Zein al-Sharaf Talal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zein Al-Sharaf Talal
Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Image:Six years Hussien with Mother.jpg
Queen Zein with then Prince Hussein in 1941
Titles HM The Queen Mother (1952-1994)
HM The Queen of Jordan (1951-1952)
HRH Princess Zein al Saraf Talal (1934-1951)
Miss Zein Al Sharaf Talal (1916-1934)
Born August 31, 1970(1970-08-31)
Birthplace Alexandria, Egypt
Died April 26, 1994 (aged 77)
Place of death Lausanne, Switzerland
Consort July 20, 1951 - August 11, 1952
Consort to Talal of Jordan
Issue King Hussein
Prince Muhammad
Prince Hassan
Princess Basma
Royