The Story

Prince of Jordan Speaks On Peace Efforts

Oct. 20, 2009 | By Grace Mendendhall, DSJ Staff Reporter

His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, crown prince of the country for more than three decades, spoke in Commonwealth Auditorium on October 15th, 2009. The talk, which covered Middle Eastern and West Asian peace-keeping efforts as well as youth leadership, humanitarianism, and education, drew an eager crowd.

Prince El Hassan serves on a number of international organizations. He is a founding member and president of the Foundation for Inter-religious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue and a member of the Board of Directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the International Board of the Council on Foreign Relations.

When introduced, he was thanked for his attendance and willingness to speak at William and Mary. Though it is Prince El Hassan’s second time addressing the College, his presence is still a privilege. In recognition of this, several alumni who attended Prince El Hassan’s first speech as students came back to hear his most recent dialogue with the school.

Prince El Hassan began with promising sentiments on the rainy afternoon of his address.

�"Ladies and Gentlemen, in our part of the world, they say it’s an auspicious visit that brings rain with it,” said Prince El Hassan.

He continued this positive message in his subsequent discussion of humanitarianism during which he advocated for the right to proclaim one’s own religion. Prince El Hassan’s opinions also support the free flow of cross-cultural information and the fresh analysis of cultural and religious texts and history. Based on this perspective, he justifies a peaceful, communicative exchange between differing communities.

�"I think we have to accept our words and our actions at all levels and not resort to violence,” said Prince El Hassan.

He then utilized a question-and-answer technique to relate to the audience the importance of understanding and universality. By reading from and quizzing on a set of texts from various faiths, he demonstrated that they all say relatively the same thing. Each one advocates a respect for life and the importance of assisting another in a time of crisis.

�"I wanted to make the point that the universality of the golden rule is very obvious," said Prince El Hassan. "I would like to suggest initially that what diverts us from this universality is our selective memory."

This selective memory, he continues, is what history textbooks and other biased second-hand sources relate as truth. Prince El Hassan, however, considers the individual, personal side of the past to be much more revealing, inclusive, and, therefore more honest.

�"I am sad to say that of the Fulbright scholars," said Prince El Hassan, "the majority are mathematicians. There are no human sciences in Fulbright scholarship. The result is that there is no study of history and of memory."

Continuing on the topic of study, Prince El Hassan highlighted the significance of combining humanitarianism with science. The common ground upon which to begin this process, he stated, is the wisdom of the ancients rather than current politics.

�"Are we not divided enough?," said Prince El Hassan. "How can global commons reach regional commons without conversation in which not everything is left to patriarchal, political leadership? I believe in humanizing globalization."

He then began to discuss the changing role of education on an international level. An ideal university is one that emphasizes empathy and logic above all, which ensures the cultivation of minds that can analyze problems. Universities cannot be assembly lines, he believes, and students cannot be seen as customers.

Prince El Hassan continued, recognizing the outsourcing of numerous nations’ brightest students to Western universities. Graduates, he says, will only begin to return to their country of origin when they are recognized for what they are worth, not what or who they know.

�"How can we create peace and stability in a region that is rapidly depleting its natural resources [graduates]?” said Prince El Hassan.

This is an easy transition into his discussion of the international impact and role of the United States.

�"I believe it is time that the United States go multilateral again and not only go unilateral,” said Prince El Hassan.

He believes that diplomacy with the US is a pivotal step in the assurance of peace and stability. Jordan, he states, is eager to put projects into action and see if the United States is willing to deliver on the promises that it has made.

�"I think the time has come to recognize the importance of consensus oriented conversations,” said Prince El Hassan.

These conversations, however, cannot persist in centering on the political corruption and stalling action that has routinely occurred. Individuals, Prince El Hassan believes, are the ones in need of attention, and therefore the ones upon which international awareness should focus.

�"Let us cut through generalizations and start investing directly in the people themselves," said Prince El Hassan. "GDP is concerned with everything except the quality of human life. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

The time has come, he believes, for people to hold a meeting of global and regional commons. Each nation should answer a questionnaire on the values and standards upheld in that region. The purpose of this, Prince El Hassan says, is to take a modern, fresh look at each area so that its people can better interact and relate to one another.

�"My call here is for partnership in our common humanity," said Prince El Hassan. "Noah saved humanity with an ark. Can we save our common humanity by building a nondiscriminatory ark for bridging the human dignity gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots?'"

When questioned by the audience after the address on his views of President Obama, Prince El-Hassan commented on the brilliance of the President's speeches and his hope for action. Since Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he believes that it is the opportune time for the United States to focus on peace in the Middle East.

�"I think that we are losing the battle against militancy if we don’t focus on the framework for inter-regional conversations," said Prince El Hassan. "Everyone has to have their feet put close to the fire."

He concluded the lecture with a message of expectation for the future.

�"The only hope we have is to restore our faith in people regardless of whosoever they are or where they live," said Prince El Hassan. "I think the people have to be rudely awakened by some ‘what if’ scenarios. The time has come to restore human dignity, ladies and gentlemen, that is the key ingredient.”