Representing the President of the University, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, Vice President for Administrative Affairs Dr. Anis Al-Khasawneh sponsored the activities of the symposium on "Social Media and its Effects on the Local Community and Refugees", which was organized by the Center for Studies of Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration at Yarmouk University in cooperation with the Public Security Directorate and the University of Applied Sciences For public service in Bavaria-Germany, at the Intercontinental Hotel - Amman.

Al-Khasawneh said in his opening speech that we at Yarmouk University believe that universities are one of the most important tools for change in society and are a source of inspiration and renewal, and that they should play a positive role in developing our society and preserving its resources and sustainability.

He added that Yarmouk University has been interested in the issue of social media, especially with regard to issues of the local community and refugees, in its various dimensions, because of its belief in the close relationship between its role in participation in the form of scientific and technical development related to communication and communication technology, and the changes in our societal reality.

Al-Khasawneh added that in the last two decades there has been a real and tremendous scientific revolution in the field of social networks that has led to great and profound social changes at all levels, which cannot be described in general terms as positive or negative changes, hence the importance of this symposium, to benefit from its positives and bypass Its downsides.

The Director of the Center of Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration studies, Dr. Anas Al-Subuh, said that, according to His Majesty the King’s article “Communication platforms or social conflict?”, Yarmouk University's efforts continued through the center to promote and protect refugees and members of the host community, by improving the services provided to citizens and refugees, and paying attention to By protecting it, and accordingly, we seek, in cooperation with organizations, institutions and societies of the local community, for the supremacy to achieve the desired shift in the field of enhancing human protection and activating mechanisms for taking care of his rights.

He added, with the tremendous development of electronic equipment and data transmission, Jordan has come to live in the information age, which is what the Syrian refugees in Jordan have realized, since the beginning of their influx in 2011, when a community of their own began to form through the Internet and social media sites inside and outside the camps.

He continued, "These sites have played an important role in conveying news of Syrian refugees in the countries of asylum, and proposing solutions to their problems, which prompted most of them to follow these sites, hoping to improve their living conditions."

The Dean of the Faculty of Information at Yarmouk University, Dr. Khalaf Al-Tahat, confirmed that the traditional and even hypothetical Jordanian media reflected the concepts and values of the Jordanian state and the Jordanian people in dealing with refugees in a humane manner and did not record any transgressions in this regard.

He stressed that the Jordanian experience is considered one of the oldest and most ancient experiences with regard to asylum, indicating that the Jordanian media used to reflect the civilized image in dealing with refugees, by promoting a culture of tolerance and acceptance of others, and it was not one day reinforcing hostility or offensive against refugees. They feel that they are part of this society and its fabric, as the Jordanian media was a reflection of the royal directives and the values of the Jordanian society and the constants of the Jordanian state in this regard.

Dr. Muhammad al-Rabab'a, from the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Yarmouk University, pointed out the negatives that were reflected in the virtual space, so that it became an easy way for people of extremist and deviant thought. They employed the new media, with its advantages and capabilities that transcend temporal and spatial boundaries, in reaching individuals and being alone with them.

He added that the multimedia provided by this electronic space enabled them to publish whatever textual ideas, pictures or videos they want, so the media made it easier for the masters of this thought to spread their ideas and messages through which they were able to kidnap many young people and recruit them with them, until it became a threat to individuals' awareness and thought. And their beliefs, values, and behaviors, and making them vulnerable to intellectual alienation or targeting and kidnapping that are hunting the youth of our nation and threatening our societies and disturbing the sleep of those who are safe from both worlds.

Dr. Khair Dhiabat from the Department of Political Science at Yarmouk University, in his paper entitled Social Media Between Terrorist Organizations and Terrorism of Lone Wolves, presented how social media is used in terrorist activities by terrorist organizations and lone wolves in terms of communication, electronic terrorism, terrorist recruitment, financing and planning their operations.

Diabat also presented how ordinary people have turned into potential lone wolves, providing important recommendations to combat this phenomenon through concerted governmental and societal efforts to reduce the disadvantages of using social media.

 Dr. Muhammad Al-Maabara from the Faculty of Law at Yarmouk University pointed to the topic of electronic crimes in general and crimes related to extremism, as he dealt with the crime of recruitment in Jordanian penal legislation, and the penalties that it entails in view of the danger it poses to the entity of society and the state.

The statement reviewed the common criminal acts that occurred using social networking sites, such as defamation, slander, contempt and violation of the privacy and freedoms of others, from the perspective of Jordanian and comparative law.