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AMMAN — Deradicalisation strategies must be inclusive of all vulnerable groups targeted by extremists, including people with hearing and speech disabilities, an official at the Public Security Directorate (PSD) said.

In a video released in March, Daesh employed two deaf-mute militants working as traffic policemen, using sign language in order to recruit people with hearing impairments, claiming that their disability is “not an excuse” for them not to join “jihad”.

“It has become necessary to spread awareness among people with hearing disabilities on the danger of radical groups, and to provide them with a logical evidence-based counter narrative that illustrates the real teachings of Islam,” said Lt. Col. Mahmoud Naamneh, director of the PSD’s Community Peace Centre.

Speaking to The Jordan Times Thursday on the sidelines of the conclusion ceremony of a five-day training workshop for sign language interpreters, the official said the function, carried out in partnership with the UNDP, embodies the centre’s mission in protecting Jordan from the extremist thought that radical groups seek to spread.  

As sign language interpreters work closely with people with special needs, they partner to eliminate the threat of radicalism through delivering effective messages and approaches to this important segment of Jordanian society, a UNDP representative said.

The training is part of UNDP’s programme “Enhancing community security and access to justice in host communities and other fragile areas in Jordan”, which contributes to enhancing confidence in institutions concerned with security and justice through effective service delivery. 

Partners in the project will jointly work to raise awareness among youths and persons with special needs to counter radicalisation, the source added.

Murad Soos, one of the 18 participants in the workshop, said his deaf-mute students often question their role in society and complain about their difficult living conditions.

“If we do not engage people with hearing and speech disabilities in society and educate them on the danger of extremist groups, they might find a more welcoming refuge elsewhere,” he told The Jordan Times.

The sign language interpreter, who works with some 500 students with hearing impairments, said he will transfer the knowledge he received from the workshop to his students and fellow interpreters who did not participate.

“It is our role to protect our society in all its segments,” he said. 

The workshop attracted the participation of sign language interpreters from the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, higher education institutions and Prince Ali Bin Hussein Club for the Deaf-Mute as well as special education teachers at the Ministry of Education.

AMMAN — Jordan has several options it can consider against recurrent Israeli aggression on Al Aqsa Mosque, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said, reiterating His Majesty King Abdullah’s message that provocations in Jerusalem will affect ties between Jordan and Israel.

In an interview with Qatari Al Sharq Newspaper, published on Monday, Ensour said the King will convey Jordan's message on Al Aqsa Mosque to the world during the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, 2015, as His Majesty will be the first Arab leader to address the assembly.

Since last week, tensions have been running high in the occupied Palestinian territories — especially at East Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque complex — where for three days in a row Israeli police used rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas to disperse Muslim worshippers, according to news agencies.

Ensour said violations by the Israeli occupation against Al Aqsa Mosque are completely rejected by all Jordanians and Arabs, pointing out that His Majesty King Abdullah, the Jordanian government and people are closely following up on what is happening at Al Haram Al Sharif, which comprises Al Aqsa Mosque. 

He also stressed the importance of Arab and Islamic coordination, at various levels, to stop such acts of aggression and violations and to confront all Israeli attempts of Judaisation of the holy sites in Jerusalem. 

Lauding the strong ties between Jordan and Qatar and the brotherly relations between His Majesty King Abdullah and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the premier highlighted the continuing coordination between officials from the two countries.

He pointed out the most recent of which was a visit by Interior Minister Salameh Hammad to Doha, and explained that Hammad's visit was important to further boost the ongoing cooperation between the two countries. He also stressed that Jordan is committed to developing, in particular, its economic and security cooperation with Qatar.

With regard to domestic issues, he highlighted the issue of political and economic reform in Jordan, pointing out that the Kingdom is carrying on with a broad reform process to maintain a strong position, promote the rule of law and achieve economic reforms. 

Highlighting Jordan’s drive towards democracy through its endorsement of several pieces of legislation that foster political reform, Ensour said the government has stopped creating temporary laws and boosted the role of political parties, whose number currently stands at 36, to enable them to perform their role.

