Prince Hassan urges solutions to poverty, in its broader scope, to defeat terrorism

AMMAN – Legal empowerment of the poor is prerequisite to eliminate marginalisation and exclusion, HRH Prince Hassan said at a conference on Monday.

Poverty is not only the lack of material belongings, but the definition rather expands to include all forms of psychological and physical deprivation as well, he emphasised at the gathering, titled, "Socio-economic Implications of Terrorism during Regional Development and International Transformation," organised by the Arab Thought Forum.

“Remember that the absence of legal empowerment deprives some groups off their legitimate right to pitch new ideas.”

He added that terrorism is associated with the problem of “narrow mindedness" in the Arab and Islamic worlds and, consequently, the negative way Arabs and Muslim treat each other. The fight, he said, should be for the sake of Muslims, the poor and world peace, describing poverty as a "trap" into which terrorists lure the poor.

His Highness concluded by suggesting the establishment of a world fund for ‘zakat,’ the Islamic term for alms or charity, "since 80 per cent of the refugees around the world are Muslims, he said,

Prince Hassan, who is the President of the forum, said that Arab pan-nationalism values are challenged by the increasing polarisation and hatred among the members of the same nation.

To address such a problem, it would help to incorporate values like compassion and "shura" (decision-making via a democratic manner) in the educational programmes in Arab countries.

Equally important is the promotion of knowledge, he added, stressing that it is the most effective weapon to face the current challenges and change a reality where Arabs are continuously buying weapons from abroad and not producing anything.

The essence of the envisioned change is there at the core of Islam, the true and pure Islam that needs no adjectives, His Highness stressed, such as tolerant or modern. The Holy Koran presents role models for believers to follow and values that should unite the nation, he said.

Mohammad Abu Hammour, the forum's secretary general, said in his remarks that with the rise of terrorism, the global fight against the phenomenon targets both armed terrorism and the terrorist ideology.

He said cited studies estimating that the Arab world has incurred a loss of $1.7 trillion because of the so-called Arab Spring, which has also been the direct cause of a massive wave of migration and displacement, a decline in investments and human tragedies.

“Poverty and unemployment are the result of economic deprivation and are a fertile soil for terrorism,” said Abu Hammour, adding that creating jobs and engaging youth are the needed solutions to safeguard societies against terrorist recruiters.

The two-day conference was organised in cooperation with London Consulting & Research Centre, and attended by researchers from 70 countries including Yemen, Palestine, UAE, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.

A university professor specialised in education, Nariman Attieh presented a paper on the importance of spreading awareness against terrorism amongst the youth. She told The Jordan Times that now is the time to step from theory to application by equipping young people with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand the dangers of terrorism and reject it.

President of the Parliamentary Studies Centre Mohammad Masalha said on the sidelines of the event that as long as there is unsound administration of public affairs and corruption in some countries, along with suppression and absence of democracy, terrorism as a phenomenon will live on.

“This conference will analyse the implications of the previous stage and suggest ideas and solutions for decision makers to help face this danger that threatens our future,” the pundit said.   

Also among the attendance was Linda Al Khadra, a student from Yarmouk University, who told The Jordan Times that focus should be on creating programmes and organising workshops to encourage, educate and raise awareness among students against the terrorism threat.