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Jordan’s royal rift entangles an American-born queen

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At age 27, she married a king. By 47, sooner than she had thought possible, she was a royal widow.

Now, more than two decades later, Jordan’s Queen Noor — the American-born, Princeton-educated former Lisa Halaby — is caught up in a palace drama surrounding her eldest son, the prince she had hoped would eventually follow his charismatic father, the late King Hussein , onto the throne of the Hashemite Kingdom.

Whether lifted from Shakespeare or next up in the video-streaming queue, the story’s plotline seems oddly familiar: the traumatic circumstances of a royal death reverberating down through the years, family tensions simmering quietly for a generation before bursting into full view.

Add in a succession shakeup, a onetime outsider’s complicated relationship with her adopted homeland, the long memories of watchful courtiers — plus a dash of international intrigue and some convoluted Middle Eastern politics.

And at the center of it all, a love story.

“She was extremely well-educated, highly intelligent, strikingly beautiful — it’s not at all surprising that King Hussein fell head over heels,” said Avi Shlaim, an Oxford University professor emeritus of international relations and author of a biography of the Jordanian monarch.

For someone who spent much of her life in the public eye, Noor — elegant as ever at 69 — remains something of an enigmatic figure after a long widowhood spent largely in the United States and Britain: deliberate in her utterances, immersed in humanitarian causes, never remarrying.

She has remained largely out of view as tumultuous events unfolded in recent days: her son Prince Hamzah’s rare excoriation over the weekend of what he described as high-level corruption, nepotism and misrule in Jordan, which stunned the region and culminated in a gag order Tuesday by Jordanian authorities on media coverage of the palace feud. Hamzah has now sworn fealty to his half brother King Abdullah II, an indirect target of his vociferous criticisms.

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Noor has confined her public statements to a single carefully worded tweet. “Praying that truth and justice will prevail for all the innocent victims of this wicked slander,” she wrote Sunday. “God bless and keep them safe.”

In 1978, Lisa Halaby was a kind of royalty in her own right, wealthy and well-schooled, American aristocracy by way of a Lebanese-Syrian immigrant grandfather. Her father was appointed by President Kennedy to lead what was then the Federal Aviation Agency, and later served as chairman of Pan American World Airways, but she has described an emotionally remote and sometimes difficult childhood home life. Her parents eventually divorced.

Out of that, she developed a poise that could sometimes veer toward steely. She was a member of the class entering Princeton in 1969, the first to which women were admitted. Many female classmates have described a culture in which they often felt like outsiders, or weren’t taken seriously — more unwitting preparation for what lay ahead.

“Even if you didn’t know her, you knew about her,” said Princeton classmate Marjory Gengler Smith, herself a standout athlete in that pioneering class. “Everyone took notice.”

Trained in architecture and urban planning, she was already an independent, accomplished professional by the time she met Hussein — a thrice-married widower 16 years her senior. And the king was still mourning the death of his beloved third wife, Queen Alia, in a 1977 helicopter crash .

“I will not deny that the idea of being his fourth wife, or anybody’s fourth wife, was troubling to me,” Noor wrote in her 2003 autobiography, “Leap of Faith.”

But what ensued, by all accounts, was a notably egalitarian partnership, particularly by regional and royal standards. And the union lasted until his death — longer than the king’s three previous marriages combined.

Many Jordanians were initially suspicious of this foreign-born woman, a Christian convert to Islam, and she was determined to win over her new compatriots. Having taken the name Noor al Hussein — “Light of Hussein” — she perfected her Arabic and mastered the traditions and gestures of Jordan’s conservative culture.

At the same time, she pursued progressive reforms such as the economic empowerment of Bedouin women, and raised eyebrows among some Jordanians by tooling around, tousle-haired, on the back of Hussein’s motorcycle.

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But she hewed closely to tradition when it counted. At her husband’s funeral in 1999, she eschewed her usual makeup, veiled herself in stark white and inclined her head repeatedly to mourners, all in keeping with Jordanian custom — a consoler, rather than the one consoled.

Outside Jordan, the queen’s Jackie Kennedy-like mystique helped raise Jordan’s profile, sometimes rattling the kingdom’s largely somnolent diplomatic corps. Her personal brand of soft statecraft aided in shaping Jordan’s international image as an island of relative stability and moderation, and its position as an important U.S. ally.

But Noor’s ability to navigate different worlds, imparted to her four adult children, might have helped fuel accusations leveled by Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi that Hamzah worked with unnamed foreign elements to destabilize the country. Several allies, including the United States, have expressed strong support for Abdullah.

Despite what Noor’s associates describe as a calmly analytical nature and an ability to methodically follow through on goals, she might in some ways have been caught unawares by the crisis of the king’s final illness, and what it would mean for the royal line of succession.

Suffering from lymphatic cancer, Hussein rallied for a time, but his fatal deterioration was a rapid one. It was in the last days of his life that he removed his own brother, Hassan, as crown prince, instead anointing his eldest son, Abdullah, who was born to the king’s second wife, Princess Muna.

In what was widely believed to be a final gift to Noor, he designated Hamzah, then just 18, as next in line to the throne after Abdullah. To make Hamzah the heir outright would have required constitutional changes, because the monarch was allowed to designate only a brother or an eldest son as his successor.

“It was said that if Hussein had died a week earlier, Hassan would have been king,” said Shlaim, the biographer. “And that if he had died a week later, it might have been Hamzah.”

There is little doubt that in raising Hamzah, Noor groomed him as a potential monarch. Though Western-educated, he was schooled in classical Arabic, in contrast to Abdullah, who spoke English with his British-born mother and later struggled to summon any semblance of eloquence when he gave speeches.

Hamzah, now 41, even looks the part, bearing a much stronger resemblance to the late king than the round-faced Abdullah, who favors his mother.

Five years after Hussein’s death, Abdullah removed Hamzah as crown prince, replacing him with his own eldest son.

Some longtime observers of the region believe Noor might have failed to anticipate how popular and effective Abdullah would become in the early years of his reign. But recent years have been marked by discontent over economic malaise and the social stresses of taking in millions of refugees from Iraq and Syria, with the added blow of the pandemic .

Even after Hussein’s death, Noor defied expectations, said Aaron Miller, a longtime Middle East envoy who worked with her in the early 2000s at Seeds of Peace, a New York-based educational activism group on whose board she served. It was one of a number of causes — peace advocacy, the arts and the environment — to which she became a patron, work that began during Hussein’s reign and continued afterward.

Although widowed queens tend to lose their standing, Noor battled to maintain influence, including a quiet struggle with Abdullah’s wife, Queen Rania, to retain her own royal title.

“She’s a survivor,” Miller said, “with grace, style and courage.”

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Laura King is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter for the Los Angeles Times. A member of the Foreign/National staff, she primarily covers foreign affairs. She previously served as bureau chief in Jerusalem, Kabul and Cairo.

Tracy Wilkinson covers foreign affairs from the Los Angeles Times’ Washington, D.C., bureau.

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Elgin Courier-News | Queen Noor talks empowering women, plight of…

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Elgin courier-news | queen noor talks empowering women, plight of refugees at judson forum.

Queen Noor brought her message to Judson University’s World Leaders Forum Monday at the University’s Elgin campus.

Everyone in the world, no matter where they live or what social, economic, religion or ethnic background they have, aspires to have a meaningful life and create new possibilities for their children, Queen Noor said. The way to live a meaningful life is to realize there is something greater than yourself and accept responsibility to one another, she said.

“This is the only path to security, prosperity and peace, but it requires us all to work and serve together,” Queen Noor said.

Queen Noor of Jordan has spent more than 40 years on the world stage. She married His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan in 1978. Her work has focused on education, sustainable development, human rights, cross-cultural understanding and empowering women.

She was born into an Arab-American family and grew up in Washington D.C. where her father worked under President John F. Kennedy’s administration. She graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture and urban planning.

She always felt connected to the wider world through her family and her father’s work in the Kennedy administration, she said.

Her first career goal was to answer President Kennedy’s call for her generation to serve in the Peace Corp. As a college student, she participated in anti-war demonstrations and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King. He led through example, not through force or encouraging violence and sought moral solutions to injustice, she said.

