Country: Jordan
Type of Organization: Academic and advocacy
Constructive Practices: Education, publication and advocacy

Mission

According to the website of RIIFS, the organization was established to provide “a venue in the Arab world for the interdisciplinary study and rational discussion of religion and religious issues, with particular reference to Christianity in Arab and Islamic society. More recently, RIIFS has broadened its focus to include all issues pertaining to religious, cultural and civilizational diversity, regionally and globally. For this purpose, it maintains relations with similarly concerned academic institutions in different parts of the world.”

Description

RIIFS is a highly academic non-profit organization whose main agenda is to foster religious awareness within Middle-Eastern society. RIIFS aims to do this by promoting religious and cultural diversity as public and intellectual matters. RIIFS uses its research, publications, workshops, and conferences to this end. The organization also provides information about other religions as reference tools.

History

RIIFS was established in 1994 in Amman, Jordan with the support of Prince El Hassan bin Talal, younger brother of the late King Hussein, the former ruler of Jordan. Currently, RIIFS is governed by a board of trustees headed by Prince El Hassan bin Talal. The organization receives funding primarily from the Jordanian government. The director of RIIFS is Hassan Abu Nimah, a former Jordanian diplomat who was also a permanent representative to the United Nations until he retired from diplomatic service in 2000.

Staff

12 full-time and some part-time staff

Programs and Events

Currently, RIIFS are concentrating its efforts on two specific programs, the Arabic program and the English program:

Arabic program:
-Organizes community service activities targeting the global Arabic community.
-Conducts research and provides documentation and information about inter-religious issues pertaining to the Middle-East.
-Publishes a quarterly newsletter called Al-Nashra which is sent to over 3,000 subscribers ranging from individuals to institutions. Al-Nashra's content provides a forum for the discussion of interfaith issues and monitors the Arabic media for news on religious issues.
-Provides professional training programs for targeted groups such as youth and the cleric community.
-Hosts workshops to teach people to accept multiple points of view and to provide an understanding of the heritage and history of Middle-Eastern society.

English program:
-Publishes works on interfaith issues in Middle-Eastern society for the international academic community.
-Publishes the Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (BRIIFS) biannually.
-Organizes conferences on a host of topics. Since 1995 RIIFS has organized more than 10 conferences, with topics which focused on non-Muslim dimensions of Muslim societies. Recent topics have become broader, such as the role of religion in community life or the need to empower Iraqi scholars.
-Organizes symposia, public lectures, and workshops. For example, RIIFS has organized more than 45 public lectures since its inception for which leading Middle-East scholars are invited to Amman to speak on various topics. These events are open to the public and conducted in English. They are reproduced for the larger public through the Arabic newsletter. Currently RIIFS is organizing the Second World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), which will convene in Amman, Jordan from 11-16 June 2006. This conference will bring together Middle-Eastern scholars, experts and students from around the world.
-Organizes cultural activities such as the celebration commemorating the 50 year anniversary of Jordan-Japan ties.
-Organizes youth programs with the aim of shaping future discussions and projects.