The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS), in cooperation with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Jordan, contracted by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC) and funded by the European Union, has undertaken a two-year project to support the promotion of the ‘Amman Message’. The aim of this project is to promote the Amman Message in order to contribute t
o good governance, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to counter the root causes of terrorism and violence. In addition to seeking common ground, the Project aims to build awareness and understanding to enable the appreciation and acceptance of living with difference. It further seeks to raise the profile of the humanitarian, civilized role of Islam, while promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue and creating platforms for discussion between different communities and audiences. Specific issues relating to negative perceptions about Muslims generally and Muslims in Europe in particular, have grown in recent years. Whilst in parts of Europe, intra-Islamic tensions do exist, they are less significant than in Muslim and Arab countries. An important challenge in Europe is to project a more tolerant and respectful image of Islam, with a view to reducing anti-Muslim sentiment among certain European communities. There is therefore an urgent need to raise awareness among indigenous European nations about Islam, as portrayed in the Amman Message. Over the two-year period, the Project will develop and establish a multi-leveled discourse that tackles in-depth diverse and complex dimensions of religious conflicts amongst Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims, in Jordan, the wider Arab region and certain countries of Europe.