A very different type of leadership has been the topic of American newspaper headlines lately, she said. “The political process seems to be breaking down to extremes,” she said. The political battles in the U.S. resonate around the world, she said.

“This disharmonic reconciliation that stokes the fear of others and puts up walls instead of putting up Liberty’s torch is a stark contrast” of the inclusive, egalitarian values of this country, Queen Noor said. These values have been the truest source of strength and influence to so many around the world, she added.

Queen Noor’s hour-long speech focused on topics including refugees.

The Queen has seen the ravages decades of war has had on the Middle East. One third of Jordan’s population is refugees, she said. The population has grown exponentially and 60 million in total have been driven from their homes due to violence, half of that figure are children, she said.

The increasing number of refugees in the Middle East has become a polarizing, political issue in the U.S. and around the world, she said. Countries face economic pressures when taking in refugees, for example, Jordan has taken in 1.5 million refugees — a considerable number given its size, Queen Noor said. However, the situation serves to remind everyone of our common humanity, she said.

A simple concept that can be found in three of the major religions of the world is treat others as you want to be treated, she said. Only by working together, beyond borders, can that people transcend hopelessness and insecurity, she said.

Empowering women also helps transcend hopelessness and insecurity, she said.

The old saying “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” should say, in her experience, “teach a woman to fish and everyone eats,” Queen Noor said.

Women provide the day to day needs as well as inspire their children to achieve more, she said. Women tend to oppose violence and promote reconciliation, she said.

“I have seen this time and time again in many regions, women are not simply a category to be addressed or ignored, they are the key to many solutions we need,” Queen Noor said. “Far more than airstrikes or boots on the ground, women combat poverty, desperation and radicalization,” she said, receiving applause.

“I still aspire and hope and pray that girl power in our region will help us realize the potential and rights of Muslim women everywhere,” said the Queen, who has seven granddaughters.

In her world of displaced, marginalized and crushing poverty, she has seen the seeds of perpetual insecurity and conflict, Queen Noor said. But where investments are made to educate women, provide jobs and create security, people have been able to prosper and become agents of change, she said.

Judson University junior Kimberly Blake found Queen Noor’s speech inspiring. She felt the Queen provided a different perspective of world events and found she was down-to-earth.

Lisa Chavarria, from Fox 32 Chicago News, moderated the forum. Judson University President Gene Crume presented Queen Noor with a 1950s era Lady Elgin watch as a gift from the University.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter.

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Queen Noor of Jordan

Who Is Queen Noor of Jordan?

Queen Noor of Jordan was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby in Washington, D.C. During her early career, she worked in international urban planning in the United States, Australia, Iran and around the Arab world. She married King Hussein in 1978, and became known for her philanthropic work including advocacy for children, promoting peace and the removal of land mines, protecting the environment from climate change and advocating for cross-cultural understanding. In recognition of her efforts, Queen Noor has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates in international relations, law and humane letters. She has also published two books, Hussein of Jordan and Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life , which became a New York Times No. 1 best seller published in 17 languages.

In 1972, after taking a break from academics to waitress, ski, and study photography in Aspen, Colorado, Lisa returned to Princeton and took up her study of architecture and urban planning with a renewed vigor and drive. After her graduation in 1973, she flew to Australia and worked for an architectural firm that specialized in the design of new towns. At this time, her steadily growing interest in Arab culture took shape in the form of a job offer from Llewelyn-Davies, Weeks—a British architectural firm that had been commissioned to re-plan the city of Teheran—which she immediately accepted.

Marriage to King Hussein of Jordan

Lisa returned to the United States in 1976, where she planned to obtain a master's degree in journalism, entertaining the idea of pursuing a career in television production. In the meantime, her father had just accepted an offer from the Jordanian government to help redesign their airlines, forming the company Arab Air Services. He offered Lisa a job and she accepted, foregoing the Columbia School of Journalism to become the Director of Facilities Planning and Design for the airline he founded. She assisted in the design of the Arab Air University, to be built in the Jordanian capital, as well as a housing company for Royal Jordanian Airlines employees.

During this time, Lisa attended several important social events in Jordan, and had the opportunity to meet King Hussein at the opening of Queen Alia International Airport in 1977. The King, who was still mourning the loss of his third wife, Alia, who had died that year in a helicopter crash, took great interest in the airport which was named in her honor. After their first meeting, King Hussein and Halaby became friends, and by 1978, their friendship had evolved into a romance. Lisa later recalled to Dominick Dunne of Vanity Fair : "We courted on a motorcycle. It was the only way we could get off by ourselves." After a six-week courtship, King Hussein proposed to Lisa on May 13, 1978.

On June 15, 1978, Lisa Najeeb Halaby became the first American-born queen of an Arab country, taking the name Noor al-Hussein or "Light of Hussein." She and King Hussein married in a traditional Islamic ceremony at the Zaharan Palace, where Queen Noor was the only woman present. Although the Jordanian people expressed discomfort about King Hussein's choice of a non Arab-Muslim bride, they soon warmed to the union when they witnessed Queen Noor's genuine interest and commitment to Jordan and her conversion to the Islamic religion.

Queen of Jordan

Queen Noor's throne came with a myriad of challenges, multiplied by her status as a foreigner with an extremely liberal background. She immediately took on the responsibilities of managing the royal household, as well as bringing up three small children from Hussein's former marriage to Alia. She was also in constant need of bodyguards because King Hussein had survived more than 25 assassination attempts.

The queen enthusiastically embraced and excelled in her official duties, concentrating on the improvement of Jordan's educational system. Addressing the issue of Jordan's most talented youth leaving to study abroad, Queen Noor helped to establish the Jubilee School, a three-year coeducational high school for gifted students.

She also devoted energy and funds to preserving and celebrating Jordan's cultural heritage, helping to establish the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts, an annual event featuring dance, poetry and music, which attracted thousands of tourists. In addition, she formed the Arab Children's Congress, and annual program for Arab children of all nationalities that emphasizes their common heritage.

Queen Noor also set out to address the issue of women's rights. Although she advocated increased educational and employment opportunities for women, founding the Women and Development Project, she remained sensitive to the interests of those reluctant to work outside the home for religious reasons. She told The New York Times , "I believe in expanding the options open to women, at the same time not telling them that they are not fulfilling themselves if they don't have a job."

In 1985, she collected all of her development initiatives under the umbrella of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF) . She also served on several international boards devoted to the promotion of peace, positive educational and cultural development, and preservation of wildlife and natural resources.

Queen Noor's involvement in the political arena has been decidedly behind the scenes due to her American birth although she had relinquished her United States citizenship when she married King Hussein. However, in 1984, when King Hussein criticized American policy in the Middle East and the United States' one-sided support of Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Noor stood by his side in support.

During a speech at the World Affairs Council in Washington, D.C., Noor said, "If a lasting peace in the Middle East is ever to be realized, it is time for the United States to bring its practices in line with an active and unambiguous exercise of the principles that govern its democracy." She has received criticism from some Americans for her allegiance to Jordanian interests, as well as Islamic fundamentalists for overstepping the traditional boundaries of her role as queen.

Husband's Death

In 1992, King Hussein was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to remove the cancer from his ureter and left kidney. In 1998, the King was back at the Mayo Clinic receiving treatment for lymphatic cancer. After receiving ongoing treatment, including a bone marrow transplant which his body rejected, King Hussein died at the Royal Suite of the Al Hussein Medical Center on February 7, 1999. Less than two weeks before his death, he bypassed his brother Prince Hassan and appointed his eldest son, Abdullah, to be his heir to the throne.

Queen Noor handled her husband's death with her characteristic grace and courage, consoling the distraught nation. However, as a young widowed queen, she had to redefine her role and position in the Arab world.

King Hussein Foundation International

After the death of King Hussein, Noor founded the King Hussein Foundation and the King Hussein Foundation International (KHFI) in 1999. KHFI includes several organizations that are devoted to carrying on King Hussein's legacy by promoting peace throughout Jordan and the Middle East. Since 2001, the foundation has awarded the King Hussein Leadership Prize to individuals, groups, or institutions that demonstrate inspiring leadership in their efforts to promote sustainable development, human rights, tolerance, social equity and peace. As chair of the organizations, Queen Noor has invested in launching other programs and awarding recognition to those who have made steps towards creating peace.

Part of that initiative was the annual Media and Humanity Program, which launched in 2007 and encourages the reconciliation of different cultures, particularly those focused on Muslim or Middle Eastern culture. Queen Noor has also understood the importance of social media in giving women a voice, one of the underrepresented groups that she focuses on. "Twitter and Facebook have been a catalyst for organizing people on the ground, identifying human rights abuses and provide a voice, especially for women, that would not have otherwise been heard," Queen Noor said in an interview with The Telegraph .

Other Initiatives and Impact

Queen Noor has made environmental priorities an essential component of her work to promote human security and conflict resolution. She is a Patron of the International Union for Conservation of Nature , Founding and Emeritus President of BirdLife International , Trustee Emeritus of Conservation International , a member of the Ocean Elders and has received a variety of awards and other honors for her activism.

A long-time advocate for a just Arab-Israeli peace and for Palestinian refugees, Queen Noor is a Director of Refugees International and an outspoken voice for the protection of civilians in conflict and displaced persons around the world. Her focus includes advocacy for Iraqis who have been displaced after the 2003 Iraq conflict and for the millions of Syrians displaced since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011. She has also been an expert advisor to the United Nations focusing on implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Central Asia and on behalf of Colombia’s displaced.

She is a Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons , created at the 1996 G8 summit to promote reconciliation and conflict resolution after the Balkans war and now is the leading provider of DNA-assisted identifications to countries worldwide dealing with natural catastrophes, human rights abuses and conflict.

Since 1998, Queen Noor has been an advisor to and global advocate for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines , working with governments in Central and Southeast Asia, the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to join the treaty and supporting NGOs and land mine survivors struggling to recover and reclaim their lives. She is also a founding leader of Global Zero , an international movement working for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. She represented Global Zero at the 2009 UN Security Council meeting and was an advisor to the 2010 documentary film, Countdown to Zero about the escalating global nuclear arms threat.

She is also involved with a number of other international organizations advancing global peace-building and conflict recovery. She is President of the United World Colleges , a network of 16 equal-opportunity international IB colleges around the world which foster cross-cultural understanding and global peace; and a Trustee of the Aspen Institute and advisor to Search For Common Ground and Trust Women , the Thomson Reuters Foundation annual conference aiming to put the rule of law behind women's rights.

Family and Title

Queen Noor and King Hussein had four children together: Prince Hamzah, born in 1980; Prince Hashim, born in 1981; Princess Iman, born in 1983; and Princess Raiyah, born in 1986. In regard to the importance of her title and the trappings of royalty, Noor told The Washington Post , "What is important about me is independent of all that. What is important of everybody in life is independent of all that. And what is important about my husband was also independent of that."

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Queen Noor of Jordan
• Birth Year: 1951
• Birth date: August 23, 1951
• Birth State: Washington, D.C.
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Queen Noor of Jordan, who was the consort of King Hussein, was trained as an urban planner and works as a philanthropist and world activist.
• Politics and Government
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• National Cathedral School
• Princeton University
• Concord Academy
• The Chapin School
• Cultural Associations
• Arab American

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Queen Noor of Jordan Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/royalty/queen-noor-of-jordan
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 5, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• If a lasting peace in the Middle East is ever to be realized, it is time for the United States to bring its practices in line with an active and unambiguous exercise of the principles that govern its democracy.

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Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan to Deliver Keynote Speech at the 2007 BIO International Convention

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 3, 2007) -- Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, known for her international humanitarian efforts and outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice, is slated to deliver a keynote speech, entitled "Biotechnology and Its Impact on Global Health,” on Tuesday, May 8 at the 2007 BIO International Convention. The BIO International Convention, produced by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is expected to bring more than 20,000 leaders from throughout the global biotechnology industry to Boston, Massachusetts May 6-9.

“We are delighted to host such an inspirational leader who has helped focus world attention on such critical issues as global peace, hunger and conflict recovery,” stated BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. “Queen Noor’s speech will help us highlight the role of biotechnology in alleviating hunger and providing healthcare to underserved populations while reminding us that there is still much work to be done to address unmet global needs.”

Since her marriage to King Hussein of Jordan in 1978, Queen Noor has initiated, directed, and sponsored projects and activities to address current global issues in the areas of education, culture, women and children’s welfare, sustainable community development, environmental conservation, human rights, and conflict resolution featured at world affairs organizations, international conferences and academic institutions.

Queen Noor is the founder and chair of the King Hussein Foundation International, a non-profit, non-governmental organization established to promote foster peace and security through programs that promote cross cultural understanding and social, economic and political opportunity in the Muslim and Arab world. In addition, Queen Noor also heads the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF), which has received international recognition for its institutions and programs, particularly in the areas of empowering women, community development and micro-finance.

This year’s BIO International Convention, themed “New Ideas. Bold Ventures. Global Benefits,” will feature a program packed with more than 200 sessions and speakers focusing on the global aspects of biotechnology, including business development, global health, clinical research/clinical trials, policy, bioethics, devices and diagnostics, biopreparedness, intellectual property/legal, food and agriculture, and industrial and environmental issues. International seminars will spotlight national-level developments from more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. To view the full conference program, please visit www.bio2007.org/attendees/educational_sessions/index.html .

General registration for the BIO International Convention is now available at www.bio.org/registration/index.html . For more information about the global event for biotechnology, including housing and program updates, please visit the event homepage at www.bio2007.org .

Advance media registration for the BIO International Convention is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. To register, please visit www.bio.org/media/index.html . Reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register onsite with valid media credentials. All freelancers, college and online publications are strongly encouraged to register in advance by Friday, April 20, 2007.

The keynote speech, “Biotechnology and Its Impact on Global Health,” to be delivered by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan on Tuesday, May 8 is CLOSED TO THE MEDIA. BIO and Her Majesty Queen Noor appreciate your understanding.

About BIO BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

Upcoming BIO Events

· BIO-Windhover Conference April 9-11, 2007 Washington, D.C.

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June 18-20, 2007

Montreal, Canada

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Sep. 24–26, 2007

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At The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts - March 4, 1996

Thank you, sir, for that kind introduction. I would also like to thank the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives for inviting me to participate in their annual 'distinguished speakers series'.

Few of the challenges I have faced in my life have put me to such a test as this. While I am well aware of the extent to which Americans pride themselves on their ethnic and cultural diversity, but, the diversity of the speakers in this series is uncommon, to say the least -- from perestroika and Mikhail Gorbachev, to the White House and George and Barbara Bush, to the charismatic show-biz energy of that other Queen, the reigning Queen of the talk shows, Oprah Winfrey, to my very personal view from the Middle East about war and peace. What an array of speakers, and a great poker hand! A full house -- 3 aces and 2 queens!

A little over 35 years ago, this country heard president John F. Kennedy give the first Peace Corps recruiting speech: 'ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.' This past week-end, the Peace Corps celebrated its 35th birthday, by honoring ambassador Sargent Shriver, its first director, and so many others. Thank you Sargent from this child of the 60s. Growing up in Washington while my father worked in the Kennedy Administration established my ideals early in life . It was not my dream to be a movie star or even a Queen, but to join the Peace Corps. I did not achieve that dream -- my life has moved in rather a different direction -- but what I have tried to achieve reflects the same concerns and owes a great deal to that early inspiration.

Over the past 18 years, I have often been asked about my life in Jordan. From the outset, the Western media seemed to decide that their audiences -- whether readers, viewers or listeners -- were only interested in what I wear, what I eat, and what I do in my leisure time. Often finding the reality of our lives rather dull in contrast with the sensational gossip frequently surrounding royal courts, they have exaggerated, invented stories, or fallen back upon commercially successful stereotypes of Arabs, Muslims and women.

The press' devotion to these determined preconceptions has been comic at times. They even manage to turn the lack of a stereotype into a stereotype. I am of Arab descent on my father's side, but my mother is of Swedish extraction, which means I do not fit reporters' notions of what the Queen of Jordan should look like. There seems to be an unwritten law that every press report about me must contain the phrase 'mane of blonde hair.'

From time to time, particularly in the midst of another Middle Eastern crisis, I am questioned about current events, the more serious aspects of my life, priorities and work in Jordan and abroad and about stereotypes of Arabs, Muslims and women.

My husband's first and most precious gift to me was my name, Noor, which means light or illumination in Arabic. I have struggled at length to determine how I might, tonight, faithful to its spirit, shed some light on the tumultuous events that I have witnessed over the past two decades from my vantage point in the Middle East, and on the extraordinary global and regional transformations that have changed the course of history in our region.

From my dual perspective as a catalyst for national development in Jordan, and a bridge to foster understanding and mutually beneficial relations between our two worlds, I hope to be able to provide some insight on the lessons of the recent decades that may enable us, at this momentous and challenging juncture, to realize the long-sought promise of our collective peacemaking efforts. Those efforts will only succeed if they reflect a truer understanding of the needs and aspirations of all the peoples who must build this peace. We must begin -- and in fact, we have already begun -- to look together at long-term common goals, and break the historic cycle of conflicting, narrow, nationalistic self-interests which, until now, has made Arab-Israeli peace and American-Arab cooperation such elusive goals.

My life journey among American and Middle Eastern cultures has taught me that the foundation for constructive partnership already exists, embedded in our common moral heritage -- in the teachings of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths. We must be aware, however, that Arabs and Americans express common moral values with different cultural voices and vocabularies. The relationship between the United States and the Arab world includes some of the oldest and most durable relationships of the 20th century; but also, has been plagued by some of the most recurrent misperceptions and intemperate violence of modern history. Enhanced mutual understanding is particularly important for defining the new relationships among Arab countries, Israel, and the United States, as we move from making peace into building that peace into a strong edifice of shared progress and security.

Looking back over the past two decades of my life in the Middle East, decades which were among the most troubled of any period in its modern history, many memories capture the conflicting emotions -- the hopes and fears -- that have defined the Arab world and its relations with the West. The most vivid, perhaps, is of a period whose drama and trauma we all shared and is still with us --the period from the early morning call to my husband from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, shocking us with the news of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces five years ago, until another late night call informing us that the U.S.-led coalition had begun to bomb Iraq. During those stressful months, my thoughts raced in time and place: from my student years in the U.S. as a young activist in the Civil Rights, Antiwar and Environmental movements, to my Arab-American journey to the Middle East, and especially to my anger and frustration about the gulf of ignorance and fear separating both worlds.

Every day of my life, I could see in Jordan and throughout the Middle East, the ravages of decades of warfare, in unmet human needs, in fear, hate and uncertainty as people's daily companions, in the constantly growing new belts of urban poverty, in the politics of extremism and religious activism sweeping the region, and, above all, in the plight of the Palestinian refugees and their increasingly permanent camps. Western public opinion was not aware of the human face of this tragedy. It did not have the information. And so did not seem to care. The Middle East has the most refugees of any region of the world. It also sets a record in another area: it has the highest ratio of military spending per capita income of the entire developing world, and also the highest ratio of military spending to gross national product of any region of the world.

The Gulf crisis, war and their wider political context encapsulated the underlying problems that had plagued the Middle East for almost a century, and the costly consequences of poor communication and lack of understanding between cultures -- severe socio-economic disparities among countries and within societies, autocratic governance, a lack of popular participation and respect for human rights, and inequitable and often exploitative relations with foreign powers. These were the very same issues that had defined my own work and priorities at home and abroad since my marriage.

I had first arrived in the Middle East in 1975, prompted by my desire to explore the roots of my Arab-American family and heritage. The mid-70s appeared to be a moment of hope for many people in the Middle East. Oil-fueled economic expansion was promoting regional integration and development, international efforts were gaining momentum in the search for Arab-Israeli peace, and most people thought that the 1973 war would be the last major Arab-Israeli military clash. Yet my urban planning work in Iran and later extensive working visits from a base in Jordan to countries throughout the region exposed me to a sense of growing unrest. I detected serious problems brewing beneath the surface. Secular-religious divides were already forming in countries like Iran, income gaps were growing in all countries, and tensions were developing between indigenous and western cultural patterns.

The combination of political frustration, social alienation, and economic disparity created a volatile landscape; the West largely overlooked this because of its almost single minded focus on assuring access to oil through regional security arrangements. Moreover, the tendency toward instability was actually further exacerbated by trends toward a Western style and pace of development. I recall images of Iran in 1975-76 of bellbottom jeans and platform shoes under filmy chiffon chadors, of BMWs and Mercedes in the face of glaring poverty. The gulf between rich and poor was growing almost to the point of cultural schizophrenia.

Some countries, like my new home of Jordan, minimized the pressures of rapid modernization by adopting a more culturally sensitive approach to national development. This was necessary in part because we are a country of limited natural resources. Also, one of the benefits of that was the absence of extremes in our society because we had not the ability, nor I would like to feel, the inclination, to develop at such a pace.

Among the most frequent and frustrating interview questions I am asked, reflects the prevailing stereotypes of the Arab world: how could I as an independent, well educated working Western woman, adjust to life in the Arab world? In fact, my first impressions of Jordan were formed by my women friends, who were involved in many aspects of life, who were working, running family-owned factories, teaching ... I had impressions of a hospitable, pluralistic, balanced and family-oriented society, and impressions that were formed by coming to know that in the field of education, men and women were entering universities in equal numbers, some years there were even more women than men. This was the product of a constitutional guarantee of equal rights for men and women and a general availability of equal opportunities, though in our conservative society, women have become involved gradually in the work force and other areas which were not traditional.

It was the field of aviation that brought me together with my husband first at Amman airport and then we met frequently while I conducted research in the region for the preparation of a master plan for a Pan Arab aviation training facility.

I recognized the familiar free spirit of the aviator in King Hussein -- a spirit I had grown up with in my father, highlighted during his time as F.A.A. administrator, here, during the Kennedy Administration -- a gravity-defying spirit, transcending constraining and narrow boundaries of convention and political strife, to reach for a higher and larger view and perspective.

As my professional and personal relationship with King Hussein developed, we discovered common ground in our political and social interests and our personal values and priorities. I was fascinated by his unique and constantly evolving role as a monarch who saw his responsibility to promote social justice, political participation and economic progress in a manner that was faithful to Arab cultural traditions. He constantly sought to institutionalize a political ethic of participation and consensus-building, while also personally providing opportunities for mediation --- values that are shared with western democracies but expressed in a different vernacular tradition.

We shared a belief in the role, unique for our region, of monarch as steward of affairs of state and compassionate servant of the people. I was inspired by his vision of the role of the monarchy in Jordan, a vision influenced strongly by his sense of his unique blend of spiritual and temporal responsibilities as descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, and as heir to the great Arab revolt for independence and freedom earlier this century, which was led by his great-grandfather and grandfather, by role as a leader and father-figure of a largely tribal society in transition, as well as role as a modern, senior statesman.

The period of our courtship and engagement was, perhaps as is ordinary for most couples, among the most serene and hopeful of my life. For the first time, I, who had spent my life reaching out of the world I had grown up in for meaning and understanding, felt certain about the direction of my life. Little did we know, though, that this was also the beginning of one of the most extraordinarily turbulent periods in modern Middle Eastern history, and one of the most trying times for Jordanian-American relations.

The mid 1970s and early 1980s would prove to be only another interlude of economic progress between the crises that had regularly staggered the region since the 1940s. Every time the Arab region began to generate real economic momentum, once again the frustrating pendulum would swing, and the genuine progress that had been made would be lost in the waste of war, and the emotional ravages of post-war despair.

For most of the people of the Middle East, especially of the Arab world, much of the decade between 1975 and 1985 was marked by a dizzying roller coaster ride of recurring hopes and dashed expectations. Almost every president and leading political figure floated initiatives for Arab-Israeli peace settlements; all ultimately foundered and failed to achieve a comprehensive peace.

In fact, another indelibly significant and personal memory is of our honeymoon period which coincided with the Camp David negotiations. These produced the first stunning crisis for my husband and country after our wedding and illustrated, in many ways, the yawning gulf of perceptions and of political and cultural understanding.

The Camp David agreements between Egypt and Israel were seen by Washington as a great success, but the Arab world received them with stupefied disbelief. They were denounced as a calculated fragmentation of Arab ranks, as a unilateral abandonment of the collective Arab commitment to peace, and, as a failure to secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the return of all occupied Arab territories.

