Amman: His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, President of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS), extended his congratulations to heads and representatives of churches in the Kingdom and to members of the Christian communities on the occasion of Christmas during a visit on Saturday to the Presentation of the Lord Cathedral. The visit was attended by a number of former ministers and Muslim and Christian national figures.
According to Jordan News Agency, Prince El Hassan began his remarks by offering congratulations and best wishes on Christmas, at a time when the suffering of the people of Gaza Hashem is never absent from conscience, and Jerusalem remains ever present in the heart and mind. He affirmed his belief in humanity, emphasizing that faith, in its essence, centers on human solidarity and mutual support, and that freedom of belief and the associated right to full citizenship based on complete equality in rights and duties are essential in building modern societies. These rights, he noted, are guaranteed by explicit constitutional principles and definitive religious texts.
Prince El Hassan highlighted the importance of the Hashemite custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, noting that the historical bond between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Holy City forms a significant part of the national historical legacy. He mentioned that Jordan submitted a file in 1981 to the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO to register the Old City of Jerusalem on the World Heritage List, followed by a request in 1982 to place it on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
He also noted that in 2004, Jordan, alongside the Arab group, confronted an attempt by the Israeli authorities to remove the Old City of Jerusalem from the list and succeeded in maintaining its registration as World Heritage in Danger. Prince El Hassan pointed to the civilizational role of family endowments in Jerusalem, alongside charitable endowments, in enhancing awareness among the city's residents and preserving its cultural, religious, and social heritage.
He emphasized the need to consider making endowments in Jerusalem the main tool for anchoring Jerusalemites to their land, suggesting the formation of a single investment body to develop a comprehensive investment plan for all endowments, transforming waqf from charitable or family endowments into developmental endowments. Prince El Hassan stressed the importance of raising youth awareness of issues of history and shared identity, aiming to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance their understanding of their responsibilities toward their civilizational and human heritage.