Leap of Faith by Queen Noor
The American Queen of Jordan Writes about Her Life in an Arab World.
The compelling and eye opening story of the American woman who married King Hussein and became Queen of Jordan, learning first hand about cultural and political relations
In her autobiography, Lisa Halaby, now Queen Noor, tells the story of her relationship with the King of Jordan and the perils and growth she has faced as an American in an Arab world; a world which many westerners are unfamiliar with. Queen Noor's book allows a reader an intimate view into a world that is often misunderstood, and, according to Noor, misrepresented.
The Beginning
Lisa Halaby was among the first freshman class to accept women at Princeton, and graduated in 1974 with a degree in architecture and urban planning. Four years later, she was married to King Hussein of Jordan. She acknowledges that much of her knowledge about the region at the time came from regular sources: newspapers and the media. Once there, however, she began to understand fully what the dividing line between Israel and Palestine actually meant in the world of religion and politics. She paints a vivid picture of the Jordan she first encountered after finishing her degree and completing a job in Tehran; "As day faded into night, I was transfixed by the rosy golden glow of the setting sun on the rocky hillside, where herds of sheep looked almost iridescent in the waning light of day." This beautiful imagery is kept up throughout the book, painting a portrait the reader can easily imagine.
From the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the assassination of JFK, to the young man stalking her in her teenage years and her difficult relationship with her parents, she is eloquent and unapologetic for living a life of privilege that she was desperate to escape. She moves quickly through the travels that led to her meetings and eventual courtship with the King of Jordan, including her impressions of the Bedouins, the developing crises between countries, and her awareness of the stereotypes of the Arab world in politics.
She details her internal struggle as she debates whether or not to marry so far outside her known world, incorporating details of political strife and the many attempts on her future husbands life. She questions her own beliefs and fears, and in the end, accepts that she loves both the man and his country, and feels that between them, they will create peace in the Arab world. She becomes step mother to the King's eight stepchildren, of whom she speaks often throughout the book.
The Middle
Acting as wife of the King of Jordan, Queen Noor, still in her late twenties, reigns with her husband and attends political conferences, refugee camps, and state dinners. She goes to the United States and has dinner with presidents ranging from Johnson to Clinton. The death of Anwar Sadat and the assassination of Prime Minster Ytzhak Rabin changed the course of Jordanian life, and therefore her role in world politics. She travelled to the US and met with the Clintons, and her description of that meeting is both humorous and heart breaking. She is puzzled by the American obsession with things of minor significance within its own culture, and its growing disregard of world events. She says she called Hillary Clinton to register their concerns about the strikes in Iraq, but could not get through.
The End
King Hussein, love of Queen Noor’s life, dies at age 63 of cancer and leaves his son Abdullah as monarch. She continues to travel, to write about her experiences, and to push for a peace she still believes in. She works with women’s rights organizations all over the world. In memory of her husband, she also continues to work with cancer organizations to find a cure.
This book tells an extraordinary story, one that replaces misconceptions with witty and vivid accounts of the truth, and of a woman with strength, surrounded by love, with a political passion for peace and healing that can hardly be rivalled. She describes world events in a simple, straightforward manner that allows the reader a greater understanding of the difficulties and horrors that face the Arab nations.
Further Resources
King Abdullah's official website
