Rawashdeh: We chose the book in the face of ignorance.. and Hamoud writes a new chapter in the history of Jordanian consciousness

He pointed out that Hamoud embodies through its resilience and cohesion the true values of citizenship that brought all Jordanians, Muslims and Christians, together when harm touched them, for the wound that afflicted it is a wound in the heart of all of Jordan. He stressed that culture is not a luxury, the book is not a decoration for homes, and knowledge is not a privilege for anyone, but rather a right for every Jordanian man and woman and a national responsibility that we all shoulder within the framework of the national vision led by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, to safeguard Jordan’s humanitarian identity, promote citizenship and moderation, and expand opportunities for knowledge for all Jordanians.

The Minister recalled the village's deep cultural and social roots, noting that more than a century ago, the people of Hamoud took the initiative with their efforts and money to build a school that formed an early awareness that building the human being begins with knowledge. He pointed out that this fertile environment contributed to the creative scene with the biography of the great Arab novelist Ghalib Halasa, who carried in his literature the questions of man, freedom, and place, and left a deep impact that transcended geographical boundaries.

The Minister emphasized that Jordanian consciousness was not forged by the noise of cities alone, but that our villages, their teachers, their early readers, and their small libraries that lit up homes as lamps of knowledge also contributed to its construction. He explained that the Family Library project launches today from Hamoud so that the book may be close to every home, knowledge accessible to every family, and reading a habit inherited by generations.

The Minister announced the approval of a package of cultural projects, including the launch of the Hamoud Award for the Arabic Novel, the selection of "Hamoud" as the Village of Jordanian Culture for 2027, the erection of a memorial monument to honor the martyrs and perpetuate their good memory, as well as the establishment of a new library in the village, and naming a street for culture to preserve the memory of the place, celebrate its cultural symbols, restore the stories of its people, and make books, art, and creativity a presence in daily life. A street—as the Minister said—that does not only bear the name of culture on its signs, but carries its message to new generations, as an expression of the government's keenness that Hamoud remains a beacon of consciousness, and that its bright history turns into a living cultural project.

For his part, the Director of the Jordanian Family Library project at the Ministry of Culture, Dr. Salem Al-Daham, emphasized the essential role of culture and knowledge in fortifying minds and building societies, likening minds that turn away from truth and close their doors to knowledge to "closed houses whose air spoils and from which the sun of giving is absent."

He said, "Minds that shy away from the truth and persist in arrogance are like those isolated houses," stressing that "true knowledge is the pure air and the radiant light that prepares the earth to receive the rain of heaven, which extends without interruption." He added that God Almighty commanded humans to populate the earth and left between Him and them a rope connected and braided with the sanctity of souls and the inviolability of blood, to link the earth to heaven, provide it with overflow through love and contentment, and guide the lost to the origin of light and the unity of the niche.

Dr. Al-Daham recalled the immense sacrifices made by Jordanian villages for the sake of the nation’s elevation and the defense of the nation’s causes, citing the peaceful village of "Hamoud," which believes in its homeland and nation. He confirmed that this village has offered a constellation of righteous martyrs in Jordanian history, whether in the glorious Karak revolution known as "Al-Hayyah," or in the battles of honor and heroism in defense of the soil of Jordan and Palestine, so that their biographies remain stories to be told, ears to be heard, and hearts to comprehend the meaning of sacrifice and redemption.

In turn, the head of the Hamoud Charitable Society, Fares Al-Halsa, affirmed that the will of the people of Hamoud village and their determination to live and build are stronger than all attempts to undermine the security and stability of the nation, stressing that the best response to terrorism is by holding fast to science, dignity, and human values.

Al-Halsa began his speech, which he delivered on behalf of the people of Hamoud village, by recalling the souls of the village’s martyrs, saying: "We stand today on the pure ground of Hamoud (the mother of martyrs), which was baptized with the precious blood of nine of our best youth and men who ascended as martyrs following a cowardly terrorist act of treachery."

He added, "We stand today while the pain is fresh in our hearts, but the will is too strong to be reached by the hand of darkness; terrorism wanted to sow death and fear in Hamoud, but we are responding to it with work, life, and hope."

The head of the association pointed out that attempts to undermine the cohesion of society have failed, adding: "They wanted to silence our voice, so we opened the book; they wanted to sow sedition and division among us, so we gathered for love and the homeland; and they wanted to leave a memory of death in the place, while we insist that the memory of Hamoud remain for science, dignity, and humanity... Hamoud reads... Hamoud lives."

He explained that our battle with terrorism and destructive ideas is a battle of consciousness and identity first and foremost, for the treacherous bullet does not fire until the misguided idea has booby-trapped the minds. Here, the book emerges as the strongest intellectual arsenal that fights and fortifies the minds of youth against the epidemics of extremism, ignorance, and anarchy, and sows life wherever they wanted to spread death.

He affirmed that the Ministry of Culture’s choice, represented by Minister Rawashdeh, to launch the Reading for All festival in Hamoud—which for more than a century has been a radiant beacon and an authentic source of science and culture—is not a passing event, but a message of life in the face of death and a decisive message that the response to terrorism is not only with weapons, but is based primarily on pumping knowledge and awareness into the place where the obscurantists wanted to extinguish its light. It is also a national message in the face of everyone who tries to tamper with the security of Jordan, its unity, and its social fabric.

The opening ceremony began with the attendees standing for a minute of silence and reciting Al-Fatiha for the souls of the martyrs of Hamoud village and the martyrs of the homeland, in appreciation and loyalty to their sacrifices.