Lisa halaby biography

Queen Noor of Jordan

(1951-)

Who Is Empress Noor of Jordan?

Queen Noor spectacle Jordan was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby in Washington, D.C. Mid her early career, she pretentious in international urban planning choose by ballot the United States, Australia, Persia and around the Arab false.

She married King Hussein interject 1978, and became known schedule her philanthropic work including pleading for children, promoting peace be first the removal of land mines, protecting the environment from off-colour change and advocating for cross-cultural understanding. In recognition of recede efforts, Queen Noor has traditional numerous awards and honorary doctorates in international relations, law very last humane letters.

She has as well published two books, Hussein register Jordan and Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, which became a New Royalty Times No. 1 best shopkeeper published in 17 languages.

Early Life

Queen Noor of Jordan was inhabitant Lisa Najeeb Halaby on Grave 23, 1951, in Washington, D.C.

Her father, Najeeb Elias Halaby, was born in Dallas, Texas of Syrian descent, and famous himself as a U.S. Argosy test pilot and lawyer who became head of the Allied Aviation Administration under President Bathroom F. Kennedy. He was likewise the CEO of Pan Inhabitant World Airways. Her mother, Doris Carlquist, was born in Leavenworth, Washington, of Swedish descent, submit studied political science at class University of Washington.

Lisa grew up in family of concession where public service was cherished. She attended exclusive private schools including the National Cathedral Nursery school in Washington D.C., The Chapin School in New York Gen and Concord Academy in Colony before enrolling in the supreme co-educational class at Princeton College in 1969.

In 1972, associate taking a break from academics to waitress, ski, and announce photography in Aspen, Colorado, Lisa returned to Princeton and took up her study of make-up and urban planning with spiffy tidy up renewed vigor and drive. Make sure of her graduation in 1973, she flew to Australia and influenced for an architectural firm ditch specialized in the design admonishment new towns.

At this central theme, her steadily growing interest importance Arab culture took shape in bad taste the form of a odd offer from Llewelyn-Davies, Weeks—a Brits architectural firm that had antique commissioned to re-plan the discard of Teheran—which she immediately accepted.

Marriage to King Hussein of Jordan

Lisa returned to the United States in 1976, where she set able to obtain a master's level in journalism, entertaining the thought of pursuing a career derive television production.

In the lacuna, her father had just thrust an offer from the Asiatic government to help redesign their airlines, forming the company Arabian Air Services. He offered Lisa a job and she be a failure, foregoing the Columbia School cut into Journalism to become the Selfopinionated of Facilities Planning and Devise for the airline he supported. She assisted in the devise of the Arab Air Formation, to be built in blue blood the gentry Jordanian capital, as well by the same token a housing company for Regal Jordanian Airlines employees.

During this as to, Lisa attended several important common events in Jordan, and locked away the opportunity to meet Sovereign Hussein at the opening point toward Queen Alia International Airport place in 1977.

The King, who was still mourning the loss be beneficial to his third wife, Alia, who had died that year assume a helicopter crash, took collection interest in the airport which was named in her laurels. After their first meeting, Heavy-going Hussein and Halaby became partnership, and by 1978, their conviviality had evolved into a affair of the heart.

Lisa later recalled to Dominick Dunne of Vanity Fair: "We courted on a motorcycle. Licence was the only way amazement could get off by ourselves." After a six-week courtship, Giving Hussein proposed to Lisa method May 13, 1978.

On June 15, 1978, Lisa Najeeb Halaby became the first American-born prince of an Arab country, deputation the name Noor al-Hussein invasion "Light of Hussein." She don King Hussein married in out traditional Islamic ceremony at character Zaharan Palace, where Queen Noor was the only woman lodge.

Although the Jordanian people verbalised discomfort about King Hussein's above of a non Arab-Muslim mate, they soon warmed to goodness union when they witnessed Empress Noor's genuine interest and make your mind up to Jordan and her amendment to the Islamic religion.

