied prices based on the distance from the shrine and ranging from JD900-JD8,000. He noted that opening the housing options to competition contributed to a drop in accommodation fees.

Some 5,600 Jordanians performed Hajj rituals through the ministry this year, including administrative teams. The number of 1948 Palestinian pilgrims reached 3,600, according to Hyari.

AMMAN — Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Deputy Chief Commissioner Yusuf Mansur said that more than 50,000 holidaymakers spent Eid Al Adha in Aqaba. 

Mansur told The Jordan Times on Monday that Jordanians represented the majority of visitors to the Kingdom’s only port city, some 360km south of Amman.  

The holiday started last Wednesday and ended on Monday.

Thousands of people preferred to spend their vacations in Jordan this Eid rather than travel to Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh or other regional countries, he said. 

“Most of the five-star hotels in Aqaba were fully booked during the vacation,” Mansur noted.

The official said the large turnout of visitors had a positive impact on business activity in the city.

“I talked to several shopkeepers and business owners in Aqaba during Eid and they were generally pleased with the number of visitors and shoppers there,” he added.

On the eve of Eid Al Adha, hotels in Aqaba and the Dead Sea –– favourite destinations for the majority of Jordanians –– recorded over 80 per cent occupancy rates, industry leaders said in previous remarks to The Jordan Times.

According to Mansur, the average occupancy rates in Aqaba’s five-star hotels reached 90 per cent, while the figure was 80 per cent in three- and four-star hotels.

10,365 tourists, of whom 4,050 were Jordanian citizens, visited Petra during the holiday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the five-day holiday, thousands of Jordanian holidaymakers also spent the vacation outside the Kingdom, particularly in Turkey and Sharm El Sheikh.

Shaher Hamdan, president of the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, said last week that over 18,000 Jordanians booked to spend the holiday in Egyptian resorts and around 12,000 were due to head to Turkey.  

ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP – Mahmoud Hariri, a young Syrian refugee, reacted to Daesh’s destruction of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria by creating a piece of art depicting the ancient site. His work was then displayed alongside others at Zaatari, Jordan’s largest refugee camp. 

Although Hariri himself did not live in Palmyra when he was in Syria, the significance of the brutal damage caused to a part of his heritage was not lost on him. He engaged in intensive research in order to complete his work. 

“I really feel sad about what happened in the Palmyra because it is an important part in the history of Syria,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview in the camp. 

Hariri’s piece is among many works of art that are on display in a caravan in the camp provided by International Relief and Development (IRD). 

The caravan art project, supported by the NGO, features numerous pieces that illustrate Syria’s vast archeological sites and treasures.

IRD’s Assistant Coordinator and Community Engagement Sports and Recreation Officer Abdalrhman Shishani said the project hopes to help both the artists and residents of the camp develop a wide variety of skills. He announced that the works would soon be displayed in Amman. 

“The idea for the project germinated in August last year. We worked on several works of art to show Syria’s archeological sites and cultural attractions in order to raise international awareness of Syria’s incredible heritage, as well as of the many consecutive civilisations that rose and fell in our country,” Hariri stated. 

Six Syrian artists took part in the exhibition, with pieces also showing sites — like Palmyra — that have either been destroyed or damaged by the current Syrian conflict.  

“The IRD supported the project in its entirity and brought us supplies that we can use in our work. We also recycled some items that we needed and could not find in the camp,” he added, alluding to the innovative nature of the artists who have had to come up with inventive ways to access all the necessary materials.  

Hariri stated that the project is “important”, not only in spreading awareness of Syria’s cultural heritage but also in educating young displaced Syrians about their homeland. 

“Because we have been in the camp for four years and there are children who were born here, they have not seen Syria and its treasures. This exhibition will expose them to their own country and create bonds of attachment to it.”  

He said the exhibition is divided into two parts: history and civilisation.  

“Civilisation is about the folkloric art and traditions of Syria. We will also depict daily life in the country.” 

“We want to go a step further and hold our exhibition outside the camp,” he added. “People who are outside the camp are not all aware of the extent of the ruin.” 

Ismail Hariri, a 44-year-old sculptor who contributed to the show had another source of inspiration, but a positive one. 

The father of seven said he is currently working on a piece that highlights Jordan’s renowned site Petra. 

“This is a gesture of gratitude to Jordan for hosting and helping us,” the Daraa-born man added.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday took part in a meeting to introduce the new UN-drafted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the global audience.

“I am Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, and I believe in the power of education to create lasting change,” said the Queen as she read SDG Number 4 at the opening session of the 6th Annual Social Good Summit, in partnership with Project Everyone.

The goal aims to give every child quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Queen Rania highlighted everyone has a right to education saying: “Deprive children of quality education, and you deprive them of the opportunities that can help them break out of the cycle of poverty,” which she defines as “a cycle that traps people in disadvantage”, adding that it is “a cycle that puts girls at risk of violence. And slows the growth of our global economy”.

The SDGs were set after 193 countries arrived at a consensus on the 17 proposed goals which aim  to end poverty and hunger; achieve food security and improved nutrition; ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages; provide inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; build resilient infrastructure, reduce inequality within and among countries; and take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, among others.

Reading the other SDGs were Helen Clark, administrator of UNDP; Graça Machel, widow of former South African president Nelson Mandela and of Mozambican president Samora Machel; Amina Mohammed, special adviser to the UN secretary general; Karen Quintos, senior VP and chief marketing operator of Dell Inc.; Pete Cashmore, CEO and founder of Mashable; Mo Ibrahim, founder of Mo Ibrahim Foundation; Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; along with Ahmed Mohammad, Victoria Beckham, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Adrian Grenier and others.  

AMMAN — The Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies and Morocco’s Arrabita Al Muhammadiyah Foundation for Scholars on Monday signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of HRH Prince Hassan, chairman of the institute’s board of trustees.

Following the signing ceremony in Rabat, Prince Hassan said the agreement followed efforts to serve the public good of the Ummah and to promote moderation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Prince also praised the moderate intellectual and scientific approach followed by the Moroccan institution’s publications.

The institution’s secretary general, Ahmad Abbadi, said the agreement would establish a joint constructive partnership that will pave the way for new horizons of hope.