Interviews, Speeches and TV appearances of the King and Queen


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Queen Rania's article on International Women's Day, 2011

A beautiful piece written by QR and posted on The Huffington Post:


A Century of Giving Back

Her face has been kissed by Time. Every crease and line around her eyes records a moment in her life, like the delicate rings in a tree trunk. Etched into her beautiful brown skin, more than one of these proud wrinkles symbolizes the many hardships she has endured over the years. Alone, her seven grown children (one for each day of the week) visit to keep her company and seek her counsel. With what little she has, she still gives what she can: wisdom, compassion, and a modest meal. She is Um Fawaz, from a small village in northern Jordan.
. . . In Jordan, and most Arab countries, we have more girls in universities than boys. Maternal mortality in my country is around half the global average. Nearly a third of our most profitable entrepreneurs are women in small and large businesses. And in Jordan's elections last year, 17 percent of candidates were women. Queen Rania of Jordan: A Century of Giving Back

Um Fawaz is the lady whose house QR visited earlier this month: At Um Fawaz houshold | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
 
ABC news interview .. King Abdullah ..
He talked about the attacks against Queen Rania.
AMANPOUR: The queen, Queen Rania, has been rather viciously attacked in Jordan. In your book, you write that you have an equal partnership. Why is she being attacked? And are there any merits to the grounds that there have been land grabs that she's organized for her family or other corruptions?

ABDULLAH: Everything that I've heard is absolutely ludicrous and very sad, when many, many Jordanians know what she has done for women, for children, not only in Jordan, but across the region and further afield. I think we're in an atmosphere where anybody that wants to look at destabilizing Jordan and having a go at me, looking at a weaker link. And having a go at Rania I think has been very, very sad for all of us that people would stoop to that level.

AMANPOUR: Does she have any powers to pick certain ministers or civil servants or anybody?

ABDULLAH: She has never, ever gotten involved in the government. Her mandate, if there is any, has always been education, education, education. And I'm hoping that our society will wake up to this and put a stop to this, because it's become so destructive in Jordan, not just Rania. Many, many people have been accused by people that just feel that they can get away with it.
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Rania is the shrewdest woman I've ever seen in my life, in fact she runs the country not king abdullah... he is not shrewd as a leader should be..
 
life84 said:
Rania is the shrewdest woman I've ever seen in my life, in fact she runs the country not king abdullah... he is not shrewd as a leader should be..
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hehehe how did you realize that ? In fact there is a wiki leaks letter from a close one to them saying the problem is that they do not trust any one ! that why the king listens to hear and not to his team .
 
xavi83 said:
hehehe how did you realize that ? In fact there is a wiki leaks letter from a close one to them saying the problem is that they do not trust any one ! that why the king listens to hear and not to his team .
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You mean Al-Kabariti ( former prime minister & Chief of the Royal Court) letter.
Link
¶10. (S/NF) Kabariti agreed with the Ambassador that the
relationship between Washington and Amman was "improved from
years past" and that this was largely due to the respect the
Bush Administration had for the King, and the ability of both
the King and the Queen to connect with the American people.
But he added that the King "feels much more at ease on a
foreign platform than the domestic one" and said that they
were both "very insecure" in Jordan. He added that this
insecurity leads to bringing "low caliber people" into the
government, because "no one, not the King, not the PM, wants
to be upstaged". He said the King had not yet "developed his
father's ability to trust his advisors", and that "he does
not like politics at all". As a result, he said, the King's
advisors are afraid to tell him anything. (Note: Kabariti
also said the King "loves to axe people" in terms of removing
them from the government. He said the King believes it
portrays the image of "a firm, determined, strong-minded
man". End note)

¶11. (S/NF) Kabariti suggested that "the King needs more
time" to learn how to govern, and said that all Abdullah
wanted, before the passing of King Hussein, was to be head of
the Army--"That was his long-term dream; he has never been
groomed to be King". But he said that "the Queen adds to his
insecurity as she does not trust any one." He added that
"she is the last one to whisper in his ear" on most matters.
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life84 said:
Rania is the shrewdest woman I've ever seen in my life, in fact she runs the country not king abdullah... he is not shrewd as a leader should be..
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I dont know how you can believe this!! KA before assuming his constitutional powers did very well as a military man .. & till now i think he is doing well as King. Even if you do not think so .. what proves that his wife is ruling the country? ... rumors are not facts dear.
 
Kabariti cannot be seen as an "objective" source. A confident of Queen Noor he made intrigues against then CP Hassan with whom he had been fighting a lot during his term as Prime minister. The fact that he was really detested by PHassan may have helped him to get the job as KA's first Chief of the Royal Court in 1999. But in this job he tried to pursue his very own political agenda instead of that of the king - believing that the new king would be too inexperienced to rein him in and often thwarting the work of then Prime minister Rawabdeh. The consequent antagonism between the Prime minister and the Chief of the Royal Court really didn't help, that is why the king sacked both men unceremoniously already in June 2000, something that Kabariti would never forgive him ...
Obviously the king had to realize after a rather short while that he couldn't trust this man.
 
