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The Hashemites
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The Hashemites, or "Bani Hashem,"
are descendants of the Arab chieftain Quraysh, a descendant
of the Prophet Ismali, himself the son of the Prophet Ibrahim
(Abraham). Quraysh first came to the holy city of Mecaa during
the second century AD. The first generation of Quraysh to rule
the city came six generations later, when Qusayy bin Kilab ascended
to the leadership of Mecca in the year 480 AD. The name "Hashem"
is actually that of Qusayy's grandson, who was the great-grandfather
of the Prophet Muhammad. The Hashemites are thus the direct
descendants of the Prophet through his daughter Fatima and her
husband "Ali bin Abi Talib, who was also the Prophet's
paternal first cousin and the fourth Caliph of Islam.
Ali and Fatima had to sons: Al-Hussan and Al-Hussein. The direct
descendants of their eldest son, Al-Hassan, are known as "Sharifs"
(nobles), while the descendants of Al-Hussein are called "sayyids"
(lords). The royal family of Jordan, the Hashemites, is descended
through the Sharifian lineage branch.
Various Sharifian families ruled over the Hijaz region in Western
Arabia between 967 and 1201 AD. Moreover, King Hussein's branch
of the Hashemite family ruled the holy city of Mecca from 1201
AD until 1925 AD, although they recognized the sovereignty of
the Ottoman sultan in 1517. This makes King Abdullah II
the head of the Hashemite family, which, in addition to being
directly descended from the Prophet Muhammad, also represents
over one thousand years of rule in the area, and almost two
thousand years of recorded presence in the holy city of Mecca.
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King Abdullah II
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King Abdullah II assumed his constitutional
powers as King of the About Jordan of Jordan on February 7,
1999, the day his father, the late King Hussein, passed
away.
Born in Amman on January 30, 1962, His Majesty is the eldest
son of the late King Hussein. King Abdullah began
his education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman. He
received his secondary education at St. Edmund's School in Surrey,
England and at Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the
United States of America. Keeping in line with family tradition,
King Abdullah entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,
where he received his military education in 1980.
His Majesty attended Oxford University in 1984, undergoing a
one-year Special Studies course in International Politics and
World Affairs. Upon returning home, His Majesty continued on
the military path, gaining experience and working his way to
the rank of Captain and the commander of a tank company. From
1986 to 1987, also as Captain, His Majesty was attached to the
Royal Jordanian Air Force's Helicopter Anti-Tank Wing as a Tactics
Instructor, where he received qualification as Cobra Attach
Helicopter Pilot.
In 1987, King Abdullah II attended the School of Foreign
Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and was
in residence there as a Mid-Career Fellow. He undertook Advanced
Study and Research in International Affairs under the auspices
of the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program.
Upon returning home, His Majesty pursued his military career.
In January 1993, King Abdullah was promoted to full Colonel
and assigned as Deputy Commander of the Jordanian Special Forces.
In June 1994, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General,
and assumed command of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces. His
Majesty was appointed Commander of the Special Operations Command
in October 1997, and in May 1998, he was promoted to the rank
of Major General.
His Majesty is committed to building on the legacy left by the
late King Hussein to further Jordan's democratic institutionalization
and political pluralism. King Abdullah has also placed
great emphasis on improving Jordan's economy and streamlining
the government.
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Queen Rania Al-Abdullah
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Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah
(formerly Rania al-Yasin) was born in Kuwait on August 31, 1970
to a notable Jordanian family of Palestinian origin. She completed
her primary and secondary education in Kuwait and in 1991 obtained
a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the American
University in Cairo.
Upon her graduation from university, Queen Rania returned
to Jordan and pursued a successful career in private sector
banking, followed by a brief career in the field of information
technology.
Their Majesties King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein and Queen Rania
Al-Abdullah were married on June 10, 1993. They have three
children, Prince Hussein, Born on June 28, 1994, Princess Iman,
born on September 27, 1996 and Princess.
After her marriage to His Majesty, Queen Rania channeled
her energies into projects that aim to improve the livelihood
of under-privileged groups in Jordanian society. Her activities
encompass the development of income-generating projects, the
protection of children from violence, the promotion of early
child development, as well as encouraging the advancement of
best practices in the field of micro-finance.
In 1995, Her Majesty established the Jordan River Foundation,
(JRF) a non-profit, non-governmental institution. The overall
objective of the foundation is to work at the grassroots level
to motivate low-income Jordanian families to participate in
income-generating initiatives.
In 1998, and under the direction of Her Majesty, JRF embarked
on a micro-credit project that aims to deliver financing, business
support and training to small businesses in order to assist
them in launching, expanding and improving their operations.
In 1998, Her Majesty oversaw the launching of the Child Abuse
Prevention Project- the first of its kind in the Arab region.
The project conceived a framework to create, under one institutional
umbrella, the capacity to address the immediate needs for protecting
children at risk of abuse and to adopt a long-term campaign
to modify public attitudes towards violence against children.
Queen Rania is Honorary Chair of the Board of Governors
of the Pacem in Terris Program of La Roche University, which
offers scholarships to outstanding students from developing
countries.
Queen Rania is also Chairperson of the International
Jury of the UNESCO Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature
in the Service of Tolerance, which aims to cultivate a global
culture of telerance and peace. Her Majesty is also the Honorary
President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation and is
the President of the Jordan Soceity for Organ Donation, as well
as the Jordan Cancer Soceity.
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