A 31-year-old humanitarian, mother of three and co-ruler of a
peaceful Arab nation, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah was surprised by her
coronation—so was the rest of the world. But since taking the
throne three years ago, she's certainly proven she's up to the
challenge.
Robert Epstein:, or the fear of foreigners, is a fairly widespread
phenomenon. You are of Palestinian ancestry, and your family was once
forced out of Kuwait. Have you personally ever experienced
xenophobia?
Queen Rania: I went to an English school, and there was a very
large expatriate community in Kuwait. My classroom had children from many
different nationalities, so I grew up with people from Europe, the United
States, Africa, the Far East. These interactions made me realize how
alike we are, that what makes us similar is much more than what separates
us. Over the past three years with my husband, we've had to travel to so
many different countries—from China to Russia to countries in
Africa—and most countries I was visiting for the first time.
Beforehand, I felt a sense of apprehension: I didn't know what to expect.
But once there, I interacted with the people and realized that, although
on the outside they may do things differently, at the end of the day,
they're just like us. They have the same hopes and fears, they want the
same things out of life. Parents worry about their children, people worry
about their health, their future, their jobs. These are things we all
have in common as humans, no matter where we come from. That knowledge
helps you get over that kind of fear.
So you're suggesting that the cure for xenophobia is meaningful
contact, knowledge, information.
I do believe that. And today we stand at a crossroads. On the one
hand, what happened in the United States in September may increase fear,
and that's understandable. Having gone through such a traumatic
experience, it's normal to worry about people who come from a different
kind of life. But at the same time, we have an opportunity today, because
we have certain tools—the Internet, TV news—available to us;
it's so easy to obtain information about different countries, different
cultures. This kind of education, if we take the time to invest in other
people, will really help widen our perspective and therefore reduce our
fear and increase our confidence.
Some researchers suggest that xenophobia is a natural phenomenon,
that we have this tendency because we need to protect ourselves from the
unknown. Americans have had relatively little face-to-face, meaningful
contact with Arabs. All of the 19 hijackers last September were Arabs,
all of one religion, all male. Are Americans going to overreact in our
reaction to Arabs?
The feelings are natural, and sometimes feelings don't have to be
logical. But if we do try to put things in perspective, these 19 Arabs
are not representative of the millions around the world. Many Americans
who have Arab neighbors don't fear them at all; they have great
relationships with them. At the same time, a lot of Americans live in our
world and have excellent experiences. These are the people we should
listen to, because they've had experience firsthand and they'll tell you
there's nothing to fear. We have to ask, `What are we protecting
ourselves from?' The unknown is always frightening. I find that in
anything in life, not just in other people. The more you know, the less
you fear.
In the United States, we're having a debate now about racial
profiling. If you were an authority in this country, what would you say?
Should we practice racial profiling to protect our citizens?
One of the United States' major strengths is the fact that it is a
melting pot. People come here and feel comfortable. They don't feel
they're being discriminated against, and they assimilate into society
very quickly. I don't think that there's any other country in the world
that offers this kind of environment to foreigners. I see that as a
strength. Obviously, this debate is going to go on; how much of American
civil liberties are going to be compromised for the sake of security?
Security is a very important issue, but I encourage the United States to
hold onto its strengths and to continue to be the tolerant, accommodating
society it is now. Because that's what makes it so great; that's what
people love about it. The differences are what enrich American society.
Especially in New York. Here, you see people from all different parts of
the world, and it's just wonderful; it's so cosmopolitan.
I have read two things about you which are a little hard for me to
reconcile. First, I read about your wonderful romance with the man who is
now king and your husband. On the other hand, I also read that it was
good politically for you to be princess and then queen because roughly 60
percent of the population of Jordan is of Palestinian origin. Do you
serve a political purpose, and if so, have you helped ease tension within
the country?
Tags:
ancestry,
apprehension,
crossroads,
different nationalities,
fear of foreigners,
hate,
hopes and fears,
Kuwait,
phenomenon,
prejudice,
relationship,
rest of the world,
robert epstein,
ruler,
Russia,
society,
xenophobia