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Veram98 said:
Kabariti cannot be seen as an "objective" source. A confident of Queen Noor he made intrigues against then CP Hassan with whom he had been fighting a lot during his term as Prime minister. The fact that he was really detested by PHassan may have helped him to get the job as KA's first Chief of the Royal Court in 1999. But in this job he tried to pursue his very own political agenda instead of that of the king - believing that the new king would be too inexperienced to rein him in and often thwarting the work of then Prime minister Rawabdeh. The consequent antagonism between the Prime minister and the Chief of the Royal Court really didn't help, that is why the king sacked both men unceremoniously already in June 2000, something that Kabariti would never forgive him ...
Obviously the king had to realize after a rather short while that he couldn't trust this man.
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well giving his opinion about the current situation does not mean he is biased and has his own agenda !! do not forget that he was the head of royal court on 1999 ans yes at that time the king did not have that much experience and even you can say a far distance from his father's men maybe due to age ... Al Kabariti is known of his qualifications and experience and he is smart enough in his conclusions !! I do not know whenever the king and rania are criticized people get nervous ; things are changing in the middle east unless you would not have seen the king spending too much time in Jordan and rania recycling her thoubs !!!
 
xavi83 said:
well giving his opinion about the current situation does not mean he is biased and has his own agenda !! do not forget that he was the head of royal court on 1999 ans yes at that time the king did not have that much experience and even you can say a far distance from his father's men maybe due to age ... Al Kabariti is known of his qualifications and experience and he is smart enough in his conclusions !! I do not know whenever the king and rania are criticized people get nervous ; things are changing in the middle east unless you would not have seen the king spending too much time in Jordan and rania recycling her thoubs !!!
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Why should I be nervous? The comments of Kabariti have nothing to do with the current situation, but are all several years old (they were only revealed now by Wikileaks). Kabariti had already his own agenda in 1999 - the reason why he and the king (as before he and PHassan) didn't get along in the long run.
 
Rossina said:
I dont know how you can believe this!! KA before assuming his constitutional powers did very well as a military man .. & till now i think he is doing well as King. Even if you do not think so .. what proves that his wife is ruling the country? ... rumors are not facts dear.
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Well,maybe King Abdullah is not that public and he is rather seen at diplomatic events and political meetings but Queen Rania is more visible on TV,internet,newspaper than any other royal from the middle east-at least in my country,in Europe! She is doing many interviews,every fashion or gossip paper has some pictures of her in it and her twitter and youtube accounts have many followers-which shows she can fascinate the people and there are many citizens around the world who listen to her and who trust in her intelligence and support her political goals (education,women´s empowerment,ending poverty,helping poor countries,giving Palestine more freedom and rights etc.) While Rania keeps a very high profile and represents her kingdom in foreign countries I doubt that she has much influence on "inner politics" in Jordan-I don´t know enough to judge the situation but I believe that Jordan´s politics are mainly dominated by the king and chosen politicians while Queen Rania is doing a lot of work for charity,supporting the communities and improve the situation for people in need.

Every powerful woman-no matter if in Europe,US or middle east gets a lot of critisism!Some of it is constructive and just but most of it is really unfair,untrue and mean especially if it wants to destroy the public image of a person and make everyone believe that she is just a phony and has a bad character-
Some popular accusations that are used for those highly successful,powerful women are: She is taking away the power from her husband,she is taking too much influence on the government,she is stealing money from the country,she takes money from charities for herself, she likes to spend money and doesn´t care for poor people...etc etc.
If she happens to be not that attractive or fashionable as Queen Rania she gets a lot of mean comments on her looks (happened to Angela Merkel for many years!) or someone questions her female gender (as happened to Hilary Clinton or Margareth Thatcher) and calls her a "man-woman" .....well,if you happen to receive so much citisism and hate I would say that you have achieved a lot and that some men are afraid they will lose their position because women are doing a better job... (I am not a man-hater,but it seems to me that some males have a problem with strong women!)
 
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well it has been almost a fact that Arab first ladies like in Egypt and Tunisia interfere in many aspects and this intervention took a lot and cost a lot for their husbands , that means the closet circle for those ladies are the winners despite of their qualifications thus if rania hates an official even he is qualified then her is a problem that will generate a bigger one ,
for me I would like to know how rules my country and takes the decisions that will affect my future and the next generation !
 
Of course they sometimes intervene where they shouldn´t, I would also prefer to see a constitutional monarchy like in Great Britain where the royals are only representing and the politicians rule the country and make the laws but all I wanted to say is that we need to have a proof of their wrongdoing before we can accuse someone of stealing money or using charity money for themselves.I don´t have this kind of proof and I know that many good people get accused for things they haven´t done but if anyone can give me a good proof for someone´s wrongdoing I am the last one to defend the person who commited a crime or lied.
 
that is what should it be to avoid any accusations a real constitutional monarchy
 
xavi83 said:
that is what should it be to avoid any accusations a real constitutional monarchy
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The precondition for a real constitutional monarchy are several well organized political parties with comprehensive political programs (as they are existing in every European monarchy (and republic)) - vibrant and attractive enough to get the votes of the voters in parliamentary elections (and to be thus able to form parliamentary majorities and elect a Prime minister). But such parties have to be created and developed by the people. A new election law can help but is not enough - Jordanians should stop to prefer to vote for members of the own family, clan, tribe.
 
