King Abdullah and Queen Rania, News & Pictures, Part 1

[micas]

I belive this is new :woot:

[barbara_41172]

January 28 from Petra:

King Lays the Foundation stone of Queen Rania Center for the Physically Challenged Military Personnel

Amman, Jan. 28(Petra)--His Majesty King Abdullah II laid, in the
presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the foundation stone
of Queen Rania Al Abdullah Center for the Physically Challenged Military
Personnel, At Al Jandaweel District in Amman.
The center, which will be one of the facilities run by the Hashemite
Charity Organization, was initiated, an will be funded through a donation
by His Majesty the King.
The King made the donation to establish the center to provide
services to the injured people in recognition of their efforts to
protect the homeland.
His Majesty was briefed by HRH Prince Mer'd bin Raad, the president
of the organization, on the center's facilities and services, noting
that the center will serve more than 1275 persons.
The ceremony was attended by President of the Senate, His Royal
Highness Prince Raad Bin Zeid and a number of civil and military officials.
The Hashemite Charity Organization which was established in
1997, is the first of its kind in the Arab world. It is a non-governmental
organization that depends on donations to continue providing services
to the physically challenged military personnel from the Armed Forces,
the Public Security, Civil Defense, the and the General Intelligence.
The center which will be build on an area of six dunums, will
encompass vocational training facility designed to pre-qualify physically
challenged people in various professions. It will include administrative
sections, a library, a computer lab. stores, playground, bedrooms,
a pool for physical therapy and car parks.

[barbara_41172]

January 28 from Petra:

[Bubbette]

Originally posted by almahboubah+Jan 26th, 2004 - 2:20 pm--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (almahboubah @ Jan 26th, 2004 - 2:20 pm)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-bluetortuga@Jan 26th, 2004 - 1:08 pm
How come P. Al-Hussein was not present? Is he already going to school overseas?

Yes, in the UK. [/b][/quote]
He's so young to be in school so far away!

[mya]

What does it say about your country and your country educational system when the king has to send their children out of the country to be educated.........sheesh........and how come jordanians like to criticize the west when they not only send their children their but also frequently married these outsiders????????? of course jordan is not the only country...but i just wanted to know

[Laila]

from alalrab alyawm newspaper

[Laila]

with old woman

[Laila]

and with his son

[Laila]

another

[justine]

Originally posted by mya@Jan 29th, 2004 - 1:41 am
What does it say about your country and your country educational system when the king has to send their children out of the country to be educated.........sheesh........and how come jordanians like to criticize the west when they not only send their children their but also frequently married these outsiders????????? of course jordan is not the only country...but i just wanted to know

but as you say, it's such a common practice of royalty. Well except for Great Britain, and that seems to be where all foreign royals send their kids...lol

I suppose it says "we have the funds to do this" but I also thought it was part of a multi cultural education so that they can come back to their country with 'fresh eyes' of the world.

[syima]

Oh interesting to know about little Prince Hussein is away and go to school oversea.
I never knew about it.

Does he go to boarding school, or stay with his Grandma Princess Muna formerly
(Antoinette Gardner). King Abdullah mum...

Do you anything about this? as i am interesting to know.

[Alexandria]

JARASH, JORDAN: Jordan's King Abdullah II is received by a Jordanian family during his visit to the ancient city of Jarash 28 January 2004. The king visited the town's people prior to the up coming Eid al-Adha, at the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca known as the Hajj and carried out by millions of Muslims. The king listened to the people's complaints, worries and needs. Yousef ALLAN/AFP/Getty Images

King Abdullah in Jarash, Jordan

[Dennism]

BBC

Jordan is embarking on a radical reform process aimed at modernising the country's political system.

One of the key reforms is getting Jordanian women more involved in public affairs.

The country's monarch, King Abdullah, is behind the moves giving women a bigger and more active role in the political process.

Late last year, he dissolved the upper house of parliament and appointed seven women - the highest number ever - to a new 55-member body.

He also created a special quota system to ensure women would be elected to the lower chamber where they now number six out of 110 members.

Change from above

The king also appointed a female minister, Asma Khader, to serve as the government's spokesperson.

Ms Khader is a prominent lawyer and champion of human rights, particularly women's rights.

Jordan's Prime Minister, Faisal Fayex, for his part, has also urged women's organisations to spur political development in the country.

But some question whether engineering change from above will work in Jordan's traditional society.

The newly appointed senator, Wijdan Talhouni Saket, said King Abdullah is setting the right example to help build democracy in this tribal desert monarchy.