The worst of Arab fears were confirmed when the Camp David accords coincided with an intensive outburst of new illegal Israeli settlements and annexation of occupied Arab territories, followed by Israel's formal annexation of Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights. Such Israeli actions in the wake of the Camp David accords and the inevitable Arab reaction further diminished chances for comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.

During that same period, the Middle East suffered a series of violent shocks: the fall of the Shah of Iran and the rise of political Islamism which were to have far-reaching consequences for the Muslim world, the assassinations of President Sadat and President Gemayel of Lebanon, the Israeli invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon, the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres in which around two thousand Palestinian men, women and children were killed in Lebanon, the outbreak of war between Iran and Iraq, and the resurgence of terrorism, such as the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and Marine barracks which killed hundreds of American servicemen.

Our first daughter was born in 1983, during this period of tragic hopelessness and terrible waste. My husband and I broke with the family pattern of traditional Hashemite names and named her Iman .....Al Hussein - the faith of Al Hussein. Her life and her name reflected our struggle, alongside so many others in our region, to hold tight to our faith in humanity, in ourselves and in our ability eventually to influence the direction of events in the Middle East for the better.

As Islamist extremism proliferated in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other countries throughout the late 1970's and the early 1980's, Western countries tended to view it only as a threatening phenomenon that had to be confronted and contained. Many appeared to ignore the different factors that fuel Islamism in our region and still do today, among them poverty and socio-economic inequities, fears of cultural and economic dominance from abroad, and frustration with undemocratic political systems.

I found myself, a once aspiring journalist desperately concerned about accuracy in reporting on the Arab world, when I first arrived in the region, unexpectedly given an opportunity to pursue similar goals on the other side of the firing line. I began speaking to Western audiences on political, cultural and humanitarian issues concerning the modern Arab world. I felt a strong responsibility, almost a moral obligation to try to correct grossly distorted Western stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, especially women, for I had seen how media stereotyping could set the emotional and political stage for policies that resulted in chronic misunderstanding, suffering and conflict.

This unique role for a wife of a head of state developed somewhat accidentally, when I received an invitation to speak at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Affairs in 1982. My husband asked that I use the occasion also to convey a political message -- stressing the need for the United States to play the role of an honest broker to help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict -- that he was unable to deliver personally because of strained Jordanian-American relations at the time.

Public speaking in this country had its drawbacks though and I was soon able to empathize with the frustrations of women around the world whose activism for public well-being commonly their generated attempts to define them primarily in material rather than intellectual terms -- in terms of gender and domesticity, their hairstyles and clothing. It was clear that the audience for my Georgetown speech, one of the first in the U.S. since my marriage, had no idea what to expect from me. The Washington Post ran the story in the style section and zeroed in on what I wore rather than what I said.

How ironic it was that as a spokesperson from the Arab world, I was always having to wrestle with the sexist attitudes of the supposedly enlightened Western media. In fact the irony extended further as just prior to my marriage, I had deferred my acceptance to the Columbia School of Journalism where I had hoped to develop skills to enable me to communicate more accurate facts and images of Arab society and culture to the West.

Just as my role on the international level was unconventional, so was my approach to work at home in Jordan where I pursued a non-traditional approach to my role as Queen -- not surprising for one of the pioneering first class of women at Princeton! There were already a multitude of charitable activities and endeavors undertaken by members of the royal family and others in society and I decided that the issues of my concern -- some of which I have already referred to -- should guide and define an innovative and what turned out to be an integrated approach to development challenges in the country.

I was determined not to seek, as might have been expected from someone of my background, to impose Western criteria and values through my work for, I had learned from my previous work and travel throughout the region not to measure progress and security relative to the degree of Westernization of a society but to the degree of self reliance and participation of its people in meeting its needs.

My work evolved to complement public and private development efforts in Jordan and to fill gaps in our socio-economic policies. By 1985, the projects that I had initiated since my marriage in 1978 had expanded and become diversified enough to require the establishment of an umbrella organization to oversee their implementation and progress. I founded the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF), named for the meaning of my name, light of Al Hussein in the hope that its work would transmit and give meaning to my husband's vision, our shared vision, for Jordan.

The NHF focuses on equal opportunity in education and culture, women and children's health and welfare, and integrated socio-economic community development. We have sought to combine innovation with respect for tradition through the design of equitable, participatory model projects, which build upon our country's heritage to advance and modernize development thinking. This integrated approach, I believe, is the only way to achieve sustainable development especially in developing societies with limited resources by empowering communities to assume ownership and management of their development process, and to promote a more equitable distribution of resources and development benefits.

Strengthened by increased self reliance and confidence in themselves, local communities are enjoying a measurable improvement in the quality of life, productivity and stability and will be more effective and successful in establishing partnerships on a regional basis in the future, and more able to participate in the peace-building process in the era of peace.

In the empowerment of women, especially at the grassroots level, we have tried to set an example for other development organizations by moving beyond traditional ineffective social welfare schemes, with the introduction of modern business management concepts into training and income-generation projects oriented towards both local and international markets. As these women become active participants and decision makers in the social and economic affairs of their communities, they also become genuine economic forces, increasing their status and influence, as well as the overall quality of life and stability of their community. The foundation's programs work to safeguard their essential role as the anchor of the family -- one that has allowed our society to remain more cohesive and more stable.

These projects are considered national and regional development models by several U.N. and international agencies, and we are cooperating to support their implementation in other Arab countries.

This democratic community participation foresaw and now reinforces Jordan's wider political liberalization and democratization process. This was revitalized in the late 1980's and has demonstrating clearly during recent regional crises, that security and progress emanate from our people's sense of self-respect and participation, not from force of arms or foreign support.

I like to think that our NHF models for sustainable economic growth and political participation have contributed to reinforcing social stability and cohesion in Jordan, and that they are an essential component of a larger quest for justice, peace and understanding in the region.

Education will be such an important element in our peace-building efforts and will contribute to more accurate and realistic outlooks global and regional issues.

The Royal Endowment for Culture and Education, one of my earliest projects, established in 1979, conducted the first development research on the country's specific manpower needs. The R.E.C.E. provides scholarships for students, with special emphasis on outstanding women, to pursue their graduate studies in the fields which are vital to Jordan's future development.

The Jubilee School, now in its third year, is an independent co-educational secondary school for outstanding scholarship students from throughout the country, with special emphasis on less developed regions. The school's philosophy is to foster human talent, and educate new leaders grounded in democratic values, tolerance and community service.

Through the priorities of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation, we are emphasizing that women and children are the most important pillars of the new peaceful Middle East. Long-lasting peace requires long-term strategies and new generations that are free from the legacy of painful conflict. As mothers and educators, women in our region can play a vital role in reconciliation and in building peace by shaping the perceptions of new generations of Arab and Israeli children about their neighbors, and by fostering new outlooks and attitudes towards the issues of our region. The new generations of the children of Abraham now have the chance to heed the wisdom of our collective spiritual heritage, to build upon the process of reconciliation that has been initiated and to consolidate it into a true and mutually beneficial partnership.

As His Majesty King Hussein said in his address to the joint session of the American Congress on 26th july 1994, "it should never be forgotten that peace resides ultimately not in the hands of governments, but in the hands of the people. For unless peace can be made real to the men, women and children of the Middle East, the best efforts of negotiators will come to nought."

We have worked hard in Jordan to promote a vision of the single human family. Thousands of years of civilization have shaped the basic principles which guide our national development and which distinguish us in our region: the open flow of people, ideas and trade, and political, religious and ethnic pluralism. We value moderation, regional cooperation and cross-cultural interaction. These principles have enabled us to play a supportive and stabilizing role in our turbulent region -- by consistently promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes and through mediation and peace-keeping efforts.

But true peace is not merely the absence of hostility. Rather, it requires bonds of cooperation to nourish the acceptance and appreciation of coexistence. To this end, the articles and annexes of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty deal with the establishment of regular relations between the two states which have begun to take form, in such areas as commerce, science, culture, navigation, telephone and postal communications, transportation, tourism, energy, the environment, health and agriculture. The treaty also outlines joint projects to develop the Jordan Valley and the Aqaba-Eilat region.

