Queen Rania of Jordan Calls on Muslims to Take a Stand against ISIS and Its 'Attack on Civilisation' after Fanatics Threaten to Destroy Ancient Ruins at Palmyra

DAILY MAIL: The most influential woman in the Arab world told MailOnline that it would be an 'enormous loss to humanity' if ISIS destroyed the World Heritage Site / Insisted that ISIS' cause is nothing to do with religion but driven by nothing more than 'greed and power' / Called on Muslims and Arabs to lead the fight with support from the West / The Queen was pictured comforting the wife of Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh who was burned to death by ISIS / She said it was one of the most difficult periods of her life - but that we owe an immense debt to his bravery

Queen Rania of Jordan today called on Muslims around the world to take a stand against Islamic State and its 'attacks against civilisation'.

The 44-year-old royal, who is one of the most influential women in the Arab World, spoke out as ISIS threatened to destroy the Unesco World Heritage site at Palmyra, in Syria, after over-running forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline in her home country, the Queen said: 'It's an attack on civilisation, it is the latest in the atrocities that ISIS and groups like them have committed.

'Palmyra is one of the greatest treasures in the region and indeed in the world – it shows how we're facing a global threat, not just against Arabs or Muslims, but against the entire civilised world.'

Unesco said the destruction of the ancient buildings and artefacts at Palmyra would be 'an enormous loss to humanity'. World leaders like President Francois Hollande of France have called for direct action to save them.

'I absolutely agree with that,' said the Queen, who was attending the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea Resort in Sweimeh. » | Nabila Ramdani in Sweimeh, Dead Sea, Jordan | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Queen Rania Addresses Government Summit Delegates

رانيا العبدالله في كلمة للقمة الحكومية المنعقدة في دبي

Jordan's Queen Rania in Powerful Attack on ISIS for 'Hijacking' the Arab World with Horror Beheadings on Social Media that 'Drag Us Back to the Dark Ages'

MAIL ONLINE: The 44-year-old monarch was speaking to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit / She said images posted by ISIS are 'alien and abhorrent to vast majority of Arabs' and should make 'every Arab seethe' / Queen said silence of moderates made them complicit in ISIS' success

The bloodthirsty killers of Islamic State are trying to ‘hijack’ the Arab world and ‘drag us back to the Dark Ages’ through social media, Queen Rania of Jordan believes.

During a powerful address to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the 44-year-old monarch spoke out against the horror videos of decapitated prisoners being promoted by ISIS on Twitter and Facebook.

'A minority of irreligious extremists is using social media to rewrite our narrative and hijack our identity,' Queen Rania said. 'That's what ISIS is doing to the Arab world and all of us'.

Referring specifically to the videos of beheadings, the Queen said: 'These images don't represent me anymore than they represent you.

'They’re alien and abhorrent to the vast majority of Arabs – Muslims and Christians. And they should make every Arab across this region seethe.

'Because they're an attack on our values as a people and on our collective story. This is their version of the Arab world’s story, their plot, their narrative, their heroes, and the rest of the world is listening and watching.' Read on and comment » | Nabila Ramdani in Abu Dhabi for MailOnline | Thursday, November 20, 2014

Pope Breaks with Protocol by Bowing to Queen Rania of Jordan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Pope has broken yet another point of Vatican protocol by bowing when he met Queen Rania of Jordan.

As head of state at the Vatican, not to mention the leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics, protocol requires visitors to bow to him when they meet him at the Holy See.

But Francis, who has made the forgetting of formalities a trademark of his papacy, bowed when he met a smiling Rania as she visited the Vatican with her husband King Abdullah II on Thursday.

"Up until the 19th century visitors would kiss the pope's shoes, and the tradition is still that all visitors, women included, bow to him, but Francis behaves as he did before he became pope and is not interested in protocol," a senior Vatican official told The Daily Telegraph. » | Tom Kington, Rome | Friday, August 30, 2013

Prince Charles and Camilla Welcomed to Royal Palace in Jordan
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall met King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan at the Royal Palace in Amman on Tuesday on the second day of their Middle East tour.

Proteste in Jordanien spitzen sich zu: Ist jetzt auch die schöne Königin Rania in Gefahr?

BILD.DE: Das Aufbegehren gegen die Herrscher in den arabischen Welt zieht weitere Kreise.

Jetzt brodelt es auch in Jordanien, dem Nachbarland von Syrien, wo ein entsetzlicher Bürgerkrieg tobt.

Muss das jordanische Königspaar um seine Macht bangen, König Abdullah II. und seine schöne Frau, Königin Rania?

Fakt ist: In Jordanien gibt es seit dem Beginn des so genannten Arabischen Frühlings immer wieder Kundgebungen mit Protesten gegen den politischen Kurs des Landes. Die Proteste richten sich nicht explizit gegen den König. Aber Kritik macht auch vor dem Herrscherpaar nicht mehr halt.

Die „Südddeutsche Zeitung“ schrieb: „Königin Rania gilt vielen als verschwenderisches Luxusgeschöpf, König Abdullah als Fremdkörper im eigenen Land, der nach einer Erziehung im Ausland mit Mühe Arabisch lernte und 40 Harley Davidsons für eine Spritztour mit Freunden nach Amerika fliegen lässt.“

Das Blatt zitierte Professor Hassan Barari von der Universität Amman: „Die Kluft zwischen dem König und seiner Entourage und dem Volk war nie größer.“ » | Samstag, 06. Oktober 2012

Queen Rania Still in Shadows as Jordan Plays Waiting Game
THE GUARDIAN: Normally high-profile wife of King Abdullah has lowered her visibility as nation remains at crossroads of reform

Queen Rania has scaled back her public activities sharply since facing damaging criticism last year that she was playing too prominent a role in running Jordan.

Rania, now 41, married Prince Abdullah in 1993, six years before he ascended the throne. Stylish and tall, in 2005 she was voted the third most beautiful woman in the world and hailed by Oprah Winfrey as an "international fashion icon" who also speaks up for women's rights.

On her Twitter account, followed by over 2 million people, she describes herself as "a mum and a wife with a really cool day job".

In the past Jordan's carefully-controlled media would report on two or three different royal appearances a day. Now the queen is mentioned less frequently, typically visiting a school or hospital or programmes for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Plans for the creation of a Queen Rania Foundation – modelled on one run by Sheikha Mozah, the glamorous consort of the emir of Qatar – have been quietly shelved. » | Ian Black in Amman | Friday, May 11, 2012

'Queen Rania Is a Corrupt Thief'
YNET NEWS: 36 Jordanian tribal leaders break silence with unprecedented letter criticizing King Abdullah's wife; accuse her of 'serving own interests, stealing money from treasury', warn of uprising similar to Egypt

Will Jordanian Queen Rania Al-Abdullah and her husband be next in line to flee their homeland, as was the case with the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt? In a letter published this week by 36 Jordanian tribal leaders, who represent nearly 40% of the population and play an important role in the kingdom's politics, the Queen was criticized relentlessly.

In the letter, Rania was accused of "corruption, stealing money from the Treasury and manipulating in order to promote her public image – against the Jordanian people's will."

The tribal leaders compared the queen to the wife of former Tunisian president Leila Ben Ali, who stole from her country's treasury for years, giving her family members vast sums of money and land at the expense of the Tunisian citizens.

"We call upon the King to return lands and farms given to the Yassin family (Rania's family). The land belongs to the Jordanian people," they wrote. Such a letter criticizing the royal family can lead to a three year jail sentence in Jordan. >>> Roey Simioni | Monday, February 14, 2011

Related >>>

Bedouin Tribes Accuse Jordan's Queen Rania of Corruption
THE GUARDIAN: Criticism comes at a difficult time for the monarchy, whose authority has been sapped by growing political unrest

In an unprecedented move the leaders of Jordan's main Bedouin tribes have published an open letter addressed to King Abdullah II accusing his wife, Queen Rania, of corruption. The text, released on 5 February, is signed by 36 representatives of the main Bedouin tribes. It comes at a particularly difficult time for the king, whose authority has been sapped by the growing discontent voiced by demonstrators.

On 9 February the recently appointed prime minister, Marouf Bakhit, announced a new cabinet including several leftwing figures and an Islamist. But this timid opening seems unlikely to end the unrest.

Until now the monarchy had managed to play on the opposition's instinctive loyalty. "It is not the king who is to blame," Hamza Mansour, the secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front (the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood), recently told Le Monde, "but the clique surrounding him." The outlook seems even more uncertain now that the tribes have added their voice to the tide of criticism. >>> Laurent Zecchini | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Related >>>

Jordan Tribes Criticise Queen Rania's 'Political Role'
BBC: A group of Jordanian tribal leaders has taken the unusual step of urging King Abdullah to curtail what they see as his wife's involvement in politics.

The 36 tribal leaders attacked Queen Rania's Palestinian origins and said she was "building power centres for her own interests".

Following uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the king has been under pressure to make political and economic reforms.

Last week, King Abdullah sacked his cabinet and appointed a new PM.

"She is building power centres for her interest that go against what Jordanians and Hashemites have agreed on in governing and is a danger to the nation and the structure the state... and the institution of the throne," the statement from the Bedouin chiefs said.

The tribes, from Jordan's East Bank, are usually supportive of the Hashemite monarchy, with members holding important positions in the military and government. >>> | Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Queen Rania on The View

Queen Rania of Jordan Takes on Hardliners over Honour Killings
THE TELEGRAPH: Queen Rania of Jordan is challenging Islamic hardliners by supporting tougher sentences for men who commit 'honour killings'.

Queen Rania of Jordan is challenging Islamic hardliners by supporting tougher sentences for men who commit 'honour killings'. Photograph: The Telegraph
On one side is the fashionably dressed Queen Rania of Jordan, an elegant symbol of progressive values for Arab women. On the other are her country's conservative social and religious leaders.

At stake is a political test case for reform in the Middle East, one that pits demands for greater democracy against the need to end the scandal of so-called honour killings of women.

Queen Rania, who regularly appears without head-scarf, let alone hijab [sic?], has given her quiet support to women's rights groups who want to change laws amounting to legal impunity for men involved in honour killings.

But standing against is are another symbol of the country's attempts to show a progressive face. Jordan's MPs, who have been given more power to hold the government and royal family to account than in other Arab countries, have shown little enthusiasm for the moves.

"This whole issue is being exaggerated, and the reason behind it is not innocent," said Sheikh Hamza Mansour, leader of the parliament's Islamic Action Front. His coalition of Islamist and tribal representatives has so far blocked an attempt to introduce tougher sentences for men who have killed their sisters and daughters for bringing "shame" on their families.

"It's as if the government is giving up our personality to turn us into a Westernised society," he said.

The practice of honour killing is more often associated with impoverished and remote areas of countries like Pakistan than cities like Amman, Jordan's sophisticated and Westernised capital.

But it was in Amman's outskirts that Abu Ishmael and his three brothers recently picked up their sister after a call from her husband, took her home, and stabbed her to death. >>> Richard Spencer in al-Baq'a | Sunday, December 06, 2009

Queen Rania of Jordan: ملكة القلوب ملكة الاردن الملكة رانيا حماها الله

Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan (Official Website) >>>

And Now for Something Quite, Quite Different - Queen Rania of Jordon: ‘Isn’t She Lovely?'

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Queen Rania of Jordan Talking Baloney
Photo courtesy of ABC News
Queen Rania of Jordan believes that recent remarks by Pope Benedict XVI underscore the prejudice many people feel worldwide against the poor, downtrodden Muslims. She says that the West misunderstands Islam.

No, Your Royal Highness, Westerners don't misunderstand Islam at all. I think they are beginning - though it has taken some time, I have to admit - to get to grips with the totalitarian nature of the world's most belligerent, most narrow-minded, most irrational, most dangerous religion.

You say that your religion should not be judged by some of its misguided and extreme followers. Then what other yardstick can Westerners use, Your Royal Highness? How would you feel if your children were threatened by the sword, if your children were the target of Muslim violence, if your family members were disallowed from converting out of the faith?

Yes, there will always be extreme elements in any religion. But isn't it funny that Islam fosters more than its fair share of extremists? Don't you think there is a simple reason for this? You say that Americans say that they will never understand Islam, and add that Muslims say that they will never understand the West. So be it! Let the two worlds, for the sake of peace, live their lives separately! Why do the two worlds have to be thrown together like this? Most sane Westerners don't want Muslims in their midst because of all the problems they cause them; most Muslims, seemingly, also don't want Westerners in their midst because they cannot understand them, and feel that Westerners are polluting their Islamic purity. Okay, as I stated in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, let an "Iron Veil" drop between the two worlds. That's the best way forward, that's the best way to ensure a peaceful world.

These two worlds are definitely not compatible. Westerners don't want your way of life here in the West; and you don't want the way of life of Westerners in the Islamic world. Let the two worlds, then, live separate lives. After all, this is what happens when a husband and wife cannot get along. They divorce. Though, it has to be said, that divorce can be amicable: There can be some co-operation.

Westerners do not like to see veiled women walking around the streets, nor do they do like to see bearded men in long robes walking around the streets, either. They do not like the ways of Muslims. If allowed to stay here, they would want them to assimilate, and live like them. But they will not. It's an article of your intemperate faith that they shouldn't, isn't it?

It is plain to see that Islam harbours desires to take over and Islamize the world. Westerners don't want your religion. They prefer the system they have, and the lifestyle and liberty and democracy it offers. Muslims believe that their religion is superior to Christianity; Westerners believe that their religion is superior to yours. There you have it! Right from the heart of Christendom! - ©Mark

ABC NEWS: Sept. 21, 2006 — Jordan's Queen Rania Al-Abdullah believes that Muslims have been victims of stereotypes and that Pope Benedict XVI's recent comments about Islam underscore the prejudice many feel worldwide.

In a Sept. 12 address at the University of Regensburg in Germany, Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

The pope said Wednesday he did not mean to malign Islam when he quoted the emperor, but did not issue a direct apology.

Some Muslim leaders who were offended by his remarks still want a apology from Benedict.

Rania, the world's youngest queen, said she believed that the pope's comments and the reaction they sparked reflected an ongoing misunderstanding of Islam and Muslims. Jordan's Queen: Pope Controversy Reflects Prejudice Against Islam: Rania Says Controversy Indicative of Worldwide Misunderstanding of Islam

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)