Queen Noor of Jordan

Queen Noor of Jordan, also known as Noor Al-Hussein, is the American-born widow of King Hussein of Jordan. She is an advocate for issues of international exchange and understanding of Arab, Muslim and Western relations, and conflict prevention and recovery issues such as refugees, missing persons, poverty, climate change and disarmament. Her peace-building work has focused on the Middle East, the Balkans, Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Queen Noor was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby on August 23, 1951, in Washington, D.C. Her father, Najeeb Halaby, was an airline executive who served as United States assistant secretary of defense in the Truman administration and was appointed by John F. Kennedy to head the Federal Aviation Administration. She received a Bachelor of Arts in architecture and urban planning from Princeton University in 1973. After graduation, she worked on international urban planning and design projects in Australia, Iran, the United States and Jordan.

She married His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan in 1978. Upon her marriage she accepted the royal name Noor Al-Hussein ("Light of Hussein"). She founded the King Hussein Foundation (KHF) in 1979 and launched a youth initiative, the International Arab Youth Congress, in 1980. She is also involved with a number of other international organizations advancing global peace-building, conflict recovery and women's rights.

Sources:

Biography.com Editors (2014, April 2). “Queen Noor of Jordan Biography” Biography. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://www.biography.com/royalty/queen-noor-of-jordan

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2003, December 19). “Queen Noor” Britannica. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noor-al-Hussein

Gates, H. L. (n.d.). “Queen Noor” PBS. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/profiles/queen-noor/6/

King Hussein Foundation (n.d.). “Her Majesty Queen Noor” King Hussein Foundation. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://kinghusseinfoundation.org/en/Home/Her-Majesty-Queen-Noor

New World Encyclopedia (n.d.). “Queen Noor of Jordan” New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Queen_Noor_of_Jordan