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AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) announced on Sunday that it has seized 11 weapons at various weddings since announcing a stiff campaign last month to curb festive firing.

“The department dealt with 16 cases of live ammunition shooting to celebrate occasions and 11 weapons were seized as a result,” according to a statement by the PSD.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani told The Jordan Times that several people were arrested as a result of the PSD campaign.

“Several people were rounded up for shooting live rounds at weddings and were referred to the prosecutor,” Momani said.

No details were available on how many were arrested.

PSD social unit teams, according to the statement, are visiting weddings and handing organisers a card that congratulated families on the wedding and stated that the department is confident of “your awareness not to allow the use of weapons or live ammunition during your wedding, and your knowledge of the laws regarding this matter”.

“Our teams visited 409 weddings where they distributed the cards urging people to refrain from firing live ammunition,” the PSD statement said.

The PSD pledged to continue its campaign against violators at weddings and other occasions.

In August, the department announced stiff measures against violators, including locking up any groom whose wedding includes festive shooting.

The PSD pledged to conduct campaigns in various governorates and arrest any person who owns a gun without a licence and/or arrest people who fire weapons on any occasion, and individuals who sell weapons and ammunition for this purpose.

According to official figures released last October, three people were killed and 41 injured by festive firing in 2014.

At least 21 cases were registered last year against anonymous assailants, where shooters could not be identified, according to the PSD.

AMMAN — Distributors of the controversial Iranian movie “Muhammad: the Messenger of God” have not yet brought the film to Jordan, a source at the Jordan Media Commission said Sunday.

Rasmi Mahasneh, who heads the commission’s audiovisual licensing department, explained that the film will neither be allowed nor banned in Jordan before the commission views it, adding that it does not “pre-judge” any work.

Nonetheless, the official said the commission is “committed” to the regulations of the Iftaa Department, which prohibit the physical depiction of prophets in any artistic work.

Directed by Iranian Majid Majidi and co-written with his compatriot Kambuzia Partovi, the film is the first part of a planned trilogy and it depicts the childhood of Prophet Mohammad some 1,400 years ago.

The film stirred public debate and criticism as the representation of God and prophets is considered taboo in Islam, although creators of the film said it aims to change the dominant narrative about Prophet Mohammad, especially in the West.

Iftaa Department Secretary General Mohammad Khalaileh said it is “humiliating and unacceptable” to have Prophet Mohammad portrayed by an actor, as prophets have a “sacred” image in the minds of Muslims.  

Partially state-sponsored, the film is considered Iran’s largest film production to date with its costs of around 36 million euro, according to Agence France-Presse, which added that the completion of the film required over seven years.

The 171-minute film has attracted large numbers of spectators since the beginning of its screening in Iran on August 27.

In its review of the feature, film industry magazine Variety said “Majidi respects Islamic convention” by never showing the prophet’s face and shooting him mostly from the back.

Recently, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh said the screening of the film is not allowed from a religious perspective, adding that those seeking to spread true Islam should spread its teachings.

AMMAN — The Water Ministry and the Arab Potash Company on Sunday signed an agreement to construct a water desalination station in Aqaba with an annual capacity of 5 million cubic metres.

Water Minister Hazem Nasser said the project will provide water for industrial purposes and drinking in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone.

The partnership between the ministry and the potash company is an example of public-private partnerships, Nasser said, noting the station will start pumping water before the next summer. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply on Sunday launched a sign language training course for its employees.

The course comes in implementation of a communiqué issued by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour calling for facilitating access for people with disabilities to institutions and ministries, and ensuring that they receive the services they need. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) on Sunday held a ceremony to honour top General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) achievers across the Kingdom and excelling children of teachers.

JTA President Hussam Masheh said these students are a source of pride for the association and society, according to a syndicate statement. 

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, HRH Princess Basma on Sunday attended the 31st Arab Scouts Camp celebration.

Held under the theme “United We Remain”, the two-week camp provided the opportunity to strengthen bonds and exchange experiences between regional scout organisations, and helped spread the scout movement in the Arab world, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Speaking at the celebration, Princess Basma said the slogan of the camp was manifested through the wide participation in the camp, which included scouts from the UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.

