Established in 1994 in Amman, Jordan, under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) provides a venue in the Arab world for the interdisciplinary study and rational discussion of religion and religious issues, with particular reference to Christianity in Arab and Islamic society.

More recently, RIIFS has broadened its focus to include all issues pertaining to religious, cultural and civilizational diversity, regionally and globally. For this purpose, it maintains relations with similarly concerned academic institutions in different parts of the world.

RIIFS is governed by a board of trustees chaired by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal. It is funded by an annual grant from the government of Jordan obtained through Majlis El Hassan, as well as by private donations. The director of RIIFS is HE Ambassador Hasan Abu Nimah, who was Jordan's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations for five years until he left the diplomatic service in 2000. A writer and lecturer, Mr Abu Nimeh was appointed to lead RIIFS on 15 April 2004, replacing the vacancy left by the resignation of Kamal Salibi, Emeritus Professor at the Department of History and Archaeology at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, who was the Royal Institute's founding director and who has since been named its honorary president. Baker al-Hiyari is the deputy director of RIIFS.

The work of RIIFS involves research and publication, as well as the organization of lectures, conferences and workshops.

The RIIFS Arabic program focuses on the study and documentation of all subjects pertaining to Christianity and Muslim-Christian relations. Its quarterly publication, Al-Nashra, provides a forum for the discussion of interfaith issues, particularly as they relate to Arab and Islamic society. It also monitors the Arabic press for news and other material bearing on religious questions.

The RIIFS English program addresses questions relating to religious and cultural diversity in the world at large, inviting international participation in its academic and other activities. Its biannual publication, Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (BRIIFS), is an academic journal refereed by internationally known scholars. BRIIFS is intended to provide a venue for interdisciplinary academic inquiry into all fields of the humanities and social sciences that bear on cultural or civilizational interaction and to situate culture contact in a global context.

RIIFS invites young scholars from Arab and other countries, on a selective basis to involve them in the work of the institute as visiting research associates. It also brings established scholars from abroad to acquaint them with academic and cultural life in Jordan and with the work of the institute.