In the interview, the premier highlighted the challenges facing the Jordanian economy, in light of the regional crises. He also discussed the spillover of the Syrian crisis and its effect on the Jordanian labour market, as the Kingdom now hosts over 1.6 million Syrians.

Despite the spillover, Ensour said the legislation environment, media, development and social indicators are improving in Jordan. He also said the economic indicators are improving, including a visible decrease in the budget deficit year over year. 

Ensour said security tops Jordan’s priorities, followed closely by economic and political challenges.

AMMAN — Sharm El Sheikh and Turkey are expected to top the list of favourite destinations for Jordanian holidaymakers during the five-day Eid Al Adha holiday which will start Wednesday, according to a tourism industry leader. 

Shaher Hamdan, president of the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, told The Jordan Times Sunday that over 18,000 Jordanians are expected to spend their holiday in the Egyptian Sharm El Sheikh Red Sea resort and around 12,000 are expected to head to Turkey. 

Hamdan said he expected tourist attractions in Jordan to draw large numbers of local visitors, with the Dead Sea and Aqaba, topping the list of local destinations.

Petra and Wadi Rum in the southern part of the Kingdom, he said, would also be among the preferred destinations for domestic tourists with many attracted by the night sky views of Wadi Rum desert, some 300 kilometres south of Amman. 

Hamdan stopped short of giving figures or estimates of visitors to local tourist sites, but said that the "golden tourist triangle" of Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum is set to be fully occupied during the five-day holiday.

Syria used to be a top tourist destination for Jordanians during holiday seasons, but the picture changed ever since the start of the civil war, prompting many to choose different destinations such as Turkey or Sharm.

Jordanians prefer Sharm El Sheikh over Aqaba because hotels in the Egyptian Red Sea resort are cheaper, he said, calling on tourism authorities and the private sector –– hotels, restaurants, airlines and transport companies –– to further cooperate to offer affordable packages to Jordanian vacationers. 

AMMAN – A policeman and an anti-narcotics agent have died in the line of duty, one on Monday, while the other succumbed to wounds he sustained in an ambush Saturday, the Public Security Department (PSD) has announced.

In a statement Monday, police said a member of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) passed away and another was injured after they were shot at while on patrol in Amman. 

The PSD media centre said on its official website that CID Warrant Officer Khaled Ahmad Bani Mefrej was shot and killed in Jabal Amman when his patrol responded to a situation where a person “acting suspiciously” was spotted in the area. 

The patrol tried to stop the suspicious person to check his identification card, when he suddenly started shooting at the policemen. 

The warrant officer died instantly, while his partner, who is a second lieutenant, was injured and he was reported in fair condition. 

An investigation was under way to identify the perpetrator, the statement said. 

The PSD also reported that Corporal Mohammad Atta Salaymeh from the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) died of wounds he sustained in a shoot-out with drug dealers while on duty in an area in the south on Saturday.

Salaymeh was among an AND team on a surveillance mission in the Rashediyeh area, in Maan Governorate, 220km from Amman. The agents found themselves targets of gunshots that hit their vehicle, the statement said, adding that policemen responded to the assault and the attackers fled the scene. 

The shooters were described in the statement as “very dangerous armed men” who were wanted for a number of drug dealing cases. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah will begin within days a working visit to New York, where he will head the Jordanian delegation at the 70th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 

The Monarch will deliver a speech before the UN General Assembly, slated for late this month, according to a Royal Court statement. 

On the sidelines of the visit, the King will meet with several world leaders and heads of participating delegations.  

King Abdullah will also take part in a summit that US President Barack Obama will host in New York to discuss the efforts of the international coalition fighting extremism, radicalism and terror gangs worldwide.

Furthermore, King Abdullah will also meet with several US economic leading figures from various sectors during his visit, according to the Royal Court statement.

In an interview with Jordan TV’s 60 Minutes on Friday, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh said the King will use the platform to address the world on Jerusalem and the Syrian refugee burden.

