General news about King Abdullah, Queen Rania & Family 1: August 2009 - February 2012

[salma]

UNICEF ambassadors Ewan McGregor, Claudia Schiffer and Her Majesty Queen Rania
Ewan McGregor fronts UNICEF campaign anniversary - Marketing News | UTalkMarketing

[hm-queen-rania]

hello
i love rania and i have a blog about she
www.hm-queen-rania.skyblog.com

i'am frensh and i don't speak good english :)

[Mademoiselle Lilo]

500 Most Influential Muslims 2009
Georgetown University's The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talaal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre recently published its first edition of the 500 most influential Muslims 2009
http://www.rissc.jo/muslim500v-1L.pdf
Neal Ungerleider - Falafel Mafia – The world’s 500 most influential Muslims - True/Slant

[Little_star]

Thanks for the link Mademoiselle Lilo.

Unsurprising that the Prince alWaleed Centre has a Saudi at the top of the list....
Having had a quick look at the top names IMHO the list is a complete joke!

[Veram98]

Queen Rania of Jordan has been voted as the most influential person in the Arab world today, by readers of The Arab. Coming in a close second is Hizbullah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The Arab: Queen Rania - The Most Influential Person in the Arab World Today

[Little_star]

Fabulous! I love the fact that Rania beat the misogynistic Sayyed Hassan Nasrullah!

Thanks Veram.

[xavi83]

they would not be smart enough if they put her 2nd of Sayyed Hassan Nasrullah !!

[sana]

Very nice

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Finished ninth

I think

[salma]

Hello poll: Who is the most elegant woman in 2009?

La Gran Encuesta de la Elegancia

[sana]

Thank you for a peaceful vote

[asturiana]

Queen Rania of Jordan takes on hardliners over honour killings - Telegraph

[yamamah]

Originally Posted by asturiana

Queen Rania of Jordan takes on hardliners over honour killings - Telegraph

Thanks for the article but there is not one single quote from Rania condemning honour killings in it, she has spoken is a very weak fashion about them before but has never outrightly strongly condemned then. The article does not say either what actions Rania is taking personally to stop this practise and to be honest reads more like a bit of royal PR with style over substance as usual.

It's one thing saying it to the Western press where it sounds like something is being done and supporting women's groups does not make one single bit of difference as it is MEN who commit the crimes and as things stand, ANY woman is fair game. Many women are imprisoned as they are at risk of being killed in this way (for their own safety) and yet the would be attackers walk the streets free!

A strong message needs to be sent out followed by VERY strong enforcement as currently, most people who kill their women relatives like this are given a six month sentence at best, tht is if the crime is even investigated properly amd YES, this is INSIDE Jordan in Amman, not some dusty little village.

When Queen Rania and her husband change the law (and it CAN be done as he is absolute monarch) to enforce life prison sentences, when I hear Queen Rania stand up and loudly and clearly condemn honour killing in Arabic, in Jordan then I will be the first person to stand up and applaud her.

I lost two friends from school to this and a neighbour. It is a moral outrage in this day and age!

Ten years on the throne is long enough time to make a difference..


King Abdullah and Queen Rania, show us what you are made of and let's have real justice for women not lip service!

[shrifia]

you've made some very intersting points yamamah.
10 years of rule and situation for some issues remaind the same,honour killings is an example.I undestand that Jordan is a very conservative community controlled by the clan and tribes,but I think both Rania and Abdullah could do better he is an absolute monarch so I assume he is in good position to do alot,and the way Rania talk in interview about some issues(honour killings,women situation...) in Jordan is abit irritating.
Rania is high a very high profile in her country so talking a little bit more about honour killings inside and not outside Jordan is better to do IMO,she usually wrote articles about anything and nothing so if she talk about that issue in these articles....articles in arabic for her ppl,also some videos in youtube or in national TV talking about it,that's would be great,if she really have a real influence in her community,I think ppl there will listen,that mentality will start to change.it's unacceptable that women in 21th century got killed cause they were talking to a stranger.

[yamamah]

Originally Posted by shrifia

you've made some very intersting points yamamah.
10 years of rule and situation for some issues remaind the same,honour killings is an example.I undestand that Jordan is a very conservative community controlled by the clan and tribes,but I think both Rania and Abdullah could do better he is an absolute monarch so I assume he is in good position to do alot,and the way Rania talk in interview about some issues(honour killings,women situation...) in Jordan is abit irritating.
Rania is high a very high profile in her country so talking a little bit more about honour killings inside and not outside Jordan is better to do IMO,she usually wrote articles about anything and nothing so if she talk about that issue in these articles....articles in arabic for her ppl,also some videos in youtube or in national TV talking about it,that's would be great,if she really have a real influence in her community,I think ppl there will listen,that mentality will start to change.it's unacceptable that women in 21th century got killed cause they were talking to a stranger.

You are right Shrifia, Arabic Youtube videos/articles/speeches in Arab countries would be an amazing thing for her to do against honour killing. These are the places where it is perpetrated, not to European people in the Western press (although we know that immigrants from various places do take this problem to Europe with them and honour killing is not confined geographically due to mobility). It isn't Europeans she needs to talk to about his but her fellow Arabs (and yes, we know it in not just confined to Arab people but Asian cultures and others).

But as an Arab queen with a visible profile across the Arab world, I would ask her to raise the issue and put it into the Arabic public arena and campaign in a highly visible way against these killings that would do more good than everything she has done so far put together.

To be fair, the article was written by a journalist who has regurgitated al ot of this story before but how refreshing it would be to open an Arabic newspaper or watch the Arabic satellite channels and see Queen Rania openly and very strongly condemning this crime and showing through law changes and enforcement that Jordan is leading the way..

I would clap the loudest and the longest for her if I saw her doing this

[dazzling]

You make an interesting point. Very true that the issue of Queen Rania fighting against it isnt written on many of the arabic leading papers. Its a pitty that her voice isnt heard in teh region since many of the videos so far are in english. She could do an arabic youtube video or a short TV shot like she has done in the past which was shown an MBC4 (which has a big amount of viewers across the region).

[Veram98]

You can see in recent days (at least) some baby steps in the right direction in Jordan concerning "honor crimes": There are more of these killers who are sentenced by the courts for premeditated murder and not for a "crime of passion" - with harder sentences than just 6 months.
The most recent case:

Man sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for killing daughter

Jordan Times

[yamamah]

Originally Posted by Veram98

You can see in recent days (at least) some baby steps in the right direction in Jordan concerning "honor crimes": There are more of these killers who are sentenced by the courts for premeditated murder and not for a "crime of passion" - with harder sentences than just 6 months.
The most recent case:

Man sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for killing daughter

Jordan Times

He won't serve 15 years though! Baby steps aren't enough when we are at the end of the first decade of the new millennium which is why Abdullah and Rania need to do much more INSIDE Jordan and out in the Arab world - publicly.

You will note also that his sentence will be reviewed by the court of cassation which can and very often does, overturn the sentencing of the lower courts. This is where it falls down as this is usually the stage where the sentence is reduced to something ridiculous so the story might READ like something strict is being one but the reality is very different.

[Godiva]

Originally Posted by yamamah

He won't serve 15 years though! Baby steps aren't enough when we are at the end of the first decade of the new millennium which is why Abdullah and Rania need to do much more INSIDE Jordan and out in the Arab world - publicly.

You will note also that his sentence will be reviewed by the court of cassation which can and very often does, overturn the sentencing of the lower courts. This is where it falls down as this is usually the stage where the sentence is reduced to something ridiculous so the story might READ like something strict is being one but the reality is very different.

15 years is nothing for the murder of a child. Sentences for crimes against children like abuse are ridiculous in many countries, that's the sadest thing. In Jordan I think the problem is not only to have more strict sentences only, their problem I suppose it is the lack of education because only to set stricter sentences to men who are ''educated'' that killing your woman/daughter is a right you have and they see it a passion crime it is difficult to solve this problem only with stricter sentences, I mean, because this man's mind can't see why is bad to kill his daughter even if he stay in prison all life, only solution is education, it sounds common but I think this is it. We know that stricter sentences may satisfy us who we are shocked by hearing these crimes but indeed they don't seem to prevent these people from killing in every country not only in Jordan or in Greece etc. That's also so sad. I also must say that prisons are not so big to ''host'' many people for much time, that's why in many countries and especially in poorest countries sentences are not so strict.

[yamamah]

I agree with you Godiva but what is even sadder is that it is the appeal court of so called educated people who reduce the sentences! They need to have the message sent out by the monarch, the parliament, the police, the judiciary that this is WRONG and one way of doing this is to increase and enforce the sentences and at that would be a start so there is a deterrent in place because at present, nine times out of ten there is not. These men know they will get away with it and that is why it is common. The official figures do not represent the true extent. In the West, most prison regimes are more like a holiday camp especially since the convention on human rights where often in Europe, it seems like the criminal has more rights than the victim and in the UK at least, life sentences are only about 12 years on average and the prisoners get time off for good behaviour.

If Queen Rania campaigned in as high profile way in the Arab world as she does for things in the West, then I would feel proud of her but she does very little by way of education videos in Arabic on any subject (health/education/womens rights) and certainly does not present on issues to the Arab nations like she does to the West. She is the most high profile woman in the Arab world, her husband is a king and they have the 'power' to make a difference in public opinion and law

[shrifia]

Originally Posted by Veram98

You can see in recent days (at least) some baby steps in the right direction in Jordan concerning "honor crimes": There are more of these killers who are sentenced by the courts for premeditated murder and not for a "crime of passion" - with harder sentences than just 6 months.
The most recent case:

Man sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for killing daughter

Jordan Times

in first initial phase of the trial yes he might get 15,but in the end he lives the jail as early as possible,you can see how it really work for those killers in trials here with a report on the last victim this last 5 or 6 December:
Jordanian man kills pregnant sister in "honor killing"
The December 6 Jordan Times reports that a 36-year-old man stabbed to death his married sister, who was nine months pregnant He stalked her and stabbed her seven times, killing her and her unborn son. He then promptly gave the knife to the police, explaining that it was an honor killing. He displayed neither shame for his crime nor fear of the legal consequences
...On this subject, the Telegraph has a piece about Jordan's Queen Rania's public support for the government's efforts to toughen the laws against honor killings. (The reforms don't go so far as to treat honor killings just like other murders, but progress is progress.) However, conservative forces in parliament are holding back reform. Sheikh Hamza Mansour, the leader of the Islamic Action Front, complained: "It's as if the government is giving up our personality to turn us into a Westernised society."..Link

I also think that strict sentences is not enough to fight honor crimes,it will be a good and a strong sign to change these silly laws and its needded...its nacceptable anymore that a killer go to jail for 6 month.soparliament or not it's time to take a brave decision and change it...
still that the big problem here is the mentalities and how these men look to women in their community(a citizen of second rank) yes education is good tools I know that Rania is very involved with the education causes so its will be good to know what she propose here,as I said she is very high profile and I find it very stange she don't talk that much about the issue,and again that would be good if she did it in arabic and for arabic media not only in western media,she is very active woman she is a very good speaker so it's time to use all this for a forgotten cause in Queen and King agenda.