“You are the hope of this nation and the source of our pride and optimism for a better future. The noble scout principles you adopted and believe in are a source of strength for you and your communities in the present and the future,” she told the participants.

The princess said the values of integrity and self-respect are in honesty, loyalty and respect for others, while the principle of concern and cooperation is represented in supporting others and effecting positive change in the world.

She called on the scouts to keep embracing these values under all circumstances, according to Petra.

For his part, Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji welcomed the activities of the camp in Jordan, which has always supported joint Arab action and provided a model for a modern country that enjoys stability and security.

A total of 600 scouts participated in the camp, including 250 from Jordan.

Hammam Tous, a scout from Jordan, noted that the Jordanian scouts will continue to give back to their country and remain loyal soldiers for their King and homeland to realise Princess Basma’s vision and aspirations for the boy scout and girl guides movements.

Atef Abdul Majid, secretary general of the Arab Scouting Organisation, underlined the significance of the camp in uniting young Arabs.

Heads of the participating delegations spoke about the importance of the scouting movement.

The Jordanian Association of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, in cooperation with the Greater Amman Municipality, organised on Saturday a parade through the old city of Amman, from downtown to the Roman Theatre, where Sunday’s celebration also took place.

Scouting was founded in Jordan in 1954, and the country became a member of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement in 1955. Guiding started in 1938 and Jordan became a member of the World Organisation of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1978.

Princess Basma’s association with the scouting movement began in the early day of her schooling, when she joined as a Brownie and then became a girl guide.

She headed the parade in the first Boy Scout and Girl Guide festival in Jordan which took place in the late 1950s.

Today, she leads the movement in her capacity as president of the Jordanian Association of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.

AMMAN — A man died and 17 were injured in separate accidents in Amman, Madaba, and Karak, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said Sunday.

In Madaba, a vehicle overturned resulting in the death of a man and the injury of another who was taken to Nadim Public Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

In Naour, West Amman CDD cadres administered first aid to 11 people injured in a two-vehicle collision and took them to hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

In Karak, a car overturned, injuring five people who were taken to Karak Public Hospital and listed in fair condition.

AMMAN — The China Homelife Jordan 2015 exhibition opens on Monday at the Amman International Motor Show, and will last until Thursday.

Petra Travel and Tourism Co. Executive Manager Wael Kawar said more than 10,000 products including construction materials, furniture, food items and home appliances will be showcased.

Some 800 international companies will be participating in the exhibition, held for the 12th time.

AMMAN — The Public Security Department media office on Sunday said its Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) seized a large amount of illegal drugs while they were being transported with the intention to be smuggled to another country.

Through investigations, AND agents tried to stop a vehicle that was identified as carrying the illegal drugs on the desert highway, but it veered off the main road. Upon inspection of the nearby area where the car was last seen, AND agents found a food container with 300,000 illegal narcotic pills inside.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday referred the 2015 amendments to the Execution Law to its Legal Committee for further examination upon a request by MP Rula Hroub (Stronger Jordan list) who opposed the “law’s inhumane and martial aspects”.

Hroub, a member of the House’s Public Freedoms Committee, issued a statement in which she called for re-examining the law, citing its service to the creditors at the expense of debtors. 

In her 13-point statement, a copy of which was seen by The Jordan Times, Hroub charged that the new amendments to the Execution Law serve the banks and monopolising companies at the expense of most Jordanian people who will have to face “tough” proceedings for failure to pay their debts.

She also charged that the new law will add more expenses to the Treasury resulting from the increasing number of convicted people on charges related to accumulated debts.

The MP also explained that the new law “violates fair trial guarantees” by cancelling the multiple notifications to debtors and making it enough to begin legal action against them immediately after they receive the first notification.

Hroub’s argument was supported by a majority of the 150-strong House who requested that the law be referred back to the Legal Committee for more review. 

Head of the panel, MP Mustafa Amawi (Islamic Centrist Party list), said the new law is “in the service of the reform process”, adding that some cases take tens of years in court.

Minister of Justice Bassam Talhouni said that the government took into consideration all notes it had received from various social segments while drafting the law, explaining that the new amendments were primarily meant to accelerate litigation procedures.