AMMAN — Nash the Black Iris is the latest initiative by the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) that aims to communicate comprehensive messages of sport and healthy living to the Kingdom’s youngsters.

The initiative is the brainchild of JOC President HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein and is based on a sporty-looking character that will target every single child in Jordan using special and creative methods.

The Prince who oversaw the Nash character’s development said:  “It is well documented that unless you have exposed children to sports by the time they are eight, then you have probably lost them. Nash is someone that the children can relate to and who can then teach them the true values of sports in a fun way that they can understand.”

According to the Prince: “This is just the start of a long-term programme to bring young children closer to sports like never before.” 

The initiative was launched on Sunday during a special ceremony at the Children’s Museum, during which Minister of Education Mohammad Thneibat deputised for the Prince. It was attended by JOC Secretary General Lana Jaghbeer, JOC board members and a host of children who enjoyed learning about the story of Nash and were the first batch of Nash Club members who took the oath of membership.

According to JOC, more events will be planned through 2016 with the eventual goal for Nash to have reached out to every single child under the age of eight in Jordan, and a series of school visits to JOC headquarters will be organised in cooperation with the Royal Health Awareness Society’s healthy schools initiative.

A special section for Nash has been created on the JOC website in which children and their parents can follow.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Monday proroguing the current extraordinary session of the Lower House as of the same day.

A second Royal Decree was issued delaying the summoning of Parliament to convene in an ordinary session until November 15.

Constitutionally, the ordinary session could begin on October 1st or two months after.

On July 21, a Royal Decree was issued summoning Parliament to convene in an extraordinary session as of August 1 to endorse several bills.

The bills which were discussed during the prorogued extraordinary session were the draft laws on the ratification of the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability, the integrity and anti-corruption bill, the 2002 temporary law of the national committee for international and humanitarian law, and draft amendments to the (judicial) Execution Law.

AMMAN — Speaker of the Lower House Atef Tarawneh on Monday conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah to Bahraini King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa over bilateral relations and ways to enhance them at different levels for the best of the kingdoms and people.

King Abdullah expressed keenness to continue coordination and consultation over different Arab and regional issues to enhance Arab and Islamic cooperation, a Royal Court statement said.

King Hamad praised King Abdullah's stances that support Bahraini, Arab and Islamic issues.

The Bahraini monarch, at the meeting with Tarawneh, reviewed the developments his country has witnessed and the challenges it is facing, noting that the democratic life, public freedoms and reforms Jordan and Bahrain are implementing constitute a model in the Arab region.

He also said that the two kingdoms have similar views and visions towards different regional issues, especially with regard to defending Arab rights.

Tarawneh also met with Bahraini Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa and exchanged views over the latest developments at the regional and international arenas, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Crown Prince Salman and Tarawneh highlighted the deep-rooted relations between the two kingdoms, where Tarawneh praised the wise policy Bahrain adopts. 

The prince expressed his country's interest in developing cooperation ties with Jordan at all levels, stressing the importance of supporting the joint Arab action efforts in serving national interests. 

The speaker also met with Bahrain Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa and discussed several issues of mutual interest, regional developments and both kingdoms' stances towards these issues.

AMMAN — A delegation representing government institutions and local, regional and international human rights entities on Monday visited Swaqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre to learn more about the services for inmates and the progress achieved in this regard.

Basel Tarawneh, the government’s coordinator on human rights, said the visit was in line with the government’s policy to familiarise local, regional and international NGOs with government efforts, so that they keep track of the services offered to inmates in compliance with international conventions.

The visit was organised by the government’s human rights coordination office at the Prime Ministry, in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and the Public Security Department.

AMMAN — The Jordan Bar Association (JBA) voiced readiness to offer legal help for those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, JBA President Samir Khirfan said Monday.

The Justice Ministry, the Judicial Council and the National Centre for Human Rights urged people who cannot afford paying lawyer and association fees to ask for its help, Khirfan said, adding the help offered is in line with the JBA Law.