Queen Rania's Reign

The Queen of Jordan, Rania Al-Abdullah, talks about hate and prejudice in a frightened world.

By Carin Gorrell, published on May 01, 2003 - last reviewed on December 12, 2007

"The queen is a former banker, so she understands the criteria you need to be a successful borrower," says USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios, who discussed microfinancing with her majesty at a recent conference in Washington, D.C. "But she clearly also understands the problems of the poor. The only way you get out of poverty is to create jobs, businesses and enterprise; and microfinance does that. She's been an articulate worldwide spokeswoman."

This initiative has assisted the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), a nonprofit organization the queen founded in 1995, in significantly improving the quality of life for Jordanian women.

"The challenges that women face in the Arab Muslim world are similar to challenges that women face in developing worlds," Queen Rania explains. By presenting loans to Jordan's small-business entrepreneurs, JRF is empowering women to become skilled contributors to society and income providers to their families. "Women are beginning to educate themselves on their rights. Once they know what their rights are, they can be more proactive in demanding that these rights are met," she says.

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Her Causes

Truly, the list of organizations that Queen Rania supports is endless. And while some might suggest that her royal role is a symbolic one when compared with her husband's executive role, others would argue that her dedication to humanitarian causes make the two equally important to their nation of five million.

Her inherent knack for connecting with commoners has enticed the media to draw parallels between her majesty and Princess Diana, a compliment Queen Rania hesitates to accept. "It's an honor, because she was very special," she admits when prodded. "However, when you're in a public role, people tend to compare you with someone else."

All flattery aside, Queen Rania believes that her most important role is that of a mother to her three children, the youngest addition being Princess Salma, born in 2000. Given the political climate surrounding Arab nations, however, the queen and her husband are being asked more and more to play a peacekeeping role, which may make balancing the family's work and private life difficult.

"If you're conscious of it and make sure that you have time on your own, you can pull it off," she says. "I think from the outside, people don't expect mine to be a normal life. But when you get to know it, it actually is."