Significant Royal visit to Belgium

Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania have just completed a magnificent state visit to the Kingdom of Belgium.

The visit could not have happened at a better time. Belgium and its great people have barely recovered from the trauma caused by the heinous terrorist attacks in their capital, Brussels, two months ago.

Thus, the Royal family, accompanied by a high-level official delegation, was there at this particular moment to deliver a resounding message of solidarity and support.

Addressing a grand audience at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), King Abdullah left no doubt in anyone’s mind that Islam’s noble values enjoin compassion, tolerance and human dignity for every person, and not death and indiscriminate murder of innocent people.

“[T]hese are the values I was taught and they are what I teach my children, just as other Muslims do, in Jordan and here in Belgium, and beyond,” the King said, adding: “We cannot afford to be silent about this. We need to speak up boldly: in public life, at work and school, in social media and more.”

“In this regard, let me praise the serious work done here at UCL on behalf of co-existence.”

No better words could the bereaved Belgians have heard. Moreover, they come from a prominent and credible Muslim Arab leader, not only to console at a critical moment, but also to assure a bewildered part of the world that suddenly found itself before the huge challenge of cultural discord due to the acts perpetrated by outlaws and misguided criminals.

Referring to the horrors those murderers have been spreading in Muslim and non-Muslim lands alike, such as enslaving women, exploiting children, persecuting minorities, slaughtering thousands of prisoners, stealing national resources, closing schools and destroying global heritage sites, King Abdullah warned that ”[A] world in which these groups are safe to operate, can never be safe for the rest of us. They must be defeated.”

This has, indeed, been the relentless message of the Jordanian Monarch who has, for years, been travelling the length and breadth of the world campaigning for peace, security, the rule of law, orderly international relations, justice, economic prosperity, as opposed to poverty and disease, as well as for immunising our societies against bigotry and intolerance.

King Abdullah does not only diagnose the root causes of the massive trouble that has been depriving our region of stability, peace and security for decades, and is now spreading further into many other parts of the world, he also offers solutions.

He rarely separates the text from the context. 

It is his worldwide recognised wisdom, his courage, his firmness and his principled commitment to human security and peace based on justice that distinguishes King Abdullah as a significant voice of wisdom, courage and reason in the entire region.

The fact that Jordan remains an oasis of stability, security, peace and even prosperity in an ocean of violence and conflict around is only one proof of the Jordanian Monarch’s competent leadership and farsighted political vision.

The King is clear about the complications of the aggravating brand of terrorism committed in the name of Islam, as advocated by evil manipulators bent on poisoning young people’s minds by preaching murder and aggression on innocent life as a religious duty.

The direct harm caused to people is not just the death and the devastation viciously caused by such criminal acts, but also the schism it is creating between Muslim communities in Europe, indeed worldwide, and the communities in which they have lived safely for decades.

The King’s strategy for dealing with the crisis goes beyond the usual security measures.

“Cooperation in security and law enforcement is key,” King Abdullah emphasised in his Louvain address, “but it is only part of the answer. We need global economic partnership to support countries that are doing the right thing. And we need a new diplomatic push for global justice”.

He further added: “The denial of Palestinian statehood is exploited by extremists worldwide. Threats to Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian religious sites and historic Arab identity have fuelled global anger. And we must address the conflicts and weaknesses that the khawarej use for cover — in Syria, in Libya, in Iraq, Africa, Southeast Asia and beyond. Success will open greater strategic space to meet threats elsewhere”.

In a globalised world, trouble does not remain confined within the borders where it starts; it travels fast across borders.

That was what the King meant: what he said about Europe applies to the rest of the world, and what happens on one side of the Mediterranean deeply affects the other side.

The message King Abdullah has delivered in Belgium, both his main speech in Louvain and the one at the state dinner offered in Their Majesties’ honour by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde is becoming a global mission that will undoubtedly bear fruit soon.

If that was the spoken message, there was a different kind of message offered by the Royal visit to the historic city of Bruges.

There, Their Majesties toured the centre of the city on foot, without any concerns about security, mixing with a huge welcoming crowd.

That, in itself, was another significant intimation that even if terror does indeed shock and cause severe trauma, it does not intimidate and would not deprive people of their tranquil and orderly life.

There is no question that the Royal tour was deeply effective in defeating any negative impact the ugly events in Brussels had left earlier.

And to add to the unique atmosphere the Royal visit created, and the cordial mingling with the citizens of that great Belgian city, the air was filled with the sound of Jordanian music skilfully performed by the Jordanian army’s famous band.

All the King’s visits have been successful, but I would say that this one is one of the best.

Our relations with Belgium have always been good. This visit will make our bilateral relations even better. 

I say this as someone who had the great honour to have served as the first resident ambassador of Jordan to the Kingdom of Belgium and the other Benelux countries and the then EEC for 12 years.

I also had the greater honour of organising the first-ever visit of King Hussein in the early 1980s.

The ceremonies witnessed during the recent Royal visit are reminiscent of similar scenes three decades ago. Except that King Baudouin was the gracious host and King Hussein was the eminent guest.

This subject has conjured up some very fond personal memories from my time as ambassador in Belgium, in particular this poignant anecdote that I would like to share.

At that time, King Philippe was a young prince, the son of then-Crown Prince Albert who succeeded King Baudouin on the Belgian throne.

On a chilly Belgian winter night in early 1980, my wife and I were invited to dinner at the house of former prime minister, Paul Vanden Boeynant. Upon leaving, we found that we were unable to unlock our car door because the lock had frozen due to the below-zero temperatures typical of a Belgian winter.

As my wife and I were helplessly stranded in the snow next to our car, a young man called out from a passing car offering help: “Ambassador I am Prince Philippe how can I help?”

He then proceeded to get hot water from a neighbouring house and thawed our car door lock for us.

Prince Philippe had just returned from Jordan with his Parents from a visit I had arranged.

I was delighted and most grateful for his gracious gesture. He made sure that we got safely into our car and drove home.

Despite the freezing temperatures, this was the typical warmth and generosity I became accustomed to receive from the Belgian people throughout my 12-year tenure.