I have not posted for some time as I didn't have very much to add but I saw the following articles in the same edition of the Jordan Times, on the 9th May. I am glad the Martyr's Monument is getting some attention again. I remember when the project was started by Princess Sarvath over ten years ago.
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/opinion
The Parliament of Cultures — a noble mission for peace
Hasan Abu Nimah
“In a world of globalised ideologies, it is essential both to assert the importance of cultural diversity and of the need to eliminate the use of culture as a justification for violence and triumphalism.” So read the final declaration at the Third Annual Meeting of the Parliament of Cultures (POC) that met last week in Ankara.
This statement hits the nail on the head. At a time when diversity is seen as enriching our experience, it has also become a source of friction and separation among different peoples. In this spirit, the declaration asserted the “Enlightenment tradition” as the point of departure of the members of the POC and supported “the need to look afresh at our own and each other’s heritage, history and accepted norms; have the courage to question the traditions and myths of certitude in our own historical discourse; develop a civilised framework for discussing disagreement; [and] emphasise the humanitarian capabilities that are contained within all our multiple identities.”
The POC, first launched at Bilkent (city of knowledge) University in Ankara in 2004, jointly with the Bilkent board of trustees President Ihsan Dogramaci, is the product of a long-envisaged initiative of Prince El-Hassan who has always strongly advocated cultural interaction at the level of citizens.
At the Ankara meeting, as well as at a “meeting of wisemen” (and women) — a select group of veteran politicians, specialists, intellectuals, philosophers and experts in humanitarian issues which convened immediately after the POC session, again upon the initiative of Prince El-Hassan and co-hosted with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul — grave issues of long-standing concern to the Prince were pointedly emphasised.
Many analysts pointed to the growing rift between ordinary citizens and the state systems they live in, with the depressing result that official policies seem ever more distanced from people’s choices. This phenomenon, noticeable even in countries with free elections, points to a significant failure of democracy.
Others pointed out that political elites which perhaps once kept delicate state systems carefully balanced, ensuring no one was left too far behind, have abandoned this role in pursuit of the preservation of their own positions and privileges, to the exclusion of almost everything else.
The meeting of the “wisemen” focused on the Asian-North African region, extending from Marrakesh to Bangladesh, and defined it, in its final statement, as “a new arc of opportunity for its people, [and] as the fastest growing market for commodities, the principal exporter of labour, the most attractive area for foreign direct investment, and the host of two-thirds of the world’s foreign currency reserves and the principal global energy reservoir”. The statement further described the region as having “the potential for emerging as the new growth centre of the world economy, on par with the economies of the United States and the European Union”.
This optimistic assessment was grounded in a good understanding of the hard challenges to be confronted in reaching this potential. One of these challenges is the danger of “proliferation” and intervention by powerful states against a backdrop of “diminished national sovereignty and independence” in smaller ones. The “widening gap between significant segments of the elite and masses in conflicting notions of social justice and international affairs” within states, and “a decline of respect for international law and United Nations authority” among them increases the sense of global instability.
The group called for urgent improvement in governing structures and a particular focus on combating endemic corruption, while moving towards “representative governments and strengthening rule of law”.
Both meetings reflected widespread fear that the world faces multifaceted dangers which, if not all new, seem to have gained in intensity, reaching points that could become unmanageable. The world could be pulled towards an unwanted “conflict of civilisations” based on misunderstandings that could be resolved through dialogue and the just resolution of simmering conflicts.
Although these challenges seem daunting, it was possible to come away from both meetings with a great sense that the promise of a world where people work together in a climate of mutual understanding, true democracy, economic and social justice, and the pursuit of common goals and values is within reach. But it is just as easy to appreciate that without determined and urgent action at every level to prevent the further fraying of the fragile bonds between people and nations, the prospect of descent into new lows of conflict, selfishness, chaos and violence casts a shadow on all of us.
The silent, but highly effective efforts of the worldwide recognised Prince/intellectual, travelling the length and the breadth of the world to promote meaningful dialogue, build bridges of understanding and mutual acceptability amongst peoples and faiths, have been contributing substantially to mobilising many good people in that mission, and bearing fruit. As dangers of lawlessness, violence, insecurity, lack of progress and suffering hit many parts of the human community, in our part of the world in particular, and in view of the growing “wisdom and integrity deficit” — the Prince’s words — such efforts deserve notice, if not great appreciation and solid support.
Gov’t supports plan to upgrade Martyrs’ Monument
AMMAN (Petra) — Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Tuesday stressed the government’s support for a project to upgrade the site of the Martyrs’ Monument in the Sports City. At a meeting attended by the prime minister and other senior officials, HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan, the honorary president of the executive committee entrusted with upgrading the monument, underlined the importance of the project. The Princess toured the site, which includes a building for visitors and a military museum. The project’s chief executive officer, Akram Abu Hamdan, expressed hope that it would be completed within two years depending on the availability of sufficient funds.