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Queen Rania of Jordan

by Scarlette Carreon from San Diego, California in United States

132523Queen Rania of JordanWhite House photo by Shealah Craighead [Public domain]“Worldwide, there are still more than 150 million children ages 3 to 5 who do not have access to pre-primary education, including more than 80% of children in low-income countries.” (“Education data”). This is an example of just one of the many things Queen Rania is fighting for in her country. Queen Rania is the Queen of Jordan. Queen Rania became Queen at the age of 29, making her the youngest Queen ever. In January of 1993 she went to a party, which is where she met Prince Abdullah II bin al-Hussein of Jordan. Six months later the two tied the knot. Once Queen Rania had officially become the Queen she took advantage of the great opportunity and began her path as an activist for women’s and children’s rights and to end stereotypes about Middle Eastern families.

“Queen Rania of Jordan is best known for her advocacy work in public health, education and as an outspoken opponent of the practice of "honor killings." (“A&E Television Networks”). Queen Rania of Jordan naturally inherits hero-like traits such as determination and caring. She is highly influential to anyone of any age. Queen Rania of Jordan is a hero because she is determined and fight for what is right and wants the best for her country and her citizens.

According to Gale Biography,  “Queen Rania worked quietly in the background to effect some changes, particularly in the area of women's rights. One issue particularly close to her heart is an effort to outlaw the practice of so-called honor killings, in which male family members murder young women believed to have "dishonored" their families by losing their virginity, even if they have been raped. Some critics suggested that Rania should not involve herself in such matters, but she strongly disagreed. "The approach should be to talk about it, bring it to the surface," she told Newsweek, "not sweep things under the rug" (“Rania al-Abdullah”).

Queen Rania is very passionate about making a change and shows determination by involving herself in a situation especially when others tell her to stay out of it. One of the many things that she has spoken out on are the stereotypes about Middle Eastern families. In this quote, Queen Rania shares how she feels about the “honor killings” stereotype, according to the dictionary, “in certain cultures, the killing of a relative, especially a girl or woman, who is perceived to have brought dishonor on the family.”. She believes that people should speak up about the topic and “not sweep things under the rug”.

“Queen Rania is an advocate for tolerance, compassion and bridge building between people of all cultures and backgrounds. Her efforts to simultaneously challenge stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, and promote greater understanding and acceptance between people of all faiths and cultures, have won her global recognition.”, “Locally, she is committed to breathe new life into the public education system; empower communities and women especially through microfinance initiatives; protect children and families; and drive innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, especially amongst young people.” ("Rania al-Abdullah.")

To describe Queen Rania of Jordan in one word, it would be peacekeeper. She uses her fame, as well as media and youtube to expand her audience in order to inform people about important problems that are occurring not just in her country but all around the world.

132526Queen Rania of JordanJordanian Royal Hashemite Court [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]Queen Rania of Jordan carries a trait that all heroes contain. She is determined. Queen Rania displays her determination by fighting for children’s education, women’s rights, and by changing the stereotype that people express when thinking about the Middle East. She use her voice for all the women and children who cannot do so. She is determined to change the statistics on education and give children a chance on having a successful life.

Queen Rania never considered herself to be above anyone. She likes to think that being Queen is not who she is but what she does as a job. Queen Rania is extremely inspirational for everyone especially young little girls in a country with male dominants.

"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." (“Rania Al-Abdullah”).

Queen Rania doesn’t let the fact that she is Queen get in the way of her seeing the reality of her country and what is needed to make it better. Queen Rania once said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that it all comes does to how much alike we all are. Queen Rania is an inspirational person that many people to look to. People are attracted to her beautiful appearance but especially by her willingness and her drive to create a better country.

“Rania also embraced new forms of communication: in March 2008 she launched a video blog as part of her efforts to deconstruct stereotypes about Arabs and promote dialogue with the West. She also amassed millions of followers on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, posting messages related to her causes and pictures of herself and her family.” (“Britannica”).

Another way Queen Rania is an inspiration is by how she uses media to expand the importance of international problems. She shows the younger generation that media can be used for the better. Her role as a Queen already comes with a big audience. As soon as Queen Rania became Queen back in 1993, she used that platform that she was given and started her passion to do good for her country as an activist.

132527Queen Rania of Jordan and Michelle ObamaSamantha Appleton [Public domain]Queen Rania of Jordan is inspirational because of her actions. The things she does as an activists shows and proves to her citizens how much she really cares about these international problems. She has accomplished many things and has become known as powerful, and a spokesperson for education, health, and women’s rights.

Queen Rania is highly inspirational to all of her citizens. To many she is already a hero because of the heroic traits she possess such as caring, determined, and inspirational.

Queen Rania portrays her unique characteristics in a inspirational and strong way. She goes into the lives of everyday people and learns about the difficulties that they struggle with in order to make Jordan a better place. She takes the power she contains because she is Queen and puts it to use by speaking out about the struggles that arise in the lives of her citizens. She strives to give them a better lifestyle and to give the children the education and health they need as well as to speak out upon women’s rights.

 

Works Consulted

A&E Television Networks. “Queen Rania.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 10 Apr. 2019,

www.biography.com/people/queen-rania-23468.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Rania Al-Abdullah.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

“Education Data.” Global Partnership for Education, 5 Mar. 2019,

www.globalpartnership.org/data-and-results/education-data.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 19 Mar. 2019,

www.britannica.com/biography/Rania-al-Abdullah.

"Rania al-Abdullah." Newsmakers, Gale, 2001. Biography In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618003094/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=073068a6. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019.

Page created on 4/11/2019 5:19:43 AM

Last edited 4/15/2019 4:43:50 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Modern Monarch: Queen Rania of Jordan - This website includes a little bit of background information and her experience being a Queen and a mom.
Queen Rania Al Abdullah - This website includes her social media, interviews, Global Advocacy, organizations , and a information on her background.

Extra Info

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queenraniacopy8452.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Rania_of_Jordan_Official_Release_02.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michelle_Obama_%26_Queen_Rania_of_Jordan_in_the_Yellow_Oval_Room_4-23-09.JPG

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gordon_Brown,_Queen_Rania_-_WEF_Annual_Meeting_Davos_2008.jpg