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Mila
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Topic: Queen Rania of Jordan Posted: 12-May-2006 at 10:39 |
QUEEN RANIA
Queen
Rania is exceptional for many reasons. Not only has she achieved a
level of celebrity unusual for an Arab Queen, but she has also bridged
the Jordanian-Palestinian divide in Jordan. She is a Palestinian, born
to a refugee family in Kuwait, and it is quite a big deal for
Palestinian refugees in Jordan to see her.
She is widely recognized for her good work - charity and so on - and is
idolized, together with Queen Noor, by children in Bosnia and
Herzegovina and I assume elsewhere as well. Here's what Wikipedia had
to say about this amazing woman:
Queen Rania Al-Abdullah (born Rania Al-Yasin on August 31, 1970), is the queen consort of King Abdullah II , the king of Jordan.
Rania Al-Yasin was born in Kuwait to Arab Palestinian parents. She attended primary and secondary school at New English School in Kuwait, then gained a degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. After her graduation in 1991, Queen Rania worked at Citibank before taking a job at Apple Computer in Jordan.
She met Jordanian king Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, then Prince, at a
dinner party in January 1993. Two months later, they announced their
engagement and on June 10, 1993, they were married.
They have four children:
She has been an outspoken advocate of women's rights. She was awarded the honorary rank of colonel in the Jordanian Armed Forces by her husband, King Abdullah, on June 9, 2004.
She was named the third most beautiful woman in the world in the 2005 top 100 of Harpers and Queens magazine. In addition, she was the youngest queen in the world at the time King Abdullah succeeded to the throne.
Her activities encompass issues of national concern, as well as several core issues that she has a special interest in:
- The development of income-generating projects
- Encouraging the advancement of best practices in the field of microfinance
- The protection of children from violence
- The promotion of Early Childhood Development
- The incorporation of Information Technology into schools
Some of the organizations with which the Queen is involved with are:
- Jordan River Foundation
- Arab Women's Summit
- Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences (AABFS) - a
pioneering institute in the ME region offering technical and academic
training in banking and financial services
- Jordan Cancer Society
- National Team for Family Safety
- National Team for Early Development
- Child Safety Program and Dar Al-Amman (center for abused and neglected children, the first of its kind in the Middle East)
In 2004, Queen Rania chaired the nomination committee for the newly founded Forum of Young Global Leaders, associated with the World Economic Forum. She is also involved in the following initiatives:
- World Economic Forum (Foundation Board member)
- UN Children's Fund (particularly the Global Leadership Initiative)
- The Vaccine Fund (board member since 2002)
- International Youth Foundation
- FINCA (Foundation for International Community Assistance; board member since 2003)
- International Osteoporosis Foundation
- Visit to South Africa in 2006 where she visited the Tygerberg Hospital, the second largest hospital in Africa
Edited by Mila
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Sir Jerry
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Posted: 12-May-2006 at 10:43 |
Queen Rania is very beautiful.Is that her pic in your Avatar Mila.
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Kapikulu
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Posted: 13-May-2006 at 06:31 |
Queen Rania is commendable in many ways, both with the works she had done, the charities,her modernity etc...She had been a great representative outside for Jordan and seems like the most active "First Lady" in the world nowadays, having an important role in Jordan's international relations
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We gave up your happiness
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 20-Jul-2006 at 17:11 |
My problem with "Queen" Rania is that she's admired for nothing else in the West other than her beauty. My other issue with her is that she advocates for the freedom of the "Palestinian people" from Israel but herself serves as "queen" of an entire country where 70% of the citizens are of "Palestinian" descent?
There is no such thing as "Palestinian people" or "Jordanians" - both are ARABS. There are Arabs from Jordan and Arabs from what was Palestine. It's silly to suggest that "Queen" Rania is "Palestinian" - she's not. She is just an Arab.
Honestly, I don't know why the children of Bosnia-Herzegovina would admire her when it was the Saudis that sent money to the Bosnian Muslims, the Iranians and Turks who provided guns, and the Islamic World that provided 6,000 Mujahideen to fight the Serbian aggression.
All this woman, Rania, did was marry some short, fat, Western puppet, "King" Abdullah.
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morticia
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Posted: 21-Jul-2006 at 11:08 |
Originally posted by Master_Blaster
All this woman, Rania, did was marry some short, fat, Western puppet, "King" Abdullah. |
....who makes her happy and let's her be the gracious, poised, beautiful and intelligent woman and mother that she is! I see nothing wrong with that! She's a great example for the modern young woman of today.
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morticia
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Posted: 28-Jul-2006 at 15:41 |
Queen Rania is very beautiful. She's so lucky to have found her "king" and live happily ever after.......just like a fairy tale! She's also very stylish and modern.
Queen Rania and her King
Queen Rania
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Posted: 31-Jul-2006 at 13:17 |
I tend to agree with Master Blaster, I suspect that if she were an ordinary looking woman:-
a) she would not even make the cover in the local newspaper b) she would not be solicited by oragnisations, seeking her patronage but most daming of all
c) The king would not even have married her.
But, I am sure the King chose her for her intellect.
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Mila
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Posted: 31-Jul-2006 at 18:12 |
I think it's kind of a mute point. It's not even expected in most
Eastern cultures that her beauty would have nothing to do with her
marriage or her successful professional life. Even in Bosnia, which is
hardly as "Eastern" as Jordan, you can still find ads in newspapers
like "WANTED: Attractive female secretary.", or "JOB OPPORTUNITY: Male
manager position available." There's nothing wrong with using such a
societal structure to your own advantage.
Queen Rania's looks played a role in getting her to the position she's
in, but she just as easily could have been a self-obcessed trophy wife
who spends all her time shopping and demanding commoners bow before
her. Thus, everything she's accomplished - she's accomplished. And
bravo to her.
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 01-Aug-2006 at 16:39 |
I personally always felt that Queen Noor of Jordan, the widow of the late King Hussein (present King Abdullah's father) set the precedent for Muslim women in the Arab world.
Plus, I think Queen Noor - despite her age - is far more attractive than the much younger Queen Rania, and I hardly think the latter would be engaged in so many social and humanitarian efforts if the former queen hadn't set an example.
I personally think King Abdullah is a shallow, unattractive puppet of the West. If his family really wanted what was best for the Arab and Islamic worlds, then he would step down as ruler of Jordan, and allow for democratic reform in that country. As his family is descended from the Prophet, it is only right that they (the Hashemites) give up all their political powers and once again take their place as the Sharifs of Mecca.
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 01-Aug-2006 at 16:48 |
Originally posted by Mila
Even in Bosnia, which is hardly as "Eastern" as Jordan, you can still find ads in newspapers like "WANTED: Attractive female secretary.", or "JOB OPPORTUNITY: Male manager position available." There's nothing wrong with using such a societal structure to your own advantage. |
If I ever move to Bosnia, I am going to hang a sign outside my door, "WANTED: VERY ATTRACTIVE BOSNIAK FEMALE FOR MARRIAGE. UNATTRACTIVE WOMEN NEED NOT APPLY."
On a more serious note, it's really odd how Islam is categorized as an "Eastern" idealogy when it originated in the Middle East - the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity (both labelled as "Western") and it shares many of the same "Western" principles that we in the West attribute to Judeo-Christian thought. I think that many of the societies in which Islam is dominant, i.e. Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, etc. are "Eastern" but I don't think the religion itself is an Eastern philosophy. Muslims in the West are "western" and Muslims who come from Eastern backgrounds are "eastern" - I hope that wasn't too confusing.
Edited by Master_Blaster - 01-Aug-2006 at 16:57
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morticia
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Posted: 03-Aug-2006 at 14:35 |
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 03-Aug-2006 at 16:16 |
Originally posted by morticia
Originally posted by Master_Blaster
I hope that wasn't too confusing |
WHAT? |
I meant that Islam is actually a Western idealogy as in encompasses those Abrahamic traditions found in Judaism and Christianity also - both of which are classified as Western religions.
The reason that Islam is often misclassified as an Eastern religion is because so many of its adherents come from non-Western backgrounds, i.e. the Pakistanis, Afghans, Tajiks, Indonesians, etc.
My argument was that a Muslim whose background is Western, i.e. a Bosniak, Albanian, Chechen, etc. are Western, whereas those Muslims whose ancestory is clearly "Eastern", i.e. Afghans were Buddhist prior to conversion to Islam, Turks were shamanist and Buddhist prior to accepting Islam, can be correctly classified as being Eastern.
Anyways, I still think Queen Noor Al-Hussein is far more attractive and intelligent than Queen Rania-Al-Abdullah.
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morticia
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Posted: 07-Aug-2006 at 16:23 |
MB - Did you know that Queen Noor was an American born in Washington D.C.?
btw, very interesting your statements about Islam being a Western idealogy!
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 07-Aug-2006 at 19:18 |
Queen Noor was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby, the daughter of an Arab -American of Lebanese Christian descent. She converted to Islam upon her marriage to King Hussein. I caught her interview on Larry King Live, and even in her 50s - she still looks stunning!
btw: I consider EASTERN to be more Asiatic, i.e. Chinese, Indian, Buddhist, Hindu philosophy. If we are going to classify Judaism and Christianity as WESTERN idealogies, then we would need to classify their stray sister, Islam, in the same fashion.
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morticia
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Posted: 08-Aug-2006 at 14:57 |
Yes, Queen Noor is still beautiful and is still very classy.
Lisa Halaby when they announced their engagement
Queen Noor and King Hussein
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 08-Aug-2006 at 17:02 |
I agree morticia, "Queen" Noor is elegant, beautiful, intelligent, and sophisticated, and a great role model for Arab women, but I do wish that she had done more to convince her late husband to introduce democratic reforms and women's rights in his country.
Edited by Master_Blaster - 08-Aug-2006 at 17:03
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morticia
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Posted: 09-Aug-2006 at 13:03 |
Yes, MB, I too wish she could have made more of an impact regarding women's issues in her husband's country. However, she has an impressive resume. She is an advisor to an organization called "Women Waging Peace" and a Patron of International Alert's Women and Peace-building campaign, focusing on women's role and contribution to conflict resolution and peace building. She's also actively involved in various programs on environmental issues (i.e. ban of landmines, archeological conservations and protectiion, etc) and in the areas of child development, health and humanitarian relief aid.
Her lack of bringing the women's issue to the forefront, IMO, was probably due to having been American-born and to avoid being accussed of pushing the Western culture to the Middle East. I think that maybe she took a step back in the women's issue to avoid unnecessary confrontations which would affect her husband's status. What do you think?
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Master_Blaster
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Posted: 09-Aug-2006 at 19:33 |
You're right morticia, I think Queen Noor was curtailed by her status as a Western woman living in a conservative Middle Eastern society, otherwise, I believe she would have been able to introduce many more reforms in regards to women's rights in the Arab world.
I still appreciate her efforts for the betterment of women's lives and education. I think if she had been an Anglo-American or a European woman instead of an Arab-American woman, married to King Hussein, then her efforts would have been criticized and hampered even more by the conservative establishment in Jordan and the Middle East.
Edited by Master_Blaster - 09-Aug-2006 at 19:34
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shayan
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Posted: 30-Sep-2006 at 06:23 |
She looks good and she reminds me of Queen Farah Diba... So i like her :)
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Iran parast
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Posted: 09-Apr-2007 at 04:10 |
Originally posted by shayan
She looks good and she reminds me of Queen Farah Diba... So i like her :) |
omg... Are you out of your freaking mind?
How dare you comparing Empress Farah with Queen Rania? How the hell do they look alike? Stop fooling yourselves, just because Jordan and Iran are in the so called political Middle East does not mean for one second that Queen Rania and Empress Farah look the same. First of all, Rania is an Arab, she speaks Arabic and shares a totally different culture than Iranians, specially during the Pahlavi Dynasty.
Then look at their facial structures Totally different.
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