Veram98 said:
The precondition for a real constitutional monarchy are several well organized political parties with comprehensive political programs (as they are existing in every European monarchy (and republic)) - vibrant and attractive enough to get the votes of the voters in parliamentary elections (and to be thus able to form parliamentary majorities and elect a Prime minister). But such parties have to be created and developed by the people. A new election law can help but is not enough - Jordanians should stop to prefer to vote for members of the own family, clan, tribe.
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totally agree about this point .
 
Kabariti cannot be seen as an "objective" source. A confident of Queen Noor he made intrigues against then CP Hassan with whom he had been fighting a lot during his term as Prime minister. The fact that he was really detested by PHassan may have helped him to get the job as KA's first Chief of the Royal Court in 1999. But in this job he tried to pursue his very own political agenda instead of that of the king - believing that the new king would be too inexperienced to rein him in and often thwarting the work of then Prime minister Rawabdeh. The consequent antagonism between the Prime minister and the Chief of the Royal Court really didn't help, that is why the king sacked both men unceremoniously already in June 2000, something that Kabariti would never forgive him ...
Obviously the king had to realize after a rather short while that he couldn't trust this man.
Click to expand...

Veram98 said:
The precondition for a real constitutional monarchy are several well organized political parties with comprehensive political programs (as they are existing in every European monarchy (and republic)) - vibrant and attractive enough to get the votes of the voters in parliamentary elections (and to be thus able to form parliamentary majorities and elect a Prime minister). But such parties have to be created and developed by the people. A new election law can help but is not enough - Jordanians should stop to prefer to vote for members of the own family, clan, tribe.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with you veram98:) I remember ars reports in 1999 when King Abdullah II took power.. Kabariti was reported as one of the few close politicians to the new king then. After publishing this letter on wikileaks i dont think he can blame the king & queen for not trusting any one !!!
 
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Rossina said:
Totally agree with you veram98:) I remember ars reports in 1999 when King Abdullah II took power.. Kabariti was reported as one of the few close politicians to the new king then. After publishing this letter on wikileaks i dont think he can blame the king & queen for not trusting any one !!!
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I can not agree with you ; criticizing your policy does not mean that your not loyal ; I agree with the fact that lacking his father's experience and charisma lead him to think that those old politicians want to guide me instead of the opposite ! this is the wrong side for many young leaders ;they do not trust elders and bring their stuff whom will be loyal to them only for the sake that they are considered their teams ...
 
xavi83 said:
I can not agree with you ; criticizing your policy does not mean that your not loyal ; I agree with the fact that lacking his father's experience and charisma lead him to think that those old politicians want to guide me instead of the opposite ! this is the wrong side for many young leaders ;they do not trust elders and bring their stuff whom will be loyal to them only for the sake that they are considered their teams ...
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I dont think also Kabariti`s words means he is not loyal!!It is difficult to find a Jordanian politician who is against the king or monarchy. Even the bitterest opponents politicians of the king are demanding reforms.
The late king Hussein built this experiences over many many years in power.. you cannot compare one decade experience to about five. Maybe our current revolutions (Arab spring) are similar to what happen with KH during president Nasser & republics era but i think the problem in Jordan is his politicians not the king`s policies. I believe KA has given the opportunity to the elders as well as the new generations ,But unfortunately they all failed to achieve the required change. They must provide attractive & Comprehensive election programs to gain voters instead of relying on tribal and other prevailing electoral factors in our societies. That`s why i agree with veram!!
 
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If people critisize something usually it means they care.Only if someone stops telling you that you´re doing wrong they are not loyal-because they stoped caring and gave up on you.Nobody likes bad comments or critics but if they have something constructive,solution-orientated to say it is of great help and you should be grateful to the one who pointed out your errors.

I think this is really important for all Arab countries who are currently facing political uproar and demands for change:
There needs to be more political diversity,acchievement and educational background needs to be valued more than family relations and corruption has to be restricted,the universities and schools need to teach the young people skills they really need for modern life and earning money (while they can still learn about the Quran in their freetime) and learn to value their own tradition and culture while also respecting others who have a different cultural background or religion!
 
Can we please move on from this discussion? We've totally lost sight of the topic of the thread and ventured into the realm of Jordanian politics.

Thanks
Humera
Jordan Forum Moderator
 
Cannot open the link you posted Rossina.
 
Jordan's King Abdullah sat down with CNN Senior National Security Producer Suzanne Kelly to talk about the Arab Spring and Jordan's influence in the region and its efforts toward negotiating a lasting Middle East peace. Watch for more stories from Suzanne's interview with the King soon.
 
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