His Majesty King Abdullah II
Interview with Al Sabah Al Jadid
Newspaper
by Ismail Al Zayer
April 23, 2006
Amman, Jordan
Zayer: Your Majesty,
the Iraqis need every good word and deed that emanates from their brothers in
the Islamic and Arab nations and you have always expressed optimism towards the
future of Jordanian-Iraqi relations and the course of events. Do you remain
optimistic and hopeful in spite of all that has transpired in terms of violence,
terrorism and the diminished security, or are we at the point of no return?
HM King Abdullah: When eight million Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections,
they were doing so out of faith and conviction in the political process,
rejection of violence and terrorism and eagerness to build a free independent
and democratic Iraq, free of external interference. This, along with the fact
that the Iraqis are an aware people who know that Iraq has no future except
through the renunciation of violence strengthens our conviction that the
majority of Iraqis reject terrorism and condemn calls for fitna and the division
that have sought to incite among the one people. Despite all their desperate
attempts, Iraqis have shown great responsibility and have not heeded the calls
for fitna and division. I don't think we have reached a point of no return in
Iraq, as long as the majority of Iraqis want peace and believe in a strong
united Iraq.
We say to our Iraqi brothers: You are not alone, your Arab and Muslim brethren
and your friends in the world stand by you and support your vision for a united,
stable and secure Iraq.
Zayer: After more than a year after the release of the Amman Message that was
aimed at promoting peace and moderation, we are on the doorstep of another
initiative by Your Majesty. Have these initiatives worked and how can they be
given more political, national and social effectiveness?
HM King Abdullah: The Amman Message formed a launchpad towards reinstituting and fostering
the values of tolerance, centrism and moderation. It also elucidated the true
essence of Islam and its relationship with the other monotheistic religions.
This initiative was undertaken because we felt that the Islamic message of
tolerance was being subjected to a fierce and unjust attack from some in the
West who do not understand Islam's essence and others who claim to be associated
with Islam and hide behind Islam to commit irresponsible deeds. Islam has called
for treating others as you would like to be treated and encourages tolerance,
forgiveness and respect for agreements and charters. It forbids treason and
duplicity. Islam elevates life and forbids attacking innocent civilians. The
Amman Message was crucial to face the false claims of extremists and is a step
towards giving moderate Islam the voice and global stature that it deserves.
In July 2005, we built on the Amman Message through the convening of the
International Islamic Conference which was another step towards reasserting the
points that unite all Muslims and turning to others with a balanced and advanced
discourse. The conference was attended by 180 Muslim scholars from 45 countries.
They issued a declaration signed by all participants which was based on fatwas
issued by 20 leading Muslim scholars in the world. This declaration condemned
[the practice of] takfir [calling others apostates] that extremists use to
justify violence. It also endorsed the legitimacy of all Islamic schools of
jurisprudence, Sunni, Shiite and Ibadi and identified common principles and
beliefs among them. Finally, it said no one may issue a fatwa without the
requisite personal qualifications which each school of jurisprudence defines. It
deems illegitimate fatwas that justify terrorism, saying that they contravene
Sharia and violate Islam's basic immutable principles. We are thoroughly
convinced that these initiatives will contribute to laying the foundation of a
new era that puts an end to terrorist practices and extremist thought, whose
evil has touched everyone in the region and the world.
Zayer: Iraq has historic, diverse and deep relations with the Kingdom, its
people and leadership. Are you satisfied in that regard with the Arab and
Islamic role to help Iraq out of its crisis or is there some concern that Iraq,
God forbid, is slipping into civil war and strife and does that concern you?
HM King Abdullah: Our relations with Iraq historically have been friendly and close.
Families that have roots in Iraq or vice versa, all are factors that foster the
strength of Jordanian-Iraqi relations. We are constantly working to strengthen
these relations and nurture them to the point that they will meet the
aspirations of both nations for more cooperation. The truth is that we are not
happy with the level of Arab and Islamic contribution in Iraq, and we aspire for
a much greater Arab contribution to Iraq. It is unreasonable that Arab states do
not have ambassadors in Iraq. For this reason, I directed the government to
appoint a Jordanian ambassador to Baghdad, which it did. However, due to the
attack on our embassy there and the abduction of one of our embassy staff the
dispatch of the ambassador to Baghdad has been delayed. We have called on more
than one occasion on our Arab and Muslim brothers to effectively contribute to
helping Iraq overcome its current crisis and build a new Iraq. We hope that the
Arab League would continue its role in Iraq and its efforts to unify Iraqis in
order to avert any attempts to instigate fitna and division among people.
Zayer: How do you evaluate efforts to secure border crossings between Iraq and
Jordan to prevent the infiltration of terrorism from and to Iraq?
HM King Abdullah: As you know, our borders with Iraq are long. Jordan on its part controls
its borders to ensure that no groups or persons cross these areas to carry out
actions that undermine the security and stability of Iraq. It does so in a
manner that does not compromise the services and facilities we offer to our
Iraqi brothers. To ensure the comfort of travellers to and from Iraq as well as
ensure the non-infiltration of terrorists into Jordan, the government is
currently working on building a modern border centre at a cost of JD60 million.
