Dr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh has received Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader. The discussion focused on the final stages of drafting a comprehensive media ethics charter based on the principles of the Islamic and the Christian religions.
Dr. Abu Ghazaleh pointed out that this idea is based on the model established by His Majesty King Abdullah II who has exerted extensive effort to maintain religious coexistence within the Islamic religion on the one hand and between Islam and other religions on the other, where such efforts surpassed those exerted by any other political leaders which entitled him to be awarded the 2108 Templeton Prize.
He added: “His Majesty the King is a role model for everyone. He launched the Amman Message which underlines an understanding of the basic elements of Islam. His Majesty the King also supported the “Common Word Between Us and You Initiative” which resulted in a 2007 open message addressed from Islamic figures to senior religious figures and to others as well. Today, we follow the same path to know the importance of modern media in our society.”
Dr. Abu Ghazaleh went on to say: ”We believe in the influential role played by the media and the social networking sites. This charter will serve as a guiding tool for users of all media outlets in their daily lives. Furthermore, the discussions relevant to the draft cybercrime law in Jordan, in its capacity as it restricts freedom of expression, will be an important issue that should be discussed, and I believe that this charter will be of great help in this area.”
For his part, Father Bader expressed his optimism that this charter will become a guide for all. He added that the work done by the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Forum on the Humanitarian Charter constitutes an excellent idea that benefits all societies and aims at bringing about the changes aspired to spread love and peace, instead of hatred and conflict, which is based on the meeting that had taken place between Dr. Abu Ghazaleh and His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican.
The CCSM director added: “We need people with a vision like Dr. Abu Ghazaleh especially at our time when the media has shifted from being printed into becoming digital, and with so many people resorting on daily bases to the so called “the journalism of the citizen” but most of them fail to follow the rules of credibility.”
He pointed out that “The media plays a major role in our daily lives. The time has come to have a common responsibility for what is being covered and broadcast whether through news websites or social media networking. He stressed that news broadcasting necessitates credibility, and if the correct principles based on the teachings of Islam and Christianity are followed as a guiding tool, then the media will be in a better shape.”
It is noteworthy that a committee will be formed comprising experts, media institutions and journalists, in addition to clergymen in order to draft the charter. The committee will organize seminars and meetings aimed at raising awareness and shedding light on the charter.
Source: Amman-en.abouna.org
