The role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students

This study investigated the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. It aimed to explore that from the perspective of the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan. 73 members were sampled from such members. It was found that the University of Jordan plays a moderate role in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their student. That is because the overall mean in terms of the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual extremism is 2.91. It is because the overall mean in terms of the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against religious extremism is 2.91. The researcher recommends activating the role of Jordanian universities in fighting against all types of extremisms. She recommends conducting similar studies targeting Jordanian private and public universities to compare their results with the results of the present study

leaves. They are made in accordance with the applicable regulations. The faculty council is responsible for making the annual budget of the faculty and looking into the issues assigned to it by the faculty dean (regulations No 18 of 2018/ the regulations of the University of Jordan).
Youth represent the majority of the students enrolled at universities. They are the ones who are vulnerable the most for social problems. That's because youth are very active and strongly motivated to make renewal and changes. It's because youth face many political, economic and social challenges. Such challenges made youth suffer from many problems. Such problems include: alienation, negligence, deprivation, and cultural and political marginalization. They led to the prevalence of extremism among youth (Al-Zahrani, 2013).
Extremism is a complex phenomenon. It involves a set of deviant beliefs, feelings, acts, strategies and attitudes that differ from the prevalent beliefs, feelings, acts, strategies and attitudes in society. Such deviant beliefs, feelings, acts, strategies and attitudes may be adopted by one or a group (Chuprov and Zubok, 2010). Extremism refers to every behaviour that violates the prevalent social norms in society (Al-Rukabi, 2013). It is a serious deviations that cause threat to the security of society. That applies whether extremism is religious, social or political extremism (Ameen, 2013).
Extremism is associated with violence and terrorism. All societies worldwide suffered from extremism during all ages. However, during the modern ages, extremism have been showing aggression against the ones who are innocent, damaging properties, engaging into conflicts with authorities and causing threat to security. Despite the prosecution of extremists in societies, prosecution by itself isn't enough to fight against extremism. In fact, fighting against extremism requires investigating the psychological, social, economic and political problems lying behind extremism. Such investigation shall enable decision makers to take precautionary measures (Al-Kawari, 2012).
There are several reasons that led to the prevalence of extremism in Arab and Islamic societies. Such reasons include: the decline of the development of such societies. Due to such decline, the enemies of Islam started to make devilish plans to control Arab and Islamic societies and take over their fortunes. The reasons of the prevalence of extremism in those societies include: prevalence of western values, hopelessness and ignorance among people in those societies. They include: the poor compliance with Islamic principles in those societies and the poor faith of people. They include: the increasing number of conflicts between people and the prevalence of a rigid way of thinking (Yousif, 2011).
Thus, it is necessary to make reforms to the way youth think. Making such reforms is sought by people during all ages. It shall contribute to fighting against extremism and deviant thinking and foster intellectual and social development. It shall lead to the prevalence of a flexible way of thinking. It shall contribute to addressing many problems faced by society and taking effective decisions for addressing them (Qatami and Al-Esbai'y, 2018).
Extremism is a global phenomenon that all countries suffer from. It is attributed to political, intellectual, economic and social reasons. Addressing such reasons shall contribute to fighting against extremism. Extremism involves having a deviant belief that violate the social norms and the principles of Islam and hinders people from meeting public interests. There are two types of extremism. The first type is represented in the extremism shown by one. It manifests in the way one thinks and behaves. The second type is represented in the extremism shown by a group. It is more dangerous than the first type.

