|
Abdullah II bin al-Hussein, King of Jordan () (born January 30, 1962), is the current King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He has reigned since the death of his father, King Hussein bin Talal, on February 7, 1999. He is also claimed to be a 43rd-generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Birth and education Abdullah was born in Amman to King Hussein and Princess Muna al-Hussein. His mother's pregnancy was considerably less than nine months, which might confirm the claim that he is an illegitimate son to King Hussein. He is also claimed to be a 43rd-generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Many prominent intellectuals and historians disagree with this statement though. One of them is author Mary Christina Wilson*, Professor and Director of the History Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Author Mary Wilson proves that this is false. Her claims are based on genuine, declassified information from Great Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Details and proofs of her thesis are provided in her book “King Abdullah, Britain and the Making of Jordan*”. Mary Wilson's book has been reviewed by The Middle East International*as follows: “Mary Wilson has produced a painstakingly well-researched political biography of Abdullah which seeks to reassess the man and politician and place him in the context of his time. In doing so, she has challenged the conventional wisdom of Abdullah as a wise, astute and benign figure. It is little wonder that her book is being avidly read and argued over in Jordan today*." As a young man, the king attended the Islamic Educational College in the Jordanian capital for his primary education, later attending St. Edmund's School (Hindhead) in Surrey, England. Abdullah subsequently attended Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States for his secondary education. After leaving Deerfield he attended Pembroke College, Oxford, to which he is reported to have donated a sum of money. Military career In 1980, he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK as a cadet. He joined the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) upon commission as a Second Lieutenant the following year. King Abdullah retains close links with the British Army and is the Colonel-in-Chief of The Light Dragoons, a tank regiment and the successor to the 13th/18th Royal Hussars. He attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, where he completed an advanced studies and research program as a mid-career fellow in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program in 1987. He graduated from the Georgetown Leadership Seminar in that same year. His course work was quite similar to that of the formal MSFS degree, although he does not hold one. Marriage and children Abdullah is married to a Kuwait-born, Jordan-bred Palestinian, Rania Al-Yassin (now Queen Rania al-Abdullah), who is renowned for her philanthropic work. They have four children: King of Jordan Abdullah became king on February 7, 1999, upon the death of his father King Hussein. Hussein had recently named him Crown Prince on January 24, replacing Hussein's brother Hassan who had served many years in the position. The decision was not universally popular because Abdullah's mother, Antoinette Avril Gardiner (commonly referred to as Toni Avril Gardiner), was British by birth. Controversially, he is the only Jordanian monarch of mixed Arab/British ancestry. Politics as King Jordan's economy has improved under King Abdullah II, and he has been credited with increasing foreign investment, attending meetings between public and private sectors, and providing the foundation for Aqaba's free trade zone. His speech at The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in September 2005 was entitled "Traditional Islam: The Path to Peace." While en route to the United States, King Abdullah met with Pope Benedict XVI to build on the relations that Jordan had established with Pope John Paul II, and to discuss ways in which Muslims and Christians can continue to work together for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. Nevertheless, Abdullah is often criticized for ruling with an autocratic style, imposing limitations on basic freedoms of speech, press, and the right to protest. Therefore, criticism of King Abdullah, the Hashemite family, the government, or Islam is severely punishable. Human Rights Violations Human rights watch has issued many publications that denounce King Abdullah’s ruthless interior policies, particularly his views on human torture and abuse which only blemished his name in front of many international communities and organizaions. The following link also mentions that jordan have received-up to date-billions of dollars from the american govrenment in financial support; even though no official explanation of the deteriorating finacial condition of his people exists. * Successor On November 28, 2004, Abdullah removed the title of Crown Prince from his half-brother, Hamzah, (whom he had appointed on February 7, 1999, in accordance with their late father's wishes). In a letter from Abdullah to Hamzah, read on Jordanian state television, he said, "Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake." No successor to the title was named, but some analysts believe it probable that Abdullah intends to name his own son, Prince Hussein, to succeed him at some point in the future *. Trivia See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| |