The Opening of the National Training Program on the Handbook for Family Protection
10-18-2022
Amman, October 19 (Petra)— The National Training Program on the Handbook Family Protection was inaugurated, this Wednesday, by Al-Sheikh Abdul Hafez Rabtah, the Supreme Judge, targeting Sharia's court judges from the northern and central regions.
In his speech, Rabtah stated that the family is the basic constituent of society and the core of its strengths and weaknesses, highlighting the importance of ensuring a sound and proper upbringing to achieve the principle aims of sharia, including respect for human dignity and the application of justice value to achieve human well-being and advancement.
Resuming his speech, he also suggested that cases, in which the principles of security and well-being are compromised, and are witnessed by some families at present, can be attributed to the imbalanced foundation or treatment systems, the confusion between the purposes and adopted means, and the lack of clear concepts in terms of dealing with children, such as the concepts of education, discipline, care, punishment and reward.
Furthermore, he highly praised the role NCFA had played in preparing this Handbook, the basis of which is built on jurisprudence and Sharia, in terms of enhancing its impact on individuals, who recognize the great importance of religious and sharia authority. It is worth noting that this Handbook is the outcome of the cooperation between the Ministry of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs, the Supreme Judge Department and General Iftaa' Department, with NCFA.
From his side, Rabtah pointed out that this Handbook is adopted by many parties as a reference for facilitating dialogue and training to understand the concept, forms, and causes of violence, and identify how Sharia courts handle such cases, stressing the effectiveness and validity of Sharia law in addressing the nation’s existing and emerging issues.
Given that this Handbook deals with family-related issues, and entails guiding messages for workers specialized in this field, Dr. Mohammad Miqdadi, the Secretary-General of NCFA has emphasized its importance, which feeds into the work of NCFA and its partners that is to institutionalize the family protection system, and support the efforts exerted by religious institutions in combating domestic violence and caring for family affairs.
As stated by Miqdadi, the significant relevance of this Handbook can be seen in the light of the ongoing cases of domestic violence in Jordanian society, the emergence of several serious issues posing a grave threat to the lives of family members, and the continued spread of some social misconceptions that justify the violent behaviour rather than condemning it. Let alone the misinterpretation of religious or statutory provisions.
On the other hand, Dr. Ashraf Al-Omari, the Director of the Technical Office at the Sharia Court stated that this Handbook is considered an integral part of the comprehensive approach adopted to deal with cases of domestic violence in Jordan. It also does not address any controversial and contentious issues, and rather focuses on consensual aspects, linking targeted messages with the moderate religious discourse on domestic violence.
He added that the main objective of this Handbook is to contribute to building and strengthening the capabilities of workers across religious institutions, in particular, and their partner institutions, enabling them to perform their roles and the role assigned to these institutions in combating and reducing domestic violence cases.
