Who is Queen Rania?

SHAH ALAM – In a recent interview with CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan caught the world's attention by speaking out about what she describes as a 'glaring double standard ' in how the world treats Palestinians and the western world’s support of Israel.

Rania's criticism of the western world’s reaction comes amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ surprise operation on Israel earlier this month.

Following her statement, many were interested to know more about her background.

Born on Aug 31, 1970, Rania who is of Palestinian descent herself is the spouse of King Abdullah II of Jordon.

She married Abdullah on June 10, 1993, who assumed his constitutional role as King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Feb 7, 1999. They have four children.

Rania is a committed humanitarian who worked to better the lives of Jordanians and people in general by supporting efforts to create opportunities for their advancement.

According to her official website, in Jordan, she is well-known for her commitement in breathing a new life into the public education system, empowering women and their communities, improving child and family protection services and driving innovation, technology and entrepreneurship through society, especially among youths.

Internationally, Rania is an advocate for empathy, compassion and tolerance among individuals from all origins and civilizations.

Her efforts to challenge stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims and promote greater understanding and acceptance between people of all faiths and cultures have won her global recognition.

She was United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) first Eminent Advocate for Children and also a global voice for access to quality education for children around the world.

In 2009, she championed the 1 Goal campaign for education.

She also served as a Global Honorary Chair of the United Nations (UN) Girl’s Education Initiative and has advocated access to education in international forums and gatherings.

Besides that, Rania is also an advocate for the rights, needs and aspirations of refugees and the world’s most vulnerable populations.

She has taken part in numerous related global events, including co-chairing a roundtable at the 2016 UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants and has visited refugee camps in Jordan, Greece and Bangladesh.

In recognition of her work, Rania has accepted many awards, locally, regionally and globally.

Among there awards were the Foreign Press Association’s Humanitarian Award; the Andrea Bocelli Foundation Humanitarian Award; the World Childhood Award, granted by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden; the Walther Rathenau Award; the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award; the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award; the Arab Knight of Giving Award; the Vital Voices Global Trailblazer Award; the third annual Arab Social Media Influencers Summit Influential Personality of the Year Award; the YouTube Visionary Award; as well as the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity and the Path to Peace Award, both of which she received jointly with Abdullah.