Queen Rania of Jordan - known as much for her modern approach as for her stunning beauty - addressed the audience at this year’s Arab women’s summit in Cairo, Egypt this week. Immaculate in a tailored suit, the 31-year-old royal was joined by a number of first ladies from Middle Eastern countries at the meeting held to highlight the achievements of Arab women and discuss the challenges that lie ahead.
Speaking to an audience which included Suzanne Mubarak, conference chairwoman and wife of the Egyptian president, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s wife Suha, Rania lived up to her reputation, once again challenging the status quo. The young queen encouraged Arab women to leave behind any “victim mentality” and to be proactive and innovative. “We need a new way of thinking,” she said, “if we want to resolve the challenges of our societies.” She also spoke on the plight of children in war-ravaged Afghanistan, emphasising their right “to a stable country which is not torn by conflicts”.
Known for her candidness on controversial subjects, Rania is unapologetic about speaking her mind. “Some of the areas that I have chosen to tackle have been traditionally social taboos,” she said earlier this week in an interview with The Observer. “In Jordan we don’t believe in sweeping problems under the carpet - any problem that goes undealt with is one you will have to confront in a much bigger way later on. I really believe in trying to get to the root of the problem, even if it’s not popular.”
The queen is doing her part to increase the visibility of Arab women in order to shatter myths about women and Islam. “What we see in Afghanistan is women begin stripped of rights that have been granted to them by Islam… rights that women enjoy in many parts of the Arab world,” she explains. “It is incumbent on all of us in the Arab world to try to demonstrate that and try to reach out, explain what we are about.”
The first Arab women’s summit, held a year ago in Cairo, was considered a historic occasion as there had never before been such a high level gathering devoted to the subject.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
