Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - How do you battle religious extremism? That’s the question discussed at a symposium hosted at Patton Hall Aug. 16-20 by U.S. Army Central’s Chaplain’s Office with honored guests from the Jordanian military.

Since its entrance onto the world’s stage in 2014, Daesh has given a focus on the debate on how to best fight religious extremists. With its slick social media campaign and rapid assault across Syria and Iraq, the group found adherents to its cause from all over the world.

While much of the conversation on how to stop Daesh rests upon traditional military and security measures, USARCENT and Jordan are teaming up to battle extremists with the weapon of religious education.

Among the visiting Jordanians was Maj. Gen. Yahya Basheer Al Btoush who holds a position of prominence among his countrymen, not only as a military man, but as the second highest religious leader in Jordan, the Grand Mufti.

Al Btoush shared his ideas on combating Daesh. “I would like to concentrate on how we increase the capability of our Imams in JAF (Jordanian Armed Forces), in Jordan,” said Al Btoush. “This visit increases the cooperation, and increases how far our Imams can deal with this religious issue.”

To do this, USARCENT has reached out to partner nation military and religious leaders in the region.
“The citizens should condemn Islamic State, and the violence,” said USARCENT Chaplain Col. Jeffrey Hawkins. “What they [ISIL] stand for is not what Jordan would say Islam as a religion of peace as opposed to a religion of violence should stand for.”

To help in this battle of ideology, the JAF can now welcome a new Imam to its ranks, as 2nd Lt. Akram Musstabha Fraihat graduated on August 19th from the U.S. Army’s Chaplain Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Jackson, SC. Fraihat is the first Jordanian Imam to graduate from the course and represents a growing relationship between the U.S. and Jordanian militaries.

Upon his return to Jordan, Fraihat will be one of many Imams tasked with fighting extremism, not with weapons raining down from the sky, but rather with the weapon of words spoken from the pulpit.

*Dvids