As for the issue of terrorism, I would like to stress again that Jordanian
borders with Iraq have always been calm. It's never been recorded that militant
groups have entered Iraq through Jordan. Jordan, throughout its long history,
has never been a source of terrorism or an incubator of terrorism. On the
contrary, we are targets of terrorists and victims of their crimes that have
reached innocent people. In spite of that, we are not deterred from continuing
to fight them and challenge their evil takfiri thought that negatively affect
all Muslims.
Zayer: Is takfiri terrorism a product of the current political environment? Or
do you see that it is a passing phenomenon in Islamic and Arab history that can
be fought and defeated? If this is so, how does Your Majesty see how takfiris
and terrorism can be defeated?
HM King Abdullah: I see takfiri thought as new to our lives and history. Even if
historically there have been cases in which some groups deviated from the
consensus of the umma, their thought was defeated when confronted with proper
Islam and Muslim consensus rejecting the ideologies of these groups. In this
unstable political environment and the increased degree of conflict and the
deepening state of despair and frustration in the absence of a just political
solution, takfiri thought found feeding ground for its aims that are alien to
true Islamic ethics and values. Hence comes the important role that we play in
explaining the true spirit of Islam and fostering principles of moderation
centrism, which exposes the falseness of the claims and fatwas of extremists. As
long as we succeed in spreading the culture of tolerance and moderation and
acceptance of others, we can isolate and defeat these deviant and dangerous
phenomena.
Zayer: Your aim, through the Iraqi Islamic Reconciliation Conference initiative,
which was postponed upon an Iraqi request, is to end the violence and foster the
unity and stability of Iraq. Can an agreement from Islamists of all sects on the
elements of reconciliation end violence, or is this one of many components —
Iraqi, regional and Islamic circles — necessary to end violence?
HM King Abdullah: Our objective in convening this conference was to reach a religious
reconciliation based on solid and common religious ideology that strengthens the
unity of the Iraqi people and that contributes towards the achievement of a
political solution that ultimately would relieve Iraq of its state of violence,
foster its unity and stability and redirect the energy of the Iraqis to build a
new Iraq whose people enjoy security and a better life. His excellency the Iraqi
president, Jalal Talabani, telephoned and asked me to postpone the conference in
order to ensure the participation of a large number of Iraqi religious leaders,
who are now preoccupied with the current negotiations on forming a government. I
hope these discussions result in creating positive chances for reconciliation.
We were keen to invite religious leaders to Amman out of our belief that without
reaching a religious agreement first, there can be no political solution to the
violence and conflict that continues to worry us as it does all the Iraqi
people. It is in the interest of everyone in the region that security and
stability prevail in Iraq and that Iraq plays a vital and effective role on the
regional and international scenes.
Zayer: There is a strong feeling among Iraqis that Arabs and Muslims have
abandoned them, or that perhaps they have not understood the organic problems of
Iraq to the extent that they are able to listen to them and help them before
coordinating to overcome this crisis. Iraqis also fear that their country is
being isolated from the Arab-Islamic environment, a fear that has arisen because
of doubt and misunderstanding. What message do you have for the Iraqis to assure
them and encourage them to relinquish these fears and strengthen Arab Islamic
bonds as a way out of this crisis?
HM King Abdullah: My message to the Iraqis is: We are with you and we stand by you. Your
success is our success. And failure, God forbid, will hurt us all. Iraq is the
security valve for Arabs and the region. There can be no security and stability
as long as the Iraqi wound bleeds. We would like to assure the Iraqis that your
Jordanian and Arab brothers are pained by the blood that is being shed and by
what they see happening in Iraq, a country that has enriched humanity with its
ancient civilisation. Because of this, we are using all available means to help
you overcome this situation, and we call on religious authorities, ulema and
political and tribal leaderships in Iraq to unite for the future of Iraq and the
future of our nation.
As a Hashemite and a member of Al al Bayt and an Arab concerned for every Iraqi
— whether Sunni, Shiite, or Kurd — I work for the recovery of Iraq and the
restoration of its role as one of the factors of regional stability because what
happens in Iraq definitely affects the future of this region. It is unreasonable
and illogical for the Arabs to leave Iraq to confront the challenges and dangers
facing it alone; for what affects it affects us, and it is our duty, all of us,
to contribute to supporting the country.
Zayer: Blind terror has spared neither the precious blood of Jordanians nor that
of Iraqis. We all saw the cruelty of terrorism that violated the blood of
innocent civilians in Amman hotels. Has the threat of terrorism solidified
security coordination between the two countries or are there still technical and
administrative problems that obstruct such cooperation?
HM King Abdullah: The terrorist operations that targeted Jordanians last year, especially
the blasts at the three Amman hotels, shocked Jordanians and united us and made
us eager to confront terrorists who indiscriminately target innocent children
and women. We realised after these criminal acts the depravity of terrorists'
thoughts and discourse. As for security coordination between Jordan and Iraq, we
hope it can be at the level where we can work to eliminate terrorism.
