Your Excellency,

What compels me to write to you is my observation of a genuine desire for modernization and serious fieldwork—not mere slogans or media spectacle. Thus, I believe there is a historic opportunity to correct the mechanism of societal thinking, bringing it closer to moderation, competition, innovation, and acceptance of the 'other'—within the boundaries of national belonging and loyalty to the Hashemite leadership.

Our society has become captive to an exclusionary culture engineered by ideological currents that target the subconscious of the masses. They play on the strings of living hardships and human emotions, portraying the state and its institutions as the citizen’s enemy and an obstacle to their progress and prosperity. This exploits the cultural vacuum created by the absence of implementable mechanisms that elevate awareness, perception, and behavioral refinement. Moreover, promoting and showcasing individuals with lesser knowledge, culture, and creativity—under various pretexts—has eroded trust in institutions. We’ve seen the same approach adopted by forces expanding their influence in neighboring countries, where the most populist and least qualified figures were elevated as 'heroes,' dragging the entire region into reckless adventures under the guise of religion, 'resistance,' and other slogans.

In Jordan, we enjoy stability, security, and wise leadership. There is a real opportunity to preempt our society from becoming a breeding ground for extremism and rejection of the 'other,' influenced by these currents that skillfully infiltrate public consciousness by manipulating emotions.

Allow me, in this brief message, to present my diagnosis of Jordan’s current situation from a cultural-philosophical perspective:
Societies are built on two pillars: production (economy) and culture (the mechanism of thinking).
In Jordan, as in neighboring countries, we have not given culture—in its comprehensive sense—sufficient attention. This has left a gap exploited by populist currents: the left in one era, the Muslim Brotherhood in another, then Wahhabi Salafism, and partly sectarian ideologies. The Jordanian state has struggled with the societal mindset and stereotypes shaped by these currents. Despite tireless efforts to maintain Jordan’s moderate stance and combat extremism in all forms, this vacuum persists.

This void can only be filled by a cultural-philosophical vision that translates into actionable mechanisms, ultimately changing individual and collective thought patterns. Otherwise, a new tide will inevitably fill the gap.
If the Ministry of Culture and other moral-guidance institutions focus solely on the superficial aspects of culture—without delving into mechanisms that transform thinking from emotional to critical and logical (a Western mind with a Jordanian heart), we will remain vulnerable to populist currents that exploit living conditions or political issues to frame the government as the source of societal problems. This pits governments against citizens rather than reshaping citizens’ perception of reality—one that considers the country’s limited resources and regional threats.

In my view, the vision for societal-cultural change must rely on concepts, phrases, and a spirit delivered in the language of the people, leveraging arts and social media. Some dismiss these as mere entertainment, which may hold true in literate, critical societies. But in our society, where reading culture is weak, they are far more dangerous shaping public consciousness, thought mechanisms, and behavior. A nearby countries examples, its arts promoted populism and thuggery as part of social behavior, deepening internal fractures. Correcting that path will take decades.

I foresee that within a few years, the world will face major crises on multiple fronts, culminating in a grand confrontation between the U.S. and China, another between Russia and Europe, and a third over the Arctic. We must prepare our society mentally and behaviorally for this tumultuous era fortifying our community, safeguarding our security and stability, and maintaining neutrality.

May God preserve Jordan, its Hashemite leadership, and its national institutions.

Your Excellency,

What compels me to write to you is my observation of a genuine desire for modernization and serious fieldwork—not mere slogans or media spectacle. Thus, I believe there is a historic opportunity to correct the mechanism of societal thinking, bringing it closer to moderation, competition, innovation, and acceptance of the 'other'—within the boundaries of national belonging and loyalty to the Hashemite leadership.

Our society has become captive to an exclusionary culture engineered by ideological currents that target the subconscious of the masses. They play on the strings of living hardships and human emotions, portraying the state and its institutions as the citizen’s enemy and an obstacle to their progress and prosperity. This exploits the cultural vacuum created by the absence of implementable mechanisms that elevate awareness, perception, and behavioral refinement. Moreover, promoting and showcasing individuals with lesser knowledge, culture, and creativity—under various pretexts—has eroded trust in institutions. We’ve seen the same approach adopted by forces expanding their influence in neighboring countries, where the most populist and least qualified figures were elevated as 'heroes,' dragging the entire region into reckless adventures under the guise of religion, 'resistance,' and other slogans.

In Jordan, we enjoy stability, security, and wise leadership. There is a real opportunity to preempt our society from becoming a breeding ground for extremism and rejection of the 'other,' influenced by these currents that skillfully infiltrate public consciousness by manipulating emotions.

Allow me, in this brief message, to present my diagnosis of Jordan’s current situation from a cultural-philosophical perspective:
Societies are built on two pillars: production (economy) and culture (the mechanism of thinking).
In Jordan, as in neighboring countries, we have not given culture—in its comprehensive sense—sufficient attention. This has left a gap exploited by populist currents: the left in one era, the Muslim Brotherhood in another, then Wahhabi Salafism, and partly sectarian ideologies. The Jordanian state has struggled with the societal mindset and stereotypes shaped by these currents. Despite tireless efforts to maintain Jordan’s moderate stance and combat extremism in all forms, this vacuum persists.

This void can only be filled by a cultural-philosophical vision that translates into actionable mechanisms, ultimately changing individual and collective thought patterns. Otherwise, a new tide will inevitably fill the gap.
If the Ministry of Culture and other moral-guidance institutions focus solely on the superficial aspects of culture—without delving into mechanisms that transform thinking from emotional to critical and logical (a Western mind with a Jordanian heart), we will remain vulnerable to populist currents that exploit living conditions or political issues to frame the government as the source of societal problems. This pits governments against citizens rather than reshaping citizens’ perception of reality—one that considers the country’s limited resources and regional threats.

In my view, the vision for societal-cultural change must rely on concepts, phrases, and a spirit delivered in the language of the people, leveraging arts and social media. Some dismiss these as mere entertainment, which may hold true in literate, critical societies. But in our society, where reading culture is weak, they are far more dangerous shaping public consciousness, thought mechanisms, and behavior. A nearby countries examples, its arts promoted populism and thuggery as part of social behavior, deepening internal fractures. Correcting that path will take decades.

I foresee that within a few years, the world will face major crises on multiple fronts, culminating in a grand confrontation between the U.S. and China, another between Russia and Europe, and a third over the Arctic. We must prepare our society mentally and behaviorally for this tumultuous era fortifying our community, safeguarding our security and stability, and maintaining neutrality.

May God preserve Jordan, its Hashemite leadership, and its national institutions.