Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad
Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan (born October 15, 1966 in Amman, Jordan) is a Jordanian prince, professor of philosophy, and is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.[1] He is the son of Prince Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and his first wife, Princess Firyal. He is the grandson of the King Talal of Jordan.
Education
- PhD ('Alimmayah) in Islamic Philosophy, awarded highest honors on January 16, 2010.
- Thesis title: Love in the Holy Qur'an.[2]
- PhD (Cantab.) in Modern and Medieval Languages and Literatures (July 1993)[3]
- Thesis title: "What is Falling in Love?: A Study of the Literary Archetype of Love."
- B.A., Comparative Literature (June 1988).
- (Graduated with Highest Honours, Summa cum laude.)[4]
- 'O' and 'A' Levels.
Official Work
- (October 6, 2011 to present.)
- (October 6, 2003 to October 5, 2011; Retired from gov.)
- Advisor for Tribal Affairs and Cultural Secretary to H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan.
- (From February 7, 1999, until October 6, 2003.)
- (July 2, 1998 to February 7, 1999.)
- (in addition to the post of Cultural Secretary).
- Cultural Secretary to His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan.
- (October 4, 1994 to February 7, 1999.)
- Promoted to First Lieutenant (November 14, 1992).
- Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (November 1989).
Regent of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
- Has served Jordan as Regent in the absence of H.M. King Abdullah II from the country.
Other Official Activities
(1) In Religious Affairs
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees (June 16, 2007 to present),
- Chairman of the Committee (May 2005 to present)
- The Royal Steering Committee for the ‘Amman Message’ Interfaith Initiative:
- Chairman of the Committee (May 2005 to present).
- Chairman of Board of Trustees (August 2000 to present).
- Founder and Chairman of the Board Ex Officio of the World Islamic Sciences and Education University (W.I.S.E.) , Amman, Jordan, (March 2008).
- Founder and Director of The Great Tafsir Project(November 2000 to present).
- The National Park of the Site of the Baptism of Christ[7]
- Founder and Chairman of the Board for the National Park (August 2001 to present).
- Founder and Chairman of the Royal Committee (1999–2001).
- Founder and Deputy Chairman of the Royal Committee (1997–1999).
- National Committee for Religious Endowments (Awqaf):
- Member of Committee (1996 to present).
- Royal Committee for the Building and Restoration of the Tombs of the Prophets and the Companions:
- Member of the Committee (1994 to present).
(2) In Education and Cultural Affairs
- Belqa' Applied University:
- Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees (1996 – May 2010).[8]
- The Royal Commission to Investigate the Conditions and Treatment of Foreign Students in Jordan:
- Chairman (September 2004 – January 2005).
- National Examination Council:
- Member of Council (1997–2000).
- National Committee for Higher Education:
- Chairman of Finance Sub-Committee (1999–2003).
- Member of Committee (1994–2003).
- National Committee for Lower Education:
- Member of Committee (1994–2003).
(3) In Tribal Affairs and Social Development
- Royal Committee for the Preservation and Development of Camel Livestock:
- Founding Chairman of the Committee (2000–2003).
- Committee for Tribal Lands and Claims:
- Head of Ministerial Committee (1998–2003).
- Royal Institute for Development and Charitable Works:
- Founder and Executive Director and Member of Board of Trustees (1997–2000).
- Royal Committee for the Endowment of Underprivileged Schools and Tribal Areas:
- Founding Chairman of Committee (1995–2003).
(4) In Sports
- Jordan Amature Boxing Association:
- President (April–July 1998).
- Jordan Basketball Federation:
- Honorary President (1991–1993).
- President (1988–1991).
Part-time Work (in Academia)
- Professor of Islamic Philosophy at University of Jordan (Faculty of Graduate Studies) (Amman, Jordan).
- Appointed as Full Professor (December 12, 2005, to present).
- Appointed as Associate Professor (May 13, 2002).
- Assistant Research Professor at University of Jordan (Amman, Jordan).
- Appointed as Research Professor (May 29, 2000).
Welcome of Pope Benedict XVI in Amman, Jordan
Prince Ghazi gave the welcoming address on the occasion of the pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI in Jordan, May 9, 2009. His wide-ranging speech, during Benedict's visit to the new King Hussein Mosque in Amman, was carried live on Eternal Word Television Network TV. It gave an account of Muslim-Christian relationships, acknowledged the pope's kindness toward Muslims and made an appeal on behalf of Muslim minorities (as on Mindanao). The speech also noted that crusaders had damaged the Christian tribes in Jordan that had preceded Islam by 600 years. Video Link
World Interfaith Harmony Week
On September 23, 2010, King Abdullah II of Jordan proposed a World Interfaith Harmony Week to the UN General Assembly.
On October 20, 2010, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, Personal Envoy and Special Advisor of the King of Jordan, presented the proposal – having conceived and written the draft resolution – before the UN General Assembly 34th plenary meeting in New York where it was adopted unanimously. His speech was a powerful call to those who love God and love the neighbour, or the Good and the neighbour, to coordinate and concentrate their activities in a more effective way.
- The misuse or abuse of religions can thus be a cause of world strife, whereas religions should be a great foundation for facilitating world peace. The remedy for this problem can only come from the world’s religions themselves. Religions must be part of the solution, not part of the problem[9]
The World Interfaith Harmony Week will fall on the first week of February every year. Its purpose is the promotion of interfaith harmony between religious and spiritual congregations the world over.video clip
Non-Government Organizations
- These include:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors,
- June 2008 to present.
- January 2008 to present.
Publications
- These include:
Books
‘What the world should understand when it hears the Qur’an’. Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt.
'A masterwork of scholarship and of inspiration'. H.E. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Distinguished Senior Scholar, the Library of Congress.
‘Love in the Holy Qur’an is bound to become a classic.’ Tamara Sonn, Kenan Professor of Humanities, College of William and Mary.
- Love in the Holy Qur'an (in Arabic) (الحب في القرآن الكريم ) Dar al-Razi, Jordan, 2010. ISBN 978-9957-8533-7-2 website
‘An exceptional thesis, worthy of praise and appreciation for its methodology, for its content and for its language’. — H.E. the Grand Imam and Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Professor Dr. Ahmad Muhammad el-Tayeb (the thesis’s supervisor at Al-Azhar University).
‘[This book is] the most precious of gems; the most beautiful of adornments; the firmest in the heart; the closest to the mind, and the most complete in its influence.’ — The Grand Mufti of Syria, H.E. Sheikh Professor Dr. Ahmad Badruldin Hassoun.
- A Common Word, Muslims and Christians on Loving God and Neighbor (Editor with Volf and Yarrington) Eerdmans Publishing House Co. 2010 website
- True Islam and the Islamic Consensus on the Message of Amman / Kitab Ijma’ Al-Muslimin ‘ala Ihtiram Mathahib al-Din (compiler, editor and author of introduction [in Arabic and English]; The Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan, 2006).
'The best resource for all those who wish to travel along the straight path in their words and in their actions, and in their spiritual and religious life.' – From the Preface by H.E. Grand Imam Professor Dr. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Shaykh Al-Azhar.
- (Limited 1st, 2nd and rev. 2nd edition published as: The Book of the Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence / Kitab Ihtiram Al-Mathahib; The Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan, 2006.)
- Al-Insan (Man), (et al.; published, in Arabic, by the Jordanian Ministry of Education as the text-book for the 12th Grade National Curriculum for General Studies, Amman, 2001; revised 2nd edition in 2007 ).
- The Sacred Origin of Sports and Culture (published by Fons Vitae, KY, USA, 1998).
- (Trans. into Turkish and published by Insan Yayinlari, Istanbul, 2002.)
- The Holy Sites of Jordan (ed.; published by Turab, Amman, 1996; 2nd edition 1999).
- The Tribes of Jordan at the Beginning of the Twenty-first Century (published by Turab, Amman, 1999).
Articles
- ‘A Common Word Between Us and You’ (one of 138 signatories [and sole author]); An Open Letter to World Christian Leaders from World Muslim Leaders, October 13, 2007.[11]
‘The appearance of the A Common Word [Open Letter] of 2007 was a landmark in Muslim-Christian relations and it has a unique role in stimulating a discussion at the deepest level across the world.’ — His Grace Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, 2010.
- ‘Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’ (one of 38 signatories [and co-author]; in Islamica, no.18, Los Angeles CA, 2006; issued October 13, 2006).
- ‘The Prophet Muhammad’ (in Islamica, no.16, Los Angeles CA, 2006).
- 2nd expanded edition, republished in newspapers in Denmark in 2008.
- ‘Truth and Knowledge’, (in The Book of Language, ed. Kabir Helminski, published by The Book Foundation [The Education Project Series] Oxford, U.K., 2006).
Decorations and awards
- Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2011[12][13]
- Awarded Badge of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (3rd Class), by President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine, June 2011
- Awarded an Honorary PhD in Education from Al Balqa' Applied University, Jordan on September 22, 2010.
- Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2009 for initiating peaceful dialogue between cultures and religions.[14]
- Awarded both the Medal of the Holy Sephulcher (of the 1st order) and the Medal of Peace by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Holy Land on 1/10/2009.
- Eugen Biser Siftung (Germany): Co-recipient of Annual Award with H.E. Grand Mufti Mustafa Cerić of Bosnia and Habib Ali al-Jifri of Yemen, 2008.
- Awarded the Education Medal (of the 1st Order) by H.M. King Abdullah II on 5/10/2004.
- Awarded the Al-Nahdah Medal (of the 1st Order) by H.M. King Abdullah II on 9/10/2003.
- Awarded the Order of the Mohammedi (of the 2nd Order) by Mohammed VI of Morocco on 10/3/2000.
- Made Grand Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour) by President Jacques Chirac of France in 7/1/2000.
- Awarded the Al-Hussein Medal for Distinguished Service (of the 1st Order) by H.M. King Abdullah II on August 24, 1999.
- Made Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur by President Chirac of France on November 20, 1997.
- Made Officier de la Légion d’Honneur by President Chirac of France in 10/3/1997.
Languages
- Fluent (speaking, reading and writing) Arabic, English, French.
References
| Persondata |
| Name |
Ghazi |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
October 15, 1966 |
| Place of birth |
Amman, Jordan |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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