Today, Jordan remains committed to a comprehensive and thereby enduring peace in the Middle East -- a peace that enables human and national resources to be channeled into development rather than military priorities; a peace sustained by popular participation that assures the rights of all the peoples of our region and promotes political pluralism and the full guarantee of human rights in all our societies.

I have dwelt tonight on recent Middle Eastern history because of the tremendously important role that historical memory plays among the peoples of our region. Most Arabs, in fact most Muslims, Jews and Christians in the Middle East largely define their identity in historical terms. Americans, on the other hand, attach less importance to history, preferring to emphasize their founding national principles such as freedom and democracy.

Yet, the ancient and recent past, both offer examples of the common goals that we all pursue via slightly different means. Our common values and aspirations are also becoming more evident today, as Middle Eastern and American cultures both, gravitate towards a pool of shared principles; and national well-being.

If we are to forge a mutually satisfying relationship of cooperation and trust between Americans and Arabs; if we are truly to build on the dazzling allure of Middle East peace; if we hope seriously to replace resentment and war with respect and solidarity, we must build more fruitful future relationships on the lessons of our past encounters.

Copyright 1996 by Queen Noor. All rights reserved.

Speech from http://gos.sbc.edu/n/noor3.html .

Neither the Catt Center nor Iowa State University is affiliated with any individual in the Archives or any political party. Inclusion in the Archives is not an endorsement by the center or the university.

On the C-SPAN Networks: Noor is a Queen for Jordan with 16 videos in the C-SPAN Video Library; the first appearance was a 1990 Speech . The year with the most videos was 2000 with three videos. The year with the highest average number of views per program was 2003 with an average of 959 views per program. Most common tags: Jordan , Humanitarian Issues , Human Rights .

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StarTribune

Jordan's queen noor lays out the syrian refugee situation.

Just as Xcel Energy Center crowds have shouted for Prince, an ear-piercing cheer greeted Queen Noor of Jordan as she took the stage at Tuesday's We Day Minnesota event.

But the queen quieted the crowd by describing the Syrian refugee crisis, which has particularly affected people the same age as the altruistic youths who gathered in St. Paul. She spoke of "the particularly vicious war that is raging in Syria. As in every war, the most vulnerable victims — no matter who wins or who loses — are young people. Their dreams, their hopes, their childhoods are being stolen in a war they had no part in creating, in which they have no voice. This is above all else a children's crisis."

And it's about to get worse.

The United Nations estimates that by the end of 2014 more than half of those who lived in Syria before the brutal civil war will be either internally displaced within Syria or will have sought refuge in neighboring nations.

Relieving refugees' plight is a human-rights issue, said Ken Roth , executive director of Human Rights Watch, who recently spoke at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs . In an interview, Roth said that "people tend to think of human rights as oppressive governments, focus on international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention. But humanitarian assistance is also a legal right."

Queen Noor agreed in a post-speech interview. She noted the hope represented in the Minnesota kids, and wanted them to know how important that hope is to the desperate, destitute children on the run inside Syria or in places like the Za'atari Camp in Jordan, which is the world's second-largest refugee camp.

"Their voices are important in that they speak out for young people around the world that are in a crisis like this," the queen said. "That they don't let anyone forget how important it is that we don't let millions of young people lose their hope for their future, and that they lose their ability to become positive change agents to rebuild their countries."

The impact isn't just regional, Queen Noor warned. "It isn't a problem divorced from Minnesota or Europe or Africa. It is the kind of crisis that can have a spillover effect if it isn't addressed to the best of our abilities. If we can ensure that we do not lose entire populations to despair and utter hopelessness, then we can have hope moving forward."

Queen Noor's recognition that rebuilding Syrian society will be that much more difficult if young people lose hope for the future does not mean she isn't closely focused on the present. She expressed appreciation for ongoing relief efforts, especially considering the challenging context.

"It is the largest humanitarian relief effort that has probably ever been undertaken like this, but it is at a time of a global economic crisis," she said, then added that "it is important to remember that there are local people [in Jordan] who are struggling themselves, but giving everything they can."

The queen also acknowledged local organizations, like the Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee , along with other nongovernmental organizations bringing relief to the region. But it goes beyond basic needs: NGOs are "very important because they are the ones who help promote understanding and raise their voices."

Those voices can be amplified by media.

"The media often will provide excellent coverage around the world — the conditions in the camps and the numbers coming in," the queen said. "But at the same time, there is so much to cover throughout the world that the media will often just move on to the next crisis, or the next situation, and consider their job done on that particular issue. And where you have issues of this humanitarian degree of catastrophe, it is important that you do not forget."

Queen Noor also hopes that the throngs at We Day harness their generation's transformative technologies to change their world.

"In this hyper-connected world, those connections can be used for good and they can be used for great mischief and even evil," she mused. "I think Free the Children [which organizes We Day] is helping them develop a dimension of understanding of what their connectivity can lead to in terms of tangible benefits to the rest of the world. … I think this program is giving a very concrete example of what it can mean on a positive local as well as global scale. I think this is what young people need right now — they need this kind of example."

Queen Noor is right. But it's not just young people: Everyone should support Syrians' meeting their immediate needs so they can someday piece together their shattered society.

John Rash is a Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist. The Rash Report can be heard at 8:20 a.m. Fridays on WCCO Radio, 830-AM. On Twitter: @rashreport.

John Rash is an editorial writer and columnist. His Rash Report column analyzes media and politics, and his focus on foreign policy has taken him on international reporting trips to China, Japan, Rwanda, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Lithuania, Kuwait and Canada.

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International Commission on Missing Persons

Speech by her majesty queen noor, icmp commissioner, the creation of a modern international organization: the story of the international commission on missing persons (icmp), november 2015.

ICMP is a treaty-based international organization with Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands. Its mandate is to secure the cooperation of governments and others in locating missing persons from conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration and other causes and to assist them in doing so. It is the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons.

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clock This article was published more than  20 years ago

After the Reign

Queen Noor, Bridging Worlds -- and Roles -- in The Five Years Since Her Husband's Death

The house in McLean is modern, tasteful and spacious, the river view lovely. Queen Noor strides into the kitchen wearing bluejeans and a sweater. She's sophisticated but informal, very Town & Country.

She sips ginger tea at the kitchen table, nursing the collarbone she injured while skiing. At 52, she is striking: blond, slender and tall, with impossibly long legs. She talks thoughtfully of being a widow and a single mother, of shepherding her kids through college, of her work, of trying to live a "normal" life.

There's nothing here that screams "royalty" -- no tiaras, no bowing servants -- except for the family pictures in the kitchen. For 21 years, Noor was King Hussein's wife and Jordan's unofficial ambassador to the world. It's been five years since he died, leaving her with a title but no throne, a regal past but an uncertain future. For the first time in her life, Noor is free to live where she likes, travel where she wishes, do as much or as little as she chooses.

The public Noor is a world-famous advocate for Palestinian rights, women's and environmental issues, and peace in the Middle East. Her autobiography, "Leap of Faith," is an international bestseller. She commands $60,000 per speech on the lecture circuit. She dines with Nelson Mandela, consults with Kofi Annan, is serenaded by Sting.

She is a celebrity, jetting around the world and followed by cameras, curiosity and gossip. Restaurant lunches and dinners are reported in detail, down to the price of the wines. Her homes, her four children, her dates are discussed in newspapers in Washington, New York, London and Amman. She is admired, envied and dissected in two different cultures.

Based in Washington, her home town, she's carefully crafting a complicated new life, always walking on eggshells.

"I have been trying, and I admit very awkwardly, to try to strike a balance where I can live a normal, natural life here, where I don't do anything here or in Jordan that I would not be comfortable with in either place," she says.

This is the inherent paradox of Noor: She's between a crown and a hard place.

The Public Noor

Noor became a media sensation the day she got married in 1978 at age 26. She happily embraced the role of Hussein's public partner but believed that her private life should be off-limits and was appalled when articles appeared about her "fairy-tale marriage," her looks, her clothes, her hair.

From the beginning, she wanted to be taken seriously. On her first visit to Washington as a queen, she was upset when reporters failed to ask substantive questions. "I hoped to be taken as a credible voice with serious matters to discuss," she writes in her book. Even a harmless compliment from President Carter during a state dinner disappointed her: "I could not help but feel like a useless accessory."

