AMMAN: Women’s rights, extremism and the importance of journalism were addressed at the 15th Arab Media Conference, which began in Amman on Saturday. The two-day conference, organized by the Arab Media Center, was held under the patronage of Princess Basma bint Talal, honorary chairperson of the Arab Media Women’s Center (AMWC). During the opening, Jordanian Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah said that the most prominent violation of human rights in the Arab world centers on the right to life itself. At a time when intolerance and terrorism have increased, he said, “the first right is usually violated, and that is the right to live. We must stand against this violation,” Maaytah said. “With the new technologies brought upon us, the truth is now harder to portray than ever, and we have witnessed this.” He said the positive energy between Jordanian and Arab women journalists needed to be enhanced, and women empowered to transform challenges into opportunities to strengthen their positions in the media. The conference aimed to raise awareness about violations of freedom of expression, and to highlight the work of the media in exceptional circumstances given the conflicts in many Arab countries. Mahasin Imam, director of the AMWC, said: “We shall never give up, even through pain (in seeking) the truth and facts.” Nabras Al-Mamouri, president of the Iraqi Women Journalists Forum (IWJF), highlighted the importance of employing the media to promote gender issues, and of women leaders’ efforts individually and collectively to make changes. The conference was attended by Arab journalists from the UAE, Tunisia, Oman, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Sudan, Bahrain and Lebanon as well as a number of other countries. It addressed issues such as social media, different forms of extremism and their impact on Arab societies, and the role of the media in countering extremism.