Fr. Bader touched on religious freedom, and pointed out that His Majesty King Abdullah II had focused in one of his discussion papers on this freedom. He not only called it the freedom to practise religious rites, but rather the freedom of belief. He stressed that we in Jordan are among the distinguished countries in respecting religious rites, and it suffices us that we are witnessing these days the Christmas joy in all parts of the beloved homeland.
The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan and the Arab Renaissance Democracy and Development (ARDD) held a seminar on Saturday December 11, 2021 titled, “The Role of Media in Spreading the Culture of Human Rights.”
The seminar titled, “Equality, Reducing Inequality, and Enhancing Rights”, which coincides with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights marked on December 10, was attended by 50 media personnel, journalists, and human rights figures.
In an opening address, CCSM Director Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader said, that it is an exigent necessity to have media outlets focus on spreading the culture of human rights, while focusing on the importance of preserving freedom of opinion and expression. He stressed that the application of the provisions contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an indication of the strength of a country since a strong state is the one that treats its citizens with complete equality, regardless of race, religion, color and gender.
Fr. Bader touched on religious freedom, and pointed out that His Majesty King Abdullah II had focused in one of his discussion papers on this freedom. He not only called it the freedom to practise religious rites, but rather the freedom of belief. He stressed that we in Jordan are among the distinguished countries in respecting religious rites, and it suffices us that we are witnessing these days the Christmas joy in all parts of the beloved homeland.
He added, “Jordan has made steady steps in history, during the marked centenary, and we have become a distinguished country with no bloodshed, and no persons or groups that have been forcibly displaced as is the case in some countries. We pray to Almighty God to guide the Jordanian ship, under the leadership of His Majesty the King and the young Crown Prince Al Hussein, in addition to all those who sincerely work in a new centenary that distinguishes Jordan in dialogue, harmony, as well as respect for human rights and dignity.” Fr. Bader also presented the 10-point Media Code of Ethics, which was earlier launched by the CCSM.
For his part, ARDD Director Mr. Basil Tarawneh pointed out that ARDD-CCSM partnership seeks to spread human culture, and to inspect the role of media in Jordan in compliance with the renaissance of the nation and its people, as well as with respect to human rights.
He stressed that Jordan implements what is stated in the human rights charters, and that it has been one of the first countries to sign conventions, treaties, and agreements relevant to human rights. Stating that Jordan took a lead in this regard, he called for attaining continued work relevant to reviewing and inspecting the measures designed to implement and promote these human rights by the executive and legislative authorities, foremost of which is the freedom of expression, so that the civil society institutions, especially media institutions, would play a prominent role in this regard.
Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Fr. Jamal Khader referred to the responsibility placed on the media which is concerned with spreading the truth in the midst of the multiplicity of modern media and social media websites that contain traditional media outlets. He stressed the importance of the media’s contribution to their constructive role that brushes aside the incitement of hatred and racism. Noting that no policy can be adopted in Jordan that insults human rights and sacred dignity, he conveyed in this context appreciation to the Jordanian state for its relevant legislations, codes and studies.
The participants in the seminar stressed the need to have media play its role free from pressures, as well as to confront wrong practices in society that contradict human rights and international covenants. They indicated that the media outlets have a responsibility to spread the culture of human rights, as well as to abide by professionalism, objectivity and impartiality when adopting human rights and social issues that serve the interests of individuals.
They also demanded that media outlets, parties, the Ministry of Education, civil society institutions, and state institutions work jointly to spread human rights values in society. They also valued the Media Code of Ethics launched by the CCSM in 2019, which provides a humanitarian roadmap in the face of the challenges being imposed by unauthorized media outlets.
Furthermore, they also called for holding more meetings that deal with the role of the media outlets and their contribution to shedding light on the violations of human rights as well as on the importance of promoting a culture of human rights and the collective awareness of society for attaining the dignity of individuals, starting with homes, schools and universities. They also stressed the role of civil society institutions in educating and providing the media with these inalienable rights.
By Munir Bayouk/ en.abouna.org
