Queen Noor of Jordan
Template:Jordanian Royal Family Template:Infobox hrhstyles
In 1978 Arab-American Lisa Halaby left behind her western lifestyle, converted to Islam and married Jordan's King Hussein. The king named her Queen Noor al-Hussein, "the light of Hussein." The fairy-tale romance endured for more than two decades, until the king's death in 1999.
King Hussein held a unique position in the Middle East, being a pan-Arabist with a deep understanding of Western culture, a consistent political moderate, and a dedicated member of the Nonaligned Movement. The nation of Jordan has been and continues to be a linchpin for Middle East peace efforts. (Miramax Books, 2003, 3)
Through the years, the wife of King Hussein came to be seen as an outspoken, strong-willed woman in an Islamic society, where women are commonly expected to adopt a subservient role.[1] The fact that this tall, blond American was their queen had always rankled some, particularly among those families who felt such an honor should have been reserved for one of the locals.[2] Queen Noor walked at her husband's side through his reign; a partner. She suffered with the nation as they watched him succumb to cancer in 1999. Through this she so impressed the people of her country, that she was finally fully accepted as part of a society that at its root remains tribal and traditional.
Queen Noor is known internationally for her continued committment to humanitarian work and international women's rights issues as well as for her longtime campaign against landmines.
Family Life and Education
She was born an American of Arab, Swedish, Scottish, and English descent.
Her Majesty Queen Noor (Arabic: الملكة نور) was born Elizabeth (Lisa) Najeeb Halaby on August 23, 1951, in Washington, D.C. to an Arab-American family distinguished for its public service. She attended schools in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Concord Academy in Massachusetts, before entering Princeton University in its first co-educational freshman class.[3]
She is the eldest daughter of Najeeb Halaby and his wife Doris Carlquist. Her father is a former CEO of Pan-American World Airways, one time head of the Federal Aviation Administration appointed by President John F. Kennedy, and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. The queen has a younger brother, Christian, and a younger sister, Alexa
After receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University in 1974, Queen Noor worked on international urban planning and design projects in Australia, Iran, the United States, and Jordan from where she traveled throughout the Arab World to research aviation training facilities. Subsequently, she joined ‘Royal Jordanian’ airline as Director of Planning and Design Projects. [4]
Queen Noor's paternal grandfather, Najeeb Elias Halaby, was a Syrian immigrant of Lebanese descent, was an oil broker, according to 1920 census records. Merchant Stanley Marcus, however, recalled that in the early 1920s, Halaby opened Halaby Galleries, a rug boutique and interior-decorating shop, at Neiman-Marcus in Dallas, Texas, and ran it with his Texas-born wife, Laura Wilkins (1889-1987, later Mrs. Urban B. Koen).
Education
Lisa Halaby was raised and educated in the United States. She attended National Cathedral School from Grade 4 through Grade 8 and then went on to Concord Academy in Massachusetts. She graduated from Princeton University in 1974.
Marriage and children
An architect-planner by training, she met King Hussein while working in Jordan on the development of the Amman Intercontinental Airport. They married on June 15, 1978. In a New York Times article (May 19, 1978) about the couple's forthcoming wedding, a friend of the bride described her as "a darling, healthy, sunburned, tennis-playing, All-American girl, but she is very sophisticated. I can't see her marrying the average boy." Halaby converted to Islam, and before the marriage took place, her first name was changed from Elizabeth to Noor, an Arabic word meaning "light".
As King Abdullah II's stepmother, Queen Noor cannot be classified as the Queen Mother of Jordan, although no apparent titular distinction has been made between her and Abdullah's wife, Queen Rania. The present King's mother, however, is Princess Muna al-Hussein, an Englishwoman formerly known as Antoinette Avril Gardiner.
Queen Noor and King Hussein had four children:
- Prince Hamzah (born March 29, 1980), Crown Prince from 1999 to 2004
- Prince Hashim (born June 10, 1981)
- Princess Iman (born April 24, 1983)
- Princess Raiyah (born February 9, 1986)
Beliefs
" ... I've seen it around the world, in the poorest countries and in countries riven with conflict," Queen Noor told CNN's Larry King. "It is women who are the key to breaking out of poverty, breaking out of stagnation. ... It's women who can contribute to achieving real security — not bombs and bullets and repressive governments."
Notable works
In 2003, Queen Noor published a memoir, Leap of Faith, which became a bestseller.
See also
- Hashemite
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
Queen Noor (2003) Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, Miramax Books, ISBN 0786867175
External links
- Official Queen Noor website
- Transcript of a speech given at The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in 1996
- 2002 commencement speech, Mount Holyoke College
ar:نور الحسين de:Noor von Jordanien fr:Noor de Jordanie he:המלכה נור fi:Noor al-Hussein
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