Zayer: Where has the training programme for Iraqi police and security personnel
conducted by Jordan reached? Does it still continue and are you satisfied with
the progress achieved in training?
HM King Abdullah: Jordan's training of Iraqi police and security forces stems from our
concern for the security and unity of Iraq. We are thoroughly convinced that as
long as we secure the establishment of a strong Iraqi army and a qualified and
trained police force, Iraq's reconstruction can be assured along with an end to
foreign presence there. The programme continues, and we hope that through it, we
are making a contribution to Iraq's security and stability in all areas of the
country. We have so far trained more than 32,000 police personnel and 7,000
Iraqi military personnel. We are training 3,000 more police right now. This is
in addition to training of civilian personnel in sectors such as electricity and
air transport, as well as others.
Zayer: To what extent has terrorism targeted Jordan? There are several factors,
but we would like to see Your Majesty's estimate of the number of attempts to
infiltrate the Jordanian security?
HM King Abdullah: Jordan is a target of terrorists because it represents the voice of
moderation and centrism and because we stand against extremism and takfir. We
have become targets of terrorist groups in Iraq, and our security forces have a
long-term strategy to combat terrorism and takfir. Last year and this year,
several terrorist operations were aborted. Weapons and explosives meant to
target vital Jordanian installations have been confiscated. In the operation
targeting the Amman hotels, terrorists used non-Jordanian individuals. Those who
executed the operation were Iraqis. 4,000 to 5,000 people cross Jordanian
borders everyday, which made Jordanian security forces raise the level of alert
and use all available means to prevent infiltration of terrorists into Jordan.
Neither Iraq, nor Jordan or any other country can face terrorism alone. There
must be a call for group action and [we must] unify our positions against
terrorism and all those who support or approve of it. This is also a call to
reject takfiri thought and alienate all who support it in any way.
Zayer: The level and degree of economic and trade cooperation with Iraq ebbs and
flows. How can bilateral exchange and investments be developed, and to what
extent do security tensions and terrorist acts affect these sectors?
HM King Abdullah: Unfortunately, the volume of economic and trade cooperation with Iraq is
not at the desired level. The truth is that the security situation has
contributed to the regression in the volume of trade between the two countries.
Our exports to Iraq have decreased noticeably over the last two years, and we
hope that there can be practical and serious steps to bring economic and trade
cooperation to a level that reflects the special relationship between our
brotherly peoples.
Zayer: Your Majesty, more than a million Iraqis live in Jordan now, and there is
a new wave of immigration because of the deteriorating security situation in
Iraq. Some have been forced to move due to the difficult circumstances and are
looking for official procedures that would facilitate their entry [into Jordan]
from Iraq or Syria and their residence in Jordan. This move would make a good
impression and would be highly appreciated.
HM King Abdullah: I would like through your newspaper to tell the Iraqis, especially those
who live among us: You are among your family and brothers. We welcome you, and
we share with you our livelihood. We do not differentiate between Sunni, Shiite,
or Kurd. Today in Amman you find Iraqis living with their Jordanian brothers in
the same building. They share one concern: Rescuing Iraq from its current
upheaval. Jordan has always been a safe haven for all Arabs. Some incidents may
occur at the borders involving procedural delays, but these are often due to
precautionary measures, for fear of terrorist infiltration into Jordan. That is
why as I mentioned earlier that we are in the process of building a modern
border crossing that facilitates and provides comfort to those arriving and
leaving.
Zayer: The developments in the Iranian nuclear file are raising fears of a
return to regional instability that exacerbates problems and portends a phase of
mini-cold war. Is Jordan and Your Majesty undertaking any initiatives to cool
this file, especially that signals of international concern are materialising
regarding the Iranian role in Iraq and the possibility of using Iraq as a
regional card in its conflict with the US?
HM King Abdullah: We in Jordan believe that dialogue is the best means of averting crises.
We always call for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. We also
emphasise that any escalation of the situation in this issue will increase
regional tensions. We've tried hard for some time now to get the region out of
this dangerous slope. Jordan has always been ready to join any serious effort
that would help start a dialogue between Iran and the international community in
that regard.
Zayer: Opponents of Arabs and Muslims argue that we have not reached clear or
solid convictions regarding good governance and what it implies in terms of a
democratic polity and social justice. Have we reached a stage of impotence that
prevents us from building countries that are built on good governance and are
stable and just?
HM King Abdullah: In order to confront this logic there is a need to move ahead in
procedures that achieve real political and economic reforms which are translated
on the ground and that stem from justice and equality. We in Jordan have our
vision in that regard and have been working for some time despite obstacles to
implement that vision and build a strong economy and an open and modern society
founded in pluralism, democracy and moderation, acceptance of others, free
speech and respect for competing points of view. Currently the government is
working on taking the necessary steps to implement the recommendations of the
National Agenda in all fields.