Jordan Times
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Amman delivers a message on
Islam to Muslims and the world
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday joined worshippers at Al
Hashemiyeen Mosque in a religious ceremony to mark Laylet Al Qader, the night on
which the Holy Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad.
In His Majesty's presence, Chief Islamic Justice Sheikh Izzeddine Khatib Tamimi
delivered the “Amman Message” in defence of Islam as a faith of moderation and
tolerance that rejects extremism and terrorism and believes in dialogue.
Jordan called for holding an Islamic conference next year to discuss and adopt
the concepts included in the Amman Message.
During the ceremony, King Abdullah presented prizes to winners of a Koran
memorisation and recital contest organised by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic
Affairs, in which Koran students from 24 Arab and Muslim countries took part.
Participants from Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan and Jordan recited verses from the
Koran.
The King also presented the “King Abdullah Award for Muslim Scholars and
Preachers” to Sudanese Awqaf Minister Essam Bashir, who gave a short speech in
which he stressed that the nation's ulema stand behind King Abdullah in his
efforts to communicate the true picture of Islam to the world.
The Amman Message seeks to reveal a message of tolerance and humanity; rejecting
extremism as a deviation from the true Islamic beliefs; thus, stressing the true
values of Islam and promoting a proper understanding of the faith which honours
all human beings and provides common ground among different faiths and peoples.
Tamimi highlighted Jordan's historic role under the rule of the Hashemites to
repel assaults on Islam by refuting the fallacies against it and promoting a
true understanding of the faith. These efforts, which were intensified during
the reign of His Majesty the late King Hussein, are inspired by the religious
and historical legacy of the Hashemite dynasty.
“His Majesty King Abdullah II has continued this effort with the same
steadfastness since the day he held the flag. Today, His Majesty is determined
to ward off Muslim marginalisation and isolation in the global movement of human
society. His goal is to assert what the world's 1.2 billion Muslims expect
themselves to be; full partners in the development of human civilisation, and in
the progress of humanity in our age,” the document says.
It affirms it is high time that the nation stands up to the challenges that
emerged with the developments in the world arena in the past few years.
“We are aware of the dangers and challenges the Islamic nation is facing today
at this difficult juncture of its course. Evils threaten its identity, incite
disunity, tarnish its religion and assail its tenets; they attack fiercely the
very message of Islam,” the message reads.
Damage to the true image did not only come from parties that belong to other
cultures, the message asserts, but the faith has also been victimised by people
who claim an Islamic identity while they commit acts of extremism that give
their faith a bad name.
“Islam calls on Muslims to demonstrate tolerance and delight in human life; it
opposes extremism, exaggeration and intransigence... We denounce extremism
today, just as our forefathers relentlessly did throughout Islamic history.”
“On religious grounds, on moral grounds, we denounce the contemporary concept of
terrorism which is associated with wrongful practices wherever they come from —
including assaults on peaceful civilians, killing prisoners and the wounded,
unethical practices such as the destruction of buildings, and ransacking
cities,” the Amman Message said.