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| From
above to below: Queen Noor on the cover of the book, with
part of her family and stimulating
the rich crafts and arts tradition of Jordan. |
‘Work
for life on earth as if your life is
eternal, and work for life in heaven as if
you could die tomorrow’.
An excellent saying, which can be found on
the first page of this fascinating, lively and
interesting book. It is an account full of
warmth and humanity, written from the experiences
of Queen Noor, mostly about her life
with King Hussein, her family and the people
of Jordan, within the context of the international
political arena. From this standpoint it
also gives an interesting insight and understanding
about the historic developments in
the Middle East, which have led to the situation
we know today. In her book Queen Noor
brings you close in to her life and often one is
surprised by her openness and honesty about
her feelings and experiences.
The
book begins by painting a picture of Queen Noor’s background,
previously known as Lisa Hallaby. Her father was Arabic and her
mother was of Swedish descent. She says herself
that she was an unlikely candidate for the
job of Queen. When she was young she planned
to join the Peace Corps to fight inequality
in the world and later considered a career in
journalism, to battle against the ignorance
responsible for so much injustice. She was a
student activist who marched with Martin
Luther King and protested against the
Vietnam War. Although that might seem a
strange starting point for a journey to a palace
those ideals still motivate her work today.
When
she fell in love with King Hussein and accepted his proposal
to marry him, the life
of Lisa Hallaby changed profoundly. He gave
her a new name, Noor al-Hussein, which
means ‘Light of Hussein’. She converted by
her own will to the Muslim religion and had
to get acquainted with life in the palace and
she took up the responsibility for King
Hussein’s eight children. From now on she
was in the public eye.
She
developed a deep love for Jordan and its people. She initiated
a great diversity of
projects to improve the lives of the people of
Jordan - and often beyond - for example in
the area of health care, education, the ecology
in the cities and employment (especially
for women). As part of this, she managed to
successfully stimulate the rich crafts and arts
tradition of Jordan. The
book talks a lot about her life with King Hussein and their
children and it is deeply
moving to read how King Hussein and Queen
Noor managed to keep their determination
and fantastic humour, in all kinds of circumstances.
Next to that, they always tried to
hold close to themselves the qualities of
neutrality, dignity, mercifulness, peacefulness
and wisdom, however difficult the situations
are they find themselves in. They keep radiating
these qualities to the people and the
world around them.
It
is clear by reading this book we are witness to a very
special and profound love, which is
for example illustrated by the quote at the
end of the book, after the funeral of King
Hussein: “I was still in a state of shock, but
was also filled with an unusual peace and
felt that his spirit and belief were with me.
Because of that I was able to console the
others who were grieving, just like he would
have done. From that moment I knew that
I would never be afraid of death again, but
that I would see it as a chance for reunion.
And that is how it is. Nothing and nobody
can come close to the love and respect that
I felt for my husband and still feel. His steadfastness,
purity and sincerity in a world full
of deceit and self-interest; all that is unparalleled.
I took a decision in good faith and I still
thank God for that. I shall do my best to carry
with me the optimism and moral convictions
of my husband, in everything that I do. He
has never given up, and I will also not do so.
I pray that all our children will one day walk
through a peaceful Jerusalem. In sha’Allah.”
Queen
Noor is still involved in and advisor to a great many
projects, good causes and
institutions, which can also be found on her
website (www.queennoor.jo). These include,
sustainable peace in the world, the promotion
of understanding between East and West,
care for our environment and the interests
and rights of women and children.
Proceeds
from the book will be donated to the King Hussein Foundation
to support its
mission to sustain King Hussein’s lifelong
commitment to building peace, sustainable
development and cross cultural understanding
through programmes which promote peace
and democracy, education and leadership,
the environment and health.
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