"Jordan is a very conservative society. It is a society of men," she explained.

"Usually men never give their places easily for women if we don't push for it.

"I think this is a first step."

She said the women appointed and elected by the quota system to parliament are mainly activists.

"I am sure and expecting that we are going to do a lot because we have the means, the experience, and now we are encouraged by His Majesty and Queen Rania," she said.

"All of us worked in civil society."

'Too conservative'

Senator Saket has been involved in grassroots development work for the past 20 years.

She has helped launch 250 middle and lower-income women into business by providing facilities, skills and training at her Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women in the Garden district of Amman.

She said she is contributing her practical business know-how to parliament to help tackle the country's staggering 17% unemployment rate.

But some people argue it will take more than just introducing more women into parliament to change Jordan's political landscape.


Former minister of information, Leila Sharaf, said she did not initially support the idea of a special quota for women.

"I was against it at first," she explained, "because I thought that a quota may bring women who are not experienced in public life, women who are too conservative to push for women's rights or that it may slacken the women's movement."

But Ms Sharaf argues that the country's current election law of one person, one vote will not break the stigma against voting for women.

The quota system may need to be used again for the next parliamentary election, she said, until Jordanians become more accustomed to seeing women in public office.

Exceptions

Amman-based analyst Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group research institute agrees.

"This is a conservative, traditional society. Women can run for election but the chances of their winning are not great," he said.

"In a free and fair election where you are elected as a Jordanian citizen, it is very tough for women to be elected.

"That is the reality.We are talking about exceptions, not about the rule."

He said this reason makes the king's personal intervention to introduce change plausible.

"Appointing women to public office may be a good way to set a model.

"Here, women are taking positions of authority, they can do it and there is nothing wrong with it."

Although this is just one of many reforms King Abdullah is initiating, critics say a number still concentrate power in the hands of the king and do not go far enough.

Another problem is they have not caught on at the grassroots level.

Recently, a lawmaker from the conservative district of Ma'an in the south of the country said women's development is not on his agenda.

The 42-year old monarch may find himself facing an uphill battle with Jordan's traditional stalwarts to create the kind of society he wants to become an example to the rest of the Middle East.

[Dennism]

February 9, 2004. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Damascus. The two Arab leaders formally launched a dam project on the two countries' Yarmuk River border today at a ceremony in northern Jordan. The king and the president unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the event before heading to Damascus for official talks.


Sitting

Greeting

Unveiling a plaque

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld talks with Jordan's King Abdullah at the 40th Munich Conference on Security Policy in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004.

King and Rumsfield

King in Munich

King in Munich

[Alexandria]

(Getty Images) MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 8: King Abdullah II of Jordan speaks at the Conference On Security Policy February 8, 2004 in Munich, Germany. Members of NATO are in Munich to discuss security and the threat of terrorism until February 8.

Munich, Germany, 1

Munich, Germany, 2

Munich, Germany, 3

Munich, Germany, 4

[hania]

Is the pic put in by Jenna1186 in the 2nd last frame their wedding pic?becos on their official website there is a different pic with Rania wearing a different dress

[mya]

HANIA KING ABDULLAH AND RANIA HAD 2 DIFFERENT WEDDING CEROMONIES

[barbara_41172]

Is the pic put in by Jenna1186 in the 2nd last frame their wedding pic?becos on their official website there is a different pic with Rania wearing a different dress

Hania, I think that Abdullah and Rania had a wedding celebration ceremony during the day. You can see that Rania was wearing the dress with the short-sleeved jacket embroidred with gold for that part. It was designed by Bruce Oldfield BTW (one of Princess Diana's favourite designers). For the evening she wore a another dress with the off the-shoulder detail. That's my guess, as all the photos from that appear to be like a ball of some kind. I hope that helps.

TC
Barbara

[queenkat101]

Originally posted by barbara_41172@Feb 10th, 2004 - 8:43 pm

Hania, I think that Abdullah and Rania had a wedding celebration ceremony during the day. You can see that Rania was wearing the dress with the short-sleeved jacket embroidred with gold for that part. It was designed by Bruce Oldfield BTW (one of Princess Diana's favourite designers). For the evening she wore a another dress with the off the-shoulder detail. That's my guess, as all the photos from that appear to be like a ball of some kind. I hope that helps.

TC
Barbara

I think it was the same dress, and she just took off the jacket for the evening party.

[pegassuss2525]

I think it was the same dress, and she just took off the jacket for the evening party

It is the same dress. The jacket was removed for the party.