The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) was established in 1994 in Amman under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal. RIIFS is a non-profit NGO that provides a venue for the interdisciplinary study of intercultural and interreligious issues with the aim of defusing tensions and promoting regional and global peace. It aims to promote common human and ethical values that contribute to strengthening cooperation and interfaith relations, eliminating mutual misconceptions about the ‘other’ and ultimately expanding shared commonalities in the hope of promoting peaceful coexistence.
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Main activities
Since its inception in 1994, RIIFS has evolved from a centre for the study of Muslim-Christian relations in the Arab world to an interdisciplinary institution, covering all fields of the humanities and social sciences that deal with cultural and civilizational interaction. RIIFS is governed by a Board of Trustees, chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, an internationally renowned advocate of interfaith dialogue since the 1970s. The RIIFS Director is Dr. Majeda Omar. The work of RIIFS involves research and publication, as well as the organsation of events including conferences, workshops and lectures.
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In October 2012, RIIFS embarked on a two-year project, the Promotion of the Amman Message, during which it conducted a large number of local, regional and interanational activities.
RIIFS has been the Head of the Jordanian Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures (ALF) since 2011. As the National Head of Network, RIIFS engages civil society network members in organising activities within the framework of ALF’s 4D strategy: Dialogue, Democracy, Development and Diversity.
The RIIFS Arabic Publications Program focuses on the study and documentation of all subjects pertaining to Christianity and Muslim-Christian relations. Its biannual academic journal, Muqābasāt Hadāriya, features essays and articles in Arabic that focus on religious, cultural and civilisational issues.
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The RIIFS online publication, Al-Nashra, provides a forum for the discussion of interfaith issues, particularly as they relate to Arab and Islamic societies. The RIIFS English Publications Program addresses questions relating to religious and cultural diversity in the world at large. Its annual publication, the Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (BRIIFS), is an academic journal refereed by internationally known scholars.
BRIIFS is intended to provide a venue for interdisciplinary academic inquiry into all fields of the humanities and social sciences that bear on cultural or civilisational interaction and to situate culture contact in a global context. RIIFS further invites scholars, on a selective basis, from Arab countries and abroad, as visiting research associates, to involve them in the work of the institute.
