Her Royal Highness Princess Aisha Bint Al Hussein
Speech at T.H. Bell Junior School
February 2002
Salt Lake City, UT
Principal,
Teachers,
Students,
I would Like to thank you for inviting me here today, to speak to you, the
coming generation, about humanity and it's power to shape a better world for us
all. In particular, I would like to thank your fellow classmate Angela
Fleming, and say what a pleasure it is for me to finally meet her in person have
thought of her often over the Last few months, and have been personally touched
by her courage in coping with the horrific events of September 11th .I would
also like to thank my dear friend Vickie McCall for thinking of me to help your
classmate in her time of need. Knowing that the breaking down of barriers is one
of the solutions to bringing back some trust and understanding between us all. I
was invited by her to speak about some of my personal experiences, Islam, and
about my hopes for a more secure and tolerant world for us all to live in.
I hope that at the end of our time together today, each of you will have a sense
of courage and determination to stand by your dreams, no matter how difficult
and challenging they may seem at times I hope that you will realize that no
matter who we are or what our backgrounds are, we all have our own challenges
that sets us apart realize from my own children how difficult life has been to
come to terms with. New and scary realities have invaded our day to day
lives ina n unimaginable way, but we can and must work together as a global
community, to ensure that future generations can live in a world free of
terrorism and its devastation.
Recent events make your future challenges less clear than mine were when I was
your age. We are living in a world, which is far more precarious, and is proving
to be far more demanding of the moral fiber of each individual.the test of
practical life is not simple, with its various temptations and short cuts. There
are also more dubious characters that you will come across, who will challenge
your moral strength of character, and try to lead you down the wrong path, that
of racism, mistrust, hatred and cynicism. Different people will test you
throughout your life, and I pray that all of you will have the strength and
wisdom to deny these people a hold on you life. Most of all, you should all
realize that you do have choices, and that you can choose tae road of acceptance
and open-mindedness.
As you all know am a Jordanian Princess, but more importantly to me am a wife,
mother, and colonel serving in the Jordanian Armed forces. I point this out
because I was raised by my parents to understand, that being born intoa
position did not make me better, or more important than anyone else. They taught
me that I had to earn the respect of my peers, and that I had to work and stand
by those less fortunate than me. I was brought up to respect people regardless
of their race or ethnicity, and to be humble and not arrogant, to support and
stand by my family, and to try to achieve a way of life based on honor,
integrity and honesty, the core attributes of Islam. As a young child, and
teenager, this was all very difficult to understand, and apply to my way of
life. As an adult still struggle not to forget to uphold these values, and use
them as a guide in surviving life the right way.
My greatest lessons in life were learned at the British Military academy
Sandhurst.When I first walked through the gates I thought I was joining a
slightly challenging summer camp.so I had the shock of my life when basic
training set in.while I wished during the first three weeks I had never insisted
on going, my pride and determination not to let down my family, gave me
the necessary strength to get through the course. What I learned through the
Military Academy has been my source of strength ever since went in as teenager
but came pout very much an adult. I learned that if you have a problem, you
solve it. That the body and soul can cope with far more than we dare believe,
and while there are always ups and downs in life, one must never give in or give
up. There is always a solution out there somewhere.
These lessons have been invaluable to me as young Muslim Jordanian growing up in
a turbulent region. In Jordan, we have lived with terrorism through out our
history. While Jordanians have been exposed to bombings hijackings of our
airplanes and assassinations of our government, leaders, my family has also
suffered. My great grandfather King Abdullah the 1st was assassinated in front
of my late father King Hussein, for his vision for peace in the region. My Late
father survived no less than seven assassinations attempts, on his life during
his quest for peace, and my brother King Abdullah the 2nd while also having been
a target, continues to dedicate his life to the Hashemite dream of Peace in the
Middle East. While this was a traumatic reality to face as a young girl, the
faith my late father had, and his lack of fear for himself, was an example to us
al. Fear can cripple you, but knowing as a Muslim that my time to die is already
written, that nothing can harm me until that moment, and that nothing can save
me at that moment, allows me to continue with blind faith.
I had the choice to hide for the rest of my life, or to dedicate my life to
making a positive difference in my country. I choose the Latter.
The tragic events of September 11th have changed the world beyond any previous
expectations. It has stolen the innocence from our children that they so
deserve. This tragedy must serve to unite us all, not divide Eastern and Western
society. I believe that giving in to terrorism on any level is wrong, and that
allowing mistrust and hatred to build allows the terrorists to win. We must take
a stand together, accept each other, and create a world where terrorism can no
longer exist or find a home, while not compromising who we are and what we have
to offer each other.
In Jordan, we have a very young population, with 70% under age of 25. However,
the country itself is anything but young. Its history can be traced back to the
earliest times, where a variety of civilizations, and settlements proposed. In
fact, co-existence and cooperation between different cultures and religions
continue to characterize the modern Jordan of today. Muslims and Christians have
worked side by side in building our nation, and we will continue to respect and
depend on each other to create a better more secure future for us all. Openness
to the world, respect of other nations and a deep belief in global peace and
stability are our most precious goals.
This is why it came as no surprise, when his Majesty King Abdullah, on behalf of
all Jordanians was among the first leaders to express his strong support for the
United States, and indeed the world, in fighting the dark forces of terror and
threaten our peace and our future. At that time he offered all our available
assistance in this regard. We have also called for a better global understanding
of Islam and what it truly represents, because the terrorists have hijacked our
religion, misrepresented it, and by doing so have greatly hurt Muslims all over
the world.
In Islam, humanity is recognized and respected, and human blood is sacred in all
cases and can not be spilled with out justification. Islam, Christianity and
Judaism all believe in and pray to the same God, we have far more in common than
we have differences. In Islam, it is not permissible to oppress women and
children: and we are taught to feed the hungry and protect the poor. Allow me to
emphasize the fact that women and man are created equal before god, and stand
equal in the eyes of god. This is religious freedoms, and exercise them. I
am just one example of many professional women working in my country.
In Jordan, women have always had support from highest authorities. Starting with
the late His Majesty King Hussein, who encouraged and supported young women's
education and employment in all areas of society, and was truly visionary in the
roles they would need to play in the future, whether in the private sector,
government or military. This great legacy is being sustained and built upon by
his Majesty King Abdullah, who continues to materialize our late father's dreams
for the future of all Jordanians. He Realizes that we have to invest in our
greatest asset, our human resources, both women and men, if we are to overcome
our economic difficulties and to continue to be a strong and moderate voice of
reason in pour part of the world.
We are all starting a New Year, one I know we all pray will be safer and more
secure than last year. I believe we have all searched our souls in trying to
understand the tragedy of last year, and tried to make sense of why. I wish I
had all the answers, but I don't. I do though believe that we need to move
forward with new energy and determination, to want to create so that future
generations do not have to suffer the fear we have all felt. Every one of you
here today can make a difference, even if it is as simple as opening your hearts
to those that look different, or have different backgrounds. If you can fund the
time to learn each other, reach out and break down barriers, you can learn for
yourselves that we are really not all that different .wherever we come from, we
have the same fears, hopes and dreams. We all want to live in a peaceful world,
where there is security of life, protection of honor, freedom of expression, and
equality for all. we are the silent, but overwhelming majority in every country
in the world, and we must speak up, and speak through actions, not just words.
In Islam, there is a passage that states that "God will only put upon you
challenges you are capable of coping with." This Particular passage has
been a source of inspiration to me during difficult times in my life. I hope you
will remember and draw upon these words whenever you feel that all of you
succeed and make the difference I know you are able to make your families, your
country, and your world, May God Bless you all, and good luck.