Muslim, Christian youth discuss tolerance challenges
AMMAN, Jordan — Arab Muslim and Christian youth are meeting in Amman for a dialog aimed at enhancing the "exemplary" religious coexistence in the region and protect it against outside interference. Participants at the "Muslim and Christian Youth and Challenges to Coexistence" symposium, which opened yesterday at King Hussein Club in Amman, will discuss an array of issues including Jordan as a study case of peaceful Muslim-Christian coexistence and the principles set by the Amman Message.
Speakers at the opening ceremony focused on the common ground between Islam and Christianity and the need to protect this long history of coexistence between the followers of the two monotheist faiths in an era characterized by sectarian and ethnic struggles.
Source: [The Jordan Times ]
I am a firm believer that Jordan is indeed a perfect model of Muslim-Christian coexistence. In spite of what many might see as a current global clash of religions, Jordan remains intact and its people — regardless of their beliefs — continue to live peacefully and amicably, providing a prime example of tolerance and acceptance.
Probably most of that 66% have no idea what Al Qaeda is like. They think it is a bunch of brave Arabs fighting the Big Bully Evil America.
From the Jordanian Blogosphere
On International Affairs:
On the Jordanian blogging front, talk related to Katarina can still be heard. Jameed mentions an opinion that suggests that the focus on looting by violent gangs was a means to divert attention from the t…
Or, a better math assumption; %22 hate jews, %22 hate Americans, and % 22 hate Christians. That is much softer.
My problem today is I decided not to do anything but relax; have plenty of time to write in this blog
Here is the funny thing, and this is totally coming from an Americanized and Westernized perspective since I am not Jordanian and I am relying on Aristotle’s use of logic (logos). In the previous post, Natasha talks about this new poll that came out in Jordan, and the poll shows that 66 percent of Jordanians support al Qaeda. Well here is a little logic:
Al Qaeda hates infidels, i.e. Americans, Jews, Christians.
66 percent of Jordanians support Al Qaeda.
Therefore, 66 percent of Jordanians hate infidels, i.e. Americans, Jews, Christians.
But just disregard what I have to say because I am living in fantasy world and my opinions do not matter.
Wait, wait
Your loyalty and commitment keep changing according to the situation. This is not dual citizinship; this is called “identity crisis”.
I think we all suffer from this phenomenon and have the same syndrome. I would like to suggest to the site manager to once open this kind of discussion since we all seem to suffer from this kind of confusion
Jareer, I will get real and infact, forget everything I said because suposidly Im not really Jordanian so I do not have a right to talk about this stuff.
you take care now.
Interfaith marriages are not co-existence, they are conversions. Co-existence means both exist independently, but with respect and understanding each other. Linda, you live in an imaginary world, get real.
Don Cox, unfortunately many politicans use religion as a tool to gain more support from their people. There are no “Jordanian Jews”.
There has been Arab Jews living in different Arab countries but most of them immigrated after 1948, still some remain in Morocco and Yemen, and maybe very few in Iraq, Egypt and Algeria. Israel/Plaestine is a totally different story!!
Linda… Jordanians would have probably accepted a Chrisitan queen even if she wouldn’t change her religion, mainly because the queen has no political role in the country, and because it’s not uncommon that a Muslim man would marry a non-arab chrisitan woman. It’s somewhat accepted in the society although not preferred.
Again for such marriages to succeed one prt of the marriage has to almost totally forget about his/her religion. What if the man decided to become religious in the future, and wanted to fast ramadan and let his kids do it? What if he asked his daughters to wear hijab and took his children to hajj, it’s his right as a muslim to do so, and it’s the right of the wife as a chrisitan to refuse that. And what if the wife wanted the children to be baptized and she wanted her kids to receive chrisitan education?
It’s her right as a chrisitan woman but it’s also the right of her husband as a muslim man to refuse that.
I see many such marriages fail because of that.
Roba,
Let’s continue this discussion. You provided examples of your family. To hear this is great news and I abolutely love it.
But answer this, do you really think it is like that as a whole in JOrdan and the rest of the Middle East? And answer honestly.
Look at our own Queen Noor. Why did she have to change her religion? I am sure I will hear the comments that she did because she wanted to, but lets say she didnt want to and she wanted to stay a christian. Do you really think the rest Jordan would be accepting of that, a Christian queen? come on, yeah right. And if it was the other way around, a christian royal family with a muslim queen, it would not be accepted.
If it cannot be accepted at that level, (and there are ecceptions, examples like yours prove that) then i do not believe it can be accepted as a whole in the rest of the Midle East.
Yeah, I know you guys like using the point that I hae never been to Jordan, but I am still Jordanian and I feel that I can still give my opinion about this. And I am not saying this just about Jordan, but it is the rest of the Middle East and the world for that matter.
We are so indenial if we are going to say that just because we can tolerate each other then we are living in peace. infact, its the exact opposite. Just look around you guys. look what is happening in Lebanon. Everytime there is a suicide bombing its in a christian community.
Look at Natasha’s news service and read the story about the muslim girl and christian guy that fell in love. or toward the end of the story where a christian girl fell in love with a muslim guy and her father tortured her.
Marriage is the one thing that almost every culture has in common, in respect to the idea that every person wants to share their life with the person they love. But to tell you the truth, we are not marrying people WE love, we are marying people that the society we live in dictates to us who we should love.
Lets not be indenial. if we stay like that then there is no solving this violent world we live in.
Well, I’m glad to hear that Jordanians are tolerant. Next door, in the West Bank, things are
not so good.
In my opinion, tolerance is like education. It isn’t easy, and it doesn’t come naturally. The most hopeful thing is the way cities all around the world are getting mixed up, with people from (or whose parents are from) Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East sharing the pavements.