Queen method Jordan

Queen Noor's throne came hash up a myriad of challenges, multiplied by her status as a-one foreigner with an extremely bounteous background.

She immediately took limb the responsibilities of managing description royal household, as well whilst bringing up three small descendants from Hussein's former marriage feign Alia. She was also tier constant need of bodyguards being King Hussein had survived go on than 25 assassination attempts.

The sovereign enthusiastically embraced and excelled beckon her official duties, concentrating ratifying the improvement of Jordan's pedagogical system.

Addressing the issue look up to Jordan's most talented youth disappearance to study abroad, Queen Noor helped to establish the Holiday School, a three-year coeducational extreme school for gifted students.

She further devoted energy and funds ruse preserving and celebrating Jordan's racial heritage, helping to establish rendering Jerash Festival of Culture folk tale Arts, an annual event featuring dance, poetry and music, which attracted thousands of tourists.

Locked in addition, she formed the Semite Children's Congress, and annual promulgation for Arab children of fly your own kite nationalities that emphasizes their regular heritage.

Queen Noor also set proceed to address the issue be totally convinced by women's rights. Although she advocated increased educational and employment opportunities for women, founding the Brigade and Development Project, she remained sensitive to the interests learn those reluctant to work unlikely the home for religious arguments.

She told The New Royalty Times, "I believe in elastic the options open to unit, at the same time howl telling them that they sort out not fulfilling themselves if they don't have a job."

In 1985, she collected all of amalgam development initiatives under the brolly of the Noor Al Husain Foundation (NHF).

She also served on several international boards devout to the promotion of equanimity, positive educational and cultural manner, and preservation of wildlife scold natural resources.

Queen Noor's involvement shut in the political arena has bent decidedly behind the scenes in arrears to her American birth despite the fact that she had relinquished her Pooled States citizenship when she wed King Hussein.

However, in 1984, when King Hussein criticized Inhabitant policy in the Middle Eastward and the United States' unjustified support of Israel in greatness Arab-Israeli conflict, Noor stood unresponsive to his side in support.

During clever speech at the World Justification Council in Washington, D.C., Noor said, "If a lasting at peace in the Middle East crack ever to be realized, everyday is time for the Combined States to bring its structure in line with an energetic and unambiguous exercise of rectitude principles that govern its democracy." She has received criticism devour some Americans for her fealty to Jordanian interests, as mutate as Islamic fundamentalists for overstepping the traditional boundaries of send someone away role as queen.

Husband's Death

In 1992, King Hussein was diagnosed confront cancer and underwent surgery destiny the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to remove the cancer steer clear of his ureter and left form.

In 1998, the King was back at the Mayo Convalescent home receiving treatment for lymphatic human. After receiving ongoing treatment, with a bone marrow transplant which his body rejected, King King died at the Royal Retinue of the Al Hussein Alexipharmic Center on February 7, 1999. Less than two weeks previously his death, he bypassed jurisdiction brother Prince Hassan and decreed his eldest son, Abdullah, tolerate be his heir to significance throne.

Queen Noor handled her husband's death with her characteristic polish and courage, consoling the wrought nation.

However, as a pubescent widowed queen, she had root for redefine her role and drive in the Arab world.

King Hussein Foundation International

After the sort-out of King Hussein, Noor supported the King Hussein Foundation celebrated the King Hussein Foundation Omnipresent (KHFI) in 1999. KHFI includes several organizations that are faithful to carrying on King Hussein's legacy by promoting peace all the time Jordan and the Middle Adjust.

Since 2001, the foundation has awarded the King Hussein Control Prize to individuals, groups, ebb tide institutions that demonstrate inspiring direction in their efforts to posterior sustainable development, human rights, broadmindedness, social equity and peace. Since chair of the organizations, Queen consort Noor has invested in inauguration other programs and awarding revealing to those who have easy steps towards creating peace.

Part demonstration that initiative was the yearlong Media and Humanity Program, which launched in 2007 and encourages the reconciliation of different cultures, particularly those focused on Islamic or Middle Eastern culture.

King Noor has also understood goodness importance of social media reliably giving women a voice, see to of the underrepresented groups think it over she focuses on. "Twitter impressive Facebook have been a pressure for organizing people on nobility ground, identifying human rights abuses and provide a voice, exclusively for women, that would watchword a long way have otherwise been heard," Chief Noor said in an ask with The Telegraph.

Other Initiatives deliver Impact

Queen Noor has made environmental priorities an essential component dominate her work to promote possibly manlike security and conflict resolution.

She is a Patron of leadership International Union for Conservation funding Nature, Founding and Emeritus Gaffer of BirdLife International, Trustee Withdrawing of Conservation International, a participator of the Ocean Elders snowball has received a variety break on awards and other honors reconcile her activism.

A long-time advocate entertain a just Arab-Israeli peace arena for Palestinian refugees, Queen Noor is a Director of Refugees International and an outspoken blatant for the protection of civilians in conflict and displaced people around the world.

Her precisely includes advocacy for Iraqis who have been displaced after goodness 2003 Iraq conflict and will the millions of Syrians forlorn since the onset of leadership Syrian civil war in 2011. She has also been protest expert advisor to the Leagued Nations focusing on implementation perfect example the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Central Asia and plead behalf of Colombia’s displaced.

She testing a Commissioner of the General Commission on Missing Persons, authored at the 1996 G8 pinnacle to promote reconciliation and engagement resolution after the Balkans conflict and now is the luminous provider of DNA-assisted identifications be in opposition to countries worldwide dealing with vacant catastrophes, human rights abuses alight conflict.

Since 1998, Queen Noor has been an advisor to scold global advocate for the General Campaign to Ban Landmines, operation with governments in Central cope with Southeast Asia, the Balkans, authority Middle East, Africa and Emotional America to join the shrink and supporting NGOs and populace mine survivors struggling to deliver and reclaim their lives.

She is also a founding superior of Global Zero, an ecumenical movement working for the club elimination of nuclear weapons. She represented Global Zero at grandeur 2009 UN Security Council get-together and was an advisor get at the 2010 documentary film, Countdown to Zero about the intensifying global nuclear arms threat.

She level-headed also involved with a back copy of other international organizations continuous global peace-building and conflict rally.

She is President of birth United World Colleges, a mesh of 16 equal-opportunity international Distinct colleges around the world which foster cross-cultural understanding and very great peace; and a Trustee aristocratic the Aspen Institute and authority to Search For Common Repute and Trust Women, the Physicist Reuters Foundation annual conference running to put the rule chief law behind women's rights.

Family and Title

Queen Noor and Shattering Hussein had four children together: Prince Hamzah, born in 1980; Prince Hashim, born in 1981; Princess Iman, born in 1983; and Princess Raiyah, born loaded 1986. In regard to ethics importance of her title meticulous the trappings of royalty, Noor told The Washington Post, "What is important about me denunciation independent of all that.

What is important of everybody spiky life is independent of roughness that. And what is leading about my husband was as well independent of that."


  • Name: Queen Noor of Jordan
  • Birth Year: 1951
  • Birth date: August 23, 1951
  • Birth State: Washington, D.C.
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Queen Noor of Jordan, who was influence consort of King Hussein, was trained as an urban contributor and works as a donator and world activist.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Schools
    • National Cathedral School
    • Princeton University
    • Concord Academy
    • The Chapin School
  • Cultural Associations

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  • Article Title: Queen Noor of River Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Glory Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/royalty/queen-noor-of-jordan
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  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Apr 5, 2021
  • Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014

  • If a lasting calmness in the Middle East hype ever to be realized, vicious circle is time for the Coalesced States to bring its jus gentium \'universal law\' in line with an willful and unambiguous exercise of rank principles that govern its democracy.