Statement of the Problem
Based on several studies (Al-Asali, 2010, Al-Khaza'leh, 2018, and Al-Qudah and Ashour, 2019, the third millennium is associated with several technical and knowledge-related challenges. Such challenges affected people in political, cultural, economic, and social areas. They affected the educational process in universities and schools. Due to opening to other cultures, universities failed to preserve the cultural identities of people and promote intellectual security among students. Thus, extremism started to spread among students. There are also other academic, social and economic reasons that led to the prevalence of extremism among university students. Based on a survey made by the Strategic Research Center in the University of Jordan (2016), 6% of the students enrolled at the latter university adopt extremist ideas and beliefs. About half of the students enrolled at the latter university have political interests. 11% students enrolled at the latter university adopt Islamic thought.
Youth play a significant role in society. Many young university students are influenced by the extremist ideas, attitudes and thoughts. As far as the researcher knows, there isn't any study that aimed to explore the role of the Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.12, No.6, 2021 University of Jordan in fighting against extremism among students in the light of the contemporary challenges in society. Thus, the researcher conducted this study The study's question: This study aimed to answer the following question Q.1 What is the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students from the perspective of the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan?
The study's objective: This study aimed to 1)-Explore the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. It aimed to explore that to identify the strengths and weaknesses in this regard and address such weaknesses.
The study's significance: This study is significant due to the reasons below: -This study is significant because it sheds a light on a significant topic (i.e. extremism and its types, reasons and impacts). It is significant because it sheds a light on a significant issue (i.e. the role of universities in fighting against extremism). It's significant because extremism is still receiving much attention by researchers. Researchers today are concerned in exploring the reasons behind extremism.
-This study is significant because it aims at providing university students with knowledge about the way they ought to think. That shall contribute to protect those students from adopting deviant and extremist ideas.
-As far as the researcher knows, there isn't any study that aimed to role of Jordanian public universities in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students.

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This study serves as a significant reference for the researchers who are interested in such issues. It assist those researchers in conducting studies about such issues. It provides decision makers with knowledge about the mechanisms of fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among university students. The researcher believes that it is necessary to explore the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. That's because there aren't many studies that aim to explore the role of Arab universities in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. It's because there isn't any study that aimed to explore the role of Jordanian universities in this regard. Thus, this study assists researchers in conducting studies that contribute to fighting against extremism

Definition of terms:
Role: It refers to a set of functions, tasks, and duties that one, institution or organization must do in order to meet specific goals in society (Ahmad, 2000, 35).
Role (the procedural definition): It refers to a set of functions, duties, and acts that must be carried out by Jordanian universities in order to fight against extremism. It is investigated through the instrument designed by the researcher Extremism: It refers to the process of adopting deviant values, rules, thoughts and acts that aren't consistent with the prevalent norms in society. Such values, rules, thoughts and acts may make one carry out violent acts. They may be adopted by one or a group. Extremism aim at promoting specific opinions in society and make changes through using force (Al-Omari, 2009: 42).
Intellectual extremism: It refers to extremist thought that are adopted by one. Such thought violate laws and principles, such as: fairness, equality and justice (Al-Sultani, 2015: 56) The study's limits: This study was conducted during the second semester of the year 2019/2020. It targets the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan.