Twenty-six years later, so much has changed -- and so little. Noor has implemented ambitious plans to improve the economic, educational and cultural lives of Jordanians. Her Web site lists reams of charitable interests around the world, including Refugees International, Landmine Survivors Network, Conservation International, the Aspen Institute and the World Wildlife Fund. She makes 70 to 100 speeches and appearances a year. But she is also a queen, a title that overshadows everything else about her. (Jordan actually has two queens: Noor and Queen Rania, the wife of King Abdullah.)

"I'm always going to be instinctively a private person and also motivated to be a public servant," she says. "So I'm always going to be trying to reconcile these two essential parts of me. Obviously, it works well sometimes and it can be somewhat awkward on other occasions. I'm learning my way slowly through all this, and I hope it will only get better."

For the past six months, she has been in talks with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, looking for ways to use her experience in the Middle East in the areas of peace building, women's rights and sustainable development. There's no definite role yet, but she wants to work without her royal trappings.

"I'll go in as a U.N. person, not as Queen Noor of Jordan," she says. "It's going to be interesting to see how it works, because as a Muslim and an Arab and given my history, I actually can be an effective advocate within Muslim and other communities. I'm trying to see if I can do that in my own right as a world citizen" rather than as an official representative of Jordan.

Washington philanthropist and friend Jim Kimsey, chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons, traveled with Noor to the Balkans in 2001 and last June, where they met with heads of states in an effort to open mass graves for DNA identification. Noor, he said, made a huge difference in persuading officials to allow access to the sites. He cites a meeting during the first trip with former Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica, where the two men heatedly "traded some testosterone." Noor, he says, deftly focused the conversation, and defused the tension.

"She's extraordinarily effective," says Kimsey. "First of all, she's got an enormous amount of charm. But in addition, her intellect is very precise and is able to cover points in detail. I got much more accomplished as a result of having her in these meetings than I would had I been by myself."

Noor clearly thrives in these formal environments. Many predicted she would be the perfect person to bridge the cultural gap between Americans and the Arab world after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Her speeches, filled with historical facts about the Middle East, plead for greater cooperation, understanding and compassion.

"She's smart, she's eloquent, she's gracious, and very direct and sincere," says James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute here. "Over the years, she developed a gravitas. When she spoke, she spoke like a leader."

"If she hadn't become queen of Jordan, I think she'd have become a public policy wonk," says Victoria Pope, who edited her book. "She loves that stuff. She's really terribly serious."

But she's not a wonk. She's a queen, and people come to look as much as to listen. Like any celebrity in politics, the messenger is as important as the message.

In December, she was the drawing card at a benefit tea for the Washington Ballet held at the Inn at Little Washington. Noor generated a lot of excitement: Fans bought her book, lined up for her signature, asked her to pose for pictures. "People put on their best manners for her," says board president Kay Kendall. "She's truly a celebrity. At the book signing, they rave, 'She's so gracious and elegant.' "

And there's the rub. She may be earnest, determined and articulate, but ultimately people come to see a queen.

"I recognize, and have for a long time, that I'm in an extraordinarily privileged position, that people will come to me for whatever reasons, however superficial or substantive, that they will reach out to me," says Noor. "And I hope and pray and try to always be there for them, no matter what they're reaching out to me for. But I'll never be able to satisfy everyone."

The Private Noor

The former Lisa Halaby was the eldest child of Najeeb Halaby, a charismatic Navy pilot of Syrian descent who was appointed head of the Federal Aviation Administration by President Kennedy. His job at the FAA led to the top job at Pan Am, and wealthy, influential friends all over the world -- including King Hussein, whom he introduced to his daughter.

Halaby's three children grew up in privilege -- elite private schools, ski trips to Austria and Switzerland. "She was a princess before she was a queen," says a friend of the family, who asked not to be identified for fear of offending Noor. But Halaby's relationship with his elder daughter was always difficult, strained by "his unrelenting drive to prove himself," Noor writes in her book. "I wanted desperately to be accepted for who I was, on my own merit."

In her book, Noor describes herself as a loner, bookish, happiest in serious conversations. Her father called her aloof. Her worried mother took her to a psychologist, who said she would grow out of her natural isolation. But she never really did. By the time she entered Princeton University -- she graduated in 1974 -- classmates had labeled her snobbish, haughty and unapproachable.

But her reserved bearing was a natural fit for a queen, and she embraced her new life wholeheartedly. When Hussein renamed his fourth wife Noor al Hussein (Light of Hussein) as a wedding gift, she became Noor and insisted that even her mother stop calling her Lisa and address her by her new name. For 21 years she was Jordan's queen -- no longer fully American, but never fully Jordanian.

She originally intended to stay in Jordan after Hussein's death but has ended up spending most of her time here. Her children -- Crown Prince Hamzah, 23, Prince Hashim, 22, Princess Iman, 20, and Princess Raiyah, 18 -- attended schools in the United States and England. Noor's ailing father and her sister, Alexa, lived here, and a family trust owned River House, Hussein's 10-acre estate on the Potomac. (The property was sold in 2001 to Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder.)

Her first public appearance in Washington after the mourning period was at Hashim's graduation from Maret prep school in the summer of 1999. In December of that year, she was the guest of honor at a fundraiser for Peace Links, an American organization dedicated to finding alternatives to violence. She was gorgeous and grave, wearing a cameo of Hussein framed in diamonds. Soon, she started popping up around the city, usually with Kimsey at A-list events: the Kennedy Center Honors, National Symphony Ball, Corcoran Ball, opening night of the Washington Opera.

Washington was star-struck, curious, sympathetic and eager to welcome Noor back home. And the city seemed like a perfect fit. The nation's capital is international, sophisticated and appreciative of smart women. Money and looks don't hurt, either. Since Noor was born and raised in this country, Americans expected her to be open and approachable, even if they weren't entirely sure how to behave before royalty.

But the woman who is so skilled in her public roles has proved surprisingly awkward in Washington's social settings. Guests seated near her at formal dinners describe her as serious but not engaged, rarely sharing personal information or observations. She is seen as bright, gracious and glamorous but uncomfortable in large groups and impatient with small talk.

Esther Coopersmith, a longtime friend of Jordan's royal family, says: "Perhaps some people think she's cold. She's not. She's shy and reserved."

At parties, Noor says she is simply trying to spend time with friends, support the organizations and "disappear into the wallpaper." She admits that is unrealistic. "I realize and I try to fulfill the expectations of people, but I can't fulfill everyone's and I know I never will be able to. But I don't go into those settings trying to keep everyone at a distance."

Noor says she's been socially awkward all her life. "I'm not good at chitchat. Not because I look down on it -- because it's a very important way of connecting in our world -- it's just that I've never been good at it."

She adds one other factor: her poor vision -- she's had Lasik surgery twice. "If I don't wear my contact lenses when I go out -- and I often forget because I'll wear them to drive or watch a movie but often forget for social occasions -- I don't recognize people. I can't see them clearly, and they think I'm a snob."

It's the downside of celebrity: The spotlight that shines so brightly at news conferences doesn't turn off when she goes out at night. One oft-discussed subject is her relationship with America Online co-founder Kimsey, a multimillionaire and high-profile bachelor. The two were introduced by World Bank President James Wolfensohn during the presidential inauguration in 2001 and found they shared a number of interests. Their first conversation was about land mines in Vietnam.

Friends describe him as an admirer and protector. There has been speculation about a romance, which both deny, and Noor says she has no plans to remarry.

"He's like a big brother," says Noor. "And I know that many people don't believe that, probably because we're both single. But on the other hand, that's why we're friends, because we can be there for each other. We happen to do wonderful work together."

Kimsey lived next door to Noor's father until Halaby's death last summer. Noor and Kimsey would go bike riding along the river, then return in time to watch "60 Minutes" with him. To whatever degree their public outings in Washington have caused problems for Noor, Kimsey blames himself. "I feel bad because I encouraged her to do that."

It's a friendship she treasures, says Noor, but she says she avoids photographs of the two of them together because of rumors in Jordan. At December's Kennedy Center Honors, she drifted down the red carpet with Kimsey. The photographers raised their cameras, waiting for the two to pass by, when she pivoted aside, waltzing away and ruining the picture. "One shot, Your Majesty!" implored one.

"In the Middle East, a photograph of me with any man that they don't know, who's not a family member, will immediately become extrapolated many times beyond what any reasonable person here might do -- and it becomes an affair, a marriage, you name it," she says.

Family and the Future

Noor's memoir, published last spring, is an exhaustive history of Jordan and Hussein's role as peacemaker in the Middle East. Noor believes her husband was not given sufficient credit for his efforts, placing the blame on "Zionist" lobbying organizations. She was less forthcoming about her private life and had to be pushed to add personal details about herself and their years together.

Noor has always been careful about revealing personal details. During an especially difficult patch in her marriage involving her stepchildren, she writes, she considered seeking professional help to sort through her feelings. Ultimately, she decided against it, fearful it would invade the royal family's privacy if she told anyone.

Hussein died on Feb. 7, 1999, after battling cancer for nine months. He had been king for 47 years, but changed the royal succession only two weeks before his death. Hussein's brother Hassan, crown prince since 1965, was out. Prince Abdullah, 37, his eldest son from Hussein's second marriage, was in.

There was plenty of speculation that Noor pressured her ailing husband to name their son Hamzah as his successor -- a charge she flatly denies, writing that she believed he was too young (18 at the time) to assume the throne. Noor says she was far more preoccupied with her dying husband than the succession.

"I was in a position where, logically, people project onto you that you have to be just focused on your own power," she says. "In other words, of course a queen is going to be trying to push her son into position" -- age-old stereotypes that persist to this day. "I also understood that that's the way it is. I've read enough history."

King Abdullah named Hamzah as the new crown prince. Abdullah also made his Palestinian wife, Rania, the queen and she has assumed all the official duties of that role.

If personal tensions exist inside the royal family, members are civil enough to put on a happy public face. Although they have not appeared together in Washington, Noor was standing next to King Abdullah and Queen Rania when they hosted the wedding last August of Hamzah to Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, a distant cousin.

Five years after Hussein's death, Noor says she is just now able to think about her new life.

At first, Noor focused on her part in Jordan's public mourning, then helping her teenage children grieve, writing her book and caring for her father before his death.

"So it's only just now that I feel that I am, perhaps on one hand, maybe going to be able to complete that grieving process and feel minimally satisfied that I've assumed some of those responsibilities to [Hussein] and maybe to his legacy, and to look forward to the next phase," she says, continuing the couple's earlier efforts on bringing peace to the Mideast.

She says she is neither fabulously rich nor dirt poor. Noor travels in elite circles -- private planes, limos, rich friends -- and still enjoys many of the trappings of her former life. She travels to Jordan about once a month. She has a house in London, but the rented house in Washington will remain her base for the time being. Three of her four children attend universities on the East Coast and gather here for holidays.

She is asked to envision her life in five years, an idea she laughs off. She would never dare, she says.

There is only one certainty. No matter what else she does, she will still be Queen Noor.

Queen Noor last year, above, while promoting her memoirs in New York; at the Washington Opera's opening night in 2001 (with Jean Kennedy Smith and Librarian of Congress James Billington), left; and visiting a Palestinian refugee camp in 1997. Lisa Halaby became Noor al Hussein upon her marriage to King Hussein of Jordan in 1978. The king's fourth wife, she bore four children, including Crown Prince Hamzah, shown with his half sister Princess Haya in 1985. Queen Noor and King Hussein share dinner with the Clintons during a visit to the White House in 1998. Hussein was being treated for cancer at the time.Noor with son Hashim at his 2000 graduation from a British military academy, and with another queen -- Elizabeth -- and England's Prince Philip, right, in 1984.

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Queen noor of jordan addressed important world issues at judson university in elgin - by natalia dagenhart, on april 18, queen noor of jordan gave a powerful speech at judson university's sixth annual world leaders forum in elgin..

Natalia Dagenhart , Community Contributor

There are people in this world that carry light, peace and kindness. They were born with a special mission to make this world a better place. They have power, knowledge and generosity of spirit to change people’s minds and lives. One of these special people is Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. On April 18, this extraordinary woman and world-renowned humanitarian activist gave a powerful speech at Judson University’s sixth annual World Leaders Forum in Elgin.

Her keynote address “Prosper Together: International Leadership and Global Humanitarian Efforts” attracted the attention of hundreds of people and touched such important subjects as empowering women in the Middle East and all over the world, water supply, Syrian refugees, cross-cultural understanding, conflict prevention, and global peace. “Peace lives not in the hands of governments, but in the hands of people,” she said. “Where real investments have been made in human rights and human security, I have seen people flourish as agents of change. For societies, economies and nations to thrive, people must thrive.”

Born into a distinguished Arab-American family, she spent most of her life in the Middle East due to her marriage with King Hussein of Jordan in 1978. This beautiful and educated American woman changed her entire life for her husband, moved to Jordan, and engaged in a lot of activities such as empowering Middle-Eastern women and youth and resolving numerous issues in that region. As a person who was raised in the United States and lived most of her adult life in the Middle East, Queen Noor became a connecting link between West and East. She understands the mentality of people from both sides and knows how to properly deliver her inspiring messages both to Westerners and to Easterners.

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Queen Noor always supported King Hussein, an enthusiastic persuader for peace, and after his death in 1999 she has been actively devoted to his views and beliefs and has continued his work. As she said once, “He understood that the security and prosperity of any one of us in this world depends on the security and prosperity enjoyed by others. As Martin Luther King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." In the Middle East, nothing could be more true.” At the World Leaders Forum at Judson University, Queen Noor proved that these words are still essential and require a lot of attention and support.

Queen Noor also made an interesting parallel between women’s rights and children. She said that the more powerful the women are, the more they can give to their children. Powerful women raise powerful children and create a better future. “Empowered women can combat many negative things,” she noticed. The Queen also underlined that the more secure women feel, the more they can help their communities. In Muslim countries, women’s rights are still limited, which makes them experience an incredible inequality with men. Providing to women more power through education, jobs and health care will help to break this injustice.

As the founder of the King Hussein Foundation and the King Hussein Foundation International, Queen Noor carries on King Hussein's legacy. She believes that there is a moral, nonviolent solution to many world issues such as military conflicts and, as a consequence, poverty and a growing number of refugees. Her foundation helps people in over twenty countries by investing in human security, health care and education providing social and educational possibilities to those who don’t have hope for the future.

Since 2011, more than sixty million people were driven out of their home countries due to war conflicts, and Jordan is one of the countries in the world that knows how to successfully handle this situation. Refugees make up one third of population in Jordan. This country provided to these people not only home, roof and food, but also education, jobs, health care and future for themselves and their children. Many other countries should learn from Jordan how to handle a refugee situation considering the fact that as the result of the recent military conflicts and interventions the number of refugees grows every day and probably will keep growing.

Queen Noor also noticed that developmental programs get not much support when a lot of financing is going to war expenses. She underlined that we will have a longer term reward if the financing is redirected to developmental programs that support women, children, human rights, education, health care and other positive and constructive questions.

This meeting with Queen Noor of Jordan left unforgettable memories in everyone’s heart. Answering a question about her legacy as a queen, this great woman said that she is still representing her husband even after his death. She is devoted to him by her deeds and proves her devotion every day. She strongly supports fundamental values of their mutual faith and peacekeeping solutions. She does it through empowering women and youth, welcoming people in need in her country, Jordan, reminding the world of our common humanity, and providing help to each other in understanding and resolving such issues as inequality, poverty, war conflicts and refugees.

There are people in this world that carry light, peace and kindness. They were born with a special mission to make this world a better place. They have power, knowledge and generosity of spirit to change people’s minds and lives. And that day, I couldn’t get enough of this light and kindness from one of these people, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan.

Natalia Dagenhart

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As Israel continues bombing Gaza, bringing its health care system to the brink of collapse, Jordan's Queen speaks with Christiane Amanpour about the humanitarian catastrophe and the plight of Palestinians. Plus, seasoned hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin, who played a prominent role in the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas’ captivity in 2011, joins to discuss being in touch with both Hamas and the Israeli Government in an unofficial capacity in current negotiations. And, Senior Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid tells Hari Sreenivasan that President Biden sparking anger by saying it's not time for a ceasefire in Gaza, is a political risk for 2024.