Public figures, university leaders, faculty and students took part in a seminar and discussion on Tuesday aimed at debating over hate speech and social cohesion in the Jordanian society. 

 

The event, entitled "How to build up our social cohesion in the face of hate speech," was organized by the Amman Group for Future Dialogues in cooperation with the University of Jordan (UJ).
 
The seminar is part of a new program aims at dialogue with the Jordanian universities as part of a series of social cohesion dialogues initiated by the Amman Group for Future Dialogues. The Group aims at leading a social movement towards promoting a positive change in the Jordanian society.

 

The event featured a speech by Senate President Faisal Al Fayez in which he said confronting hate speech begins with realizing challenges facing us today,  and realizing our noble values, as well as returning to our established traditions, accepting diversity and other people's differences and opinions, and building a national media that provides unbiased and accurate information.

 

UJ President Prof. Azmi Mahfzah delivered the opening speech, calling for the need to preserve social cohesion by confronting language that promotes hatred, bigotry, and intolerance; adding that such language is harmful to social solidarity and understanding and empathy among the members of the society.

 

Mahfzah confirmed UJ's role as a HEI that embraces the broader and the most influential group in the society, young people, in the consolidation of social cohesion, including a newly approved set of compulsory courses for students. 

Dr. Mohammed Al-Zayud, Deputy Dean of the School of Educational Sciences, gave a detailed presentation on the Amman Group and the Amman Document on social cohesion which was launched by the group in 2015 and addresses some traditional social practices and trends.

 

Head of the Amman Group for Future Dialogues Bilal Hassan Al Tal spoke about the objectives of the group and the document which seeks, in addition to promoting social cohesion, to reform a set of imbalances that have affected social cohesion in Jordan.

 

Following an extensive dialogue, the participants recommended the establishment of a coordinating committee to disseminate the concepts of the Amman Document.
 
A roundtable discussion was held on the sidelines of the event attended by the Senate President Faisal al-Fayez and Prof. Azmi Mahafzah, in addition to vice presidents, faculty members, and students.