Previous studies:
The researcher reviewed several studies that are related to the role of universities in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. She reviewed several MA theses, and articles published on journals them through accessing the relevant journals. Such studies are shown below and arranged from the oldest to the latest ones: Rezeq (2006) investigated the reasons and signs of religious extremism and terrorism adopted by young university students. She explored the role of Islamic education in fighting against such religious extremism and terrorism. 322 female and male students were sampled. They were selected from Mansourah University at Egypt. To meet the study's goals, a descriptive analytical approach was adopted. A questionnaire was used to explore the signs, reasons and impacts of religious extremism. It was found that the signs of religious extremism include: the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of religious texts. It was found that the reasons behind religious extremism include: terrorism, having too much unutilized free time and bad friends. It was found that family and mosque play a significant role in promoting security and protecting people from religious extremism and terrorism.
Al-Asali (2010) investigated the degree to which the religious extremism is prevalent among the students enrolled in Palestinian universities from the perspective of faculty members. He investigated the reasons behind such prevalence. He suggested mechanisms for fighting against religious extremism. 157 faculty members were sampled. To meet the study's goals, a descriptive approach was adopted. Interviews were conducted and a questionnaire was used. The psychological area is ranked first. The human relationship area is ranked second. It was found that there isn't any significant difference between the respondents' attitudes towards the prevalence of religious extremism among the students enrolled in Palestinian universities which can be attributed to gender, university and major. It was found that is a significant difference between the respondents' attitudes towards the prevalence of religious extremism among the students enrolled in Palestinian universities which can be attributed to academic qualification. The latter difference is for the favor of the professor. It was found that the most significant reasons behind the prevalence of religious extremism include: economic sanctions, ignorance about the provisions of Shariah, divisions in society, conflicts between political parties and refusal to accept the different opinions. Davydov (2015) investigated the reasons behind extremism among youth. He aimed to suggest mechanisms for fighting against extremism through educational institutions. To meet the study's goals, a survey-based approach was adopted. A survey was used. The researcher selected a sample that consists from 70 experts who are specialized in education and fighting against extremism. It was found that economic reasons are the most significant reasons behind the prevalence of extremism. Such economic reasons include: the low family income, and unemployment. The reasons behind the prevalence of extremism include: the use of an ineffective parenting style. They include the impacts of the political parties, media, other cultures, and failure of educational institutions to do their functions effectively. They include: having a great number of immigrants and the lack of the culture of tolerance. The latter researcher suggests that educational institutions are responsible for preventing the prevalence of extremism through addressing the reasons behind extremism and delivering education and promoting knowledge. He suggests that media plays a significant role in promoting social and religious awareness. He suggests that fighting against unemployment shall contribute to fighting against extremism.
Al-Khaza'leh (2018) investigated the role of faculty members in Jordanian universities in promoting awareness among students about the risks and implications of terrorist thinking and extremism and promoting national belonging. It aimed to explore that from the perspective of the students in Jordanian universities. 459 female and male students were sampled. They were selected through the random sampling method from Jordanian Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.12, No.6, 2021 universities. A descriptive analytical approach was adopted. A questionnaire was used to meet the goals. It was found that faculty members in Jordanian universities play a moderate role in promoting awareness among students about the risks and implications of terrorist thinking and extremism and promoting national belonging. It was found that there is a statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes which can be attributed to gender. The latter difference is for the favor of males. It was found that there is a statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes which can be attributed to faculties for the favor of human sciences faculties.
Al-Eslaihat (2018) investigated the degree to which faculty members in Jordanian universities acknowledge the reasons behind intellectual. He explore the impact of several variables on such perceptions. To meet the study's goals, he developed a questionnaire that sheds a light on 4 areas. This questionnaire consists from 61 items. The questionnaire forms were passed to faculty members who were selected from three public universities. Those universities were selected from three provinces in Jordan. A survey-based approach was adopted. It was found that the degree to which faculty members in Jordanian universities acknowledge the reasons behind intellectual is high. The political reasons are ranked first. It was found that there isn't a statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes which can be attributed to gender, faculty type and academic rank.
Rabee'an and Al-Zboon (2018) investigated the role of Hail University in preventing the spread of intellectual extremism among youth. A survey-based descriptive approach was adopted. A survey was used. 162 faculty members were sampled. They were selected from the latter university. It was found that the role off Hail University in preventing the spread of intellectual extremism among youth is moderate. The economic area is ranked first, the social area is ranked second, the academic area is ranked third, and the political area is ranked fourth. . It was found that there isn't any statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes which can be attributed to gender. It was found that there is a statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes which can be attributed to experience for the favor of the ones whose experience is less than 5 years and the ones whose experience is within the range of 5-10 years when comparing them with the ones whose experience is 10 years or more.
Al-Qudah and Ashour (2019) investigated the role of the faculties of shariah and education in Jordanian public universities in fighting against religious extremism among students from the perspective of the faculty members. They aimed to explore the obstacles that hinder those faculties from fighting against religious extremism. They aimed to make suggestions for fighting against religious extremism from the perspective of educational leaders. 262 faculty members were sampled through using the random sampling method. 15 educational leaders (i.e. deans, and heads of departments) are sampled from the latter faculties. To meet the study's goals, two instruments were developed. The first instrument is represented in a questionnaire. The second instrument is represented in interviews. It was found that the role of the faculties of shariah and education in Jordanian public universities in fighting against religious extremism among students is moderate in all areas jointly and separately. The most significant obstacles that hinder those faculties from fighting against religious extremism include: the lack of financial, and political support for those faculties. They include: the absence of a clear plan for fighting against religious extremism. The most significant suggestions for fighting against religious extremism include: adding courses that aim at fighting against religious extremism and promoting knowledge about Islamic principles and behaviours.
Al-Shahrani and Azab (2019) investigated the role of universities in fighting against religious extremism through education, scientific research, and community service. They aimed to make suggestions and recommendations for fighting against religious extremism. A descriptive analytical approach was adopted. A questionnaire was developed and used for collecting data from the sample. The sample consists from 246 faculty members who were selected from King Saudi University in Saudi Arabia. The researchers found that the universities play a significant role in fighting against religious extremism through education, promoting respect for others and their ideas, opinions and religion. Universities fight against religious extremism through offering students discussion opportunities and encouraging faculty members to conduct research about the reasons of extremism. They also encourage faculty members to conduct research that contribute to solving the problems faced by society and promote moderate Islamic beliefs, tolerance and ethics. They fight against religious extremism through serving community. For instance, they develop programs that aim at enabling students to utilize their free time and meet the needs of the community. Daboos and Salhah (2019) investigated the role of Palestinian universities in fighting against violence and extremist ideas. They used two scales. The first scale aimed at exploring the role of Palestinian universities in fighting against extremist ideas. It consists from 45 items and sheds a light on five (5) areas. The second scale Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.12, No.6, 2021 137 aims at investigating the role of Palestinian universities in fighting against violence. It consists from 46 items and sheds a light on four (4) areas. 44 faculty members and 288 university students were sampled from An-Najah National University and Palestine Technical University. It was found that the severity of the reasons behind the prevalence of violence and extremist ideas among students in those two universities is high. It was found that there is a statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes towards such reasons which can be attributed to gender and faculties. It was found that there isn't any statistically significant difference between the respondents' attitudes towards such reasons which can be attributed to role in university (i.e. faculty member or student).

Comments on the aforementioned studies
Some of the aforementioned studies aimed to shed a light on the prevalence of extremism in universities and offer suggestions for fighting against extremism. They include: the ones conducted by Rezeq (2006), Al-Asali (2010) and Davydov (2015). As for the studies conducted by Al-Khaza'leh (2018), Rabee'an and Al-Zboon (2018), Al-Qudah and Ashour (2019), Al-Shahrani and Azab (2019) and Daboos and Salhah (2019), they investigated the role of universities in fighting against extremism. As for Al-Eslaihat (2018), he aimed to explore the degree to which faculty members in Jordanian universities acknowledge the reasons behind intellectual extremism.
Through reviewing the aforementioned studies, the researcher was capable to develop the questionnaire and choose the most effective approach for meeting the goals. She adopted a descriptive approach.
Contrary to the aforementioned studies, the present study aimed to explore the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. It aimed to explore that from the perspective of the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan. It offer new knowledge in this regard. It also offers suggestions for activating the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against such extremism.

Methodology
The study's approach: The researcher adopted a descriptive approach in order to explore the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students.

Population
The population consists from all the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan (i.e. 133 members)

Sample
The researcher selected a sample consisting from 73 members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan.

Instrument
The researcher developed the study's questionnaire based on the relevant literature, such as: the studies conducted by Rezeq (2006), Al-Asali (2010), Al-Khaza'leh (2018), and Al-Eslaihat (2018). She developed the questionnaire based on the study's goals to collect data. The questionnaire sheds a light on the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students.. It consists from 34 items. It sheds a light on two areas which are: represented in (intellectual and religious extremism).
The five point Likert scale was adopted to explore the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. It consists from the following rating categories: (to a very great extent, to a great extent, to a moderate extent, to a little extent and to a very little extent). Those categories stand for the following scores respectively: (5, 4, 3, 2 and 1).
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.12, No.6, 2021 138 In order to set criteria for classifying means, the following equation was used.
(The highest score of the scale-the minimum score of the scale)/ the number of the required criteria= the interval The interval = (5-1) / 3 The interval= 1.33 Thus, the following criteria were used for classifying means 2.33 or less: Low 2.34 0-3.67: Moderate

or greater: High
The Instrument's Validity To check the instrument's validity, the initial version of the questionnaire was passed to 10 experts. Those experts work as faculty members. They were selected from several Jordanian public universities. They were asked to assess the questionnaire in term of ability to measure what's intended to measure. They were asked to assess the relevancy of the items to the relevant area, and clarity. After making changes, the final version of the questionnaire consists from 30 items. 17 items shed a light on intellectual extremism and 13 items shed a light on religious extremism.

The instrument's reliability:
The instrument's reliability was measured through calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient values. The overall Pearson correlation coefficient value is 0.94. The Pearson correlation coefficient value of intellectual extremism is 0.98. The Pearson correlation coefficient value of the religious extremism is 0.91. In addition, the researcher calculated the Cronbach alpha coefficient values to measure the instrument's reliability. The overall Cronbach alpha coefficient value is 0.96. The Cronbach alpha coefficient value of intellectual extremism is 0.85. The Cronbach alpha coefficient value of the religious extremism is 0.90. Table (1 Results and discussion Q.1 What is the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students from the perspective of the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan?

) presents the relevant values
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.12, No.6, 2021 139 To answer the first question, means and standard deviations are calculated for each area. They are shown below: First: The role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual extremism among their students The results related to the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual extremism among their students are presented in table (2):  (2), the University of Jordan plays a moderate role in fighting against intellectual extremism among their students. The overall mean is 2.91 and the standard deviation is 0.73. The means are within the range of (3.43 -2.24). The mean of statement (1) is 3.43 which is moderate and ranked first. The latter statement states the following (The University of Jordan seeks promoting a culture of respect for the ones having different opinions among students). The mean of statement (17) is 2.24 which is low and ranked last. The latter statement states the following: (The University of Jordan holds brainstorming sessions for addressing the problems related to extremism).
Second: The role of the University of Jordan in fighting against religious extremism among their students The results related to the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against religious extremism among their students are presented in table (3):  (3), the University of Jordan plays a moderate role in fighting against religious extremism among their students. The overall mean is 2.91. The means are within the range of (3.60 -2.32). The mean of statement (1) is 3.60 which is moderate and ranked first. The latter statement states the following: (The faculty members at the University of Jordan adopt moderate ideas when dealing with others). The mean of statement (13) is 3 . 32 which is moderate and ranked last. The latter statement states the following: (The University of Jordan seeks promoting knowledge about the political goals of extremist groups through holding symposiums).
In terms of the answer of the first question, the University of Jordan plays a moderate role in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their students. That's concluded from the perspective of the members of the councils of the departments of the educational sciences faculty at the University of Jordan. That's because the mean of intellectual extremism is 2.91 and the mean of religious extremism is 2.91. The latter result may be attributed to the fact that there isn't any clear plan or model in the University of Jordan for fighting against intellectual and religious extremism. It may be attributed to the fact that the management of the University of Jordan doesn't exert much effort to improve the capability of faculty members to guide students and improve their way of thinking. Such effort include: holding training workshops and symposiums. It may be attributed to the fact that the management of the latter university doesn't engage in dialogue with students and faculty members to explore the students' attitudes and way of thinking.

Conclusion
It was found that the University of Jordan plays a moderate role in fighting against intellectual and religious extremism among their student. That is because the overall mean in terms of the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against intellectual extremism is 2.91. It is because the overall mean in terms of the role of the University of Jordan in fighting against religious extremism is 2.91.

Recommendations:
In the light of the study's results, the researcher of the present study recommends: -Activating the role of Jordanian universities in fighting against all types of extremisms.
-Conducting similar studies targeting Jordanian private and public universities to compare their results with the results of the present study.
-Holding training courses and workshops for carrying out brainstorming activities that contribute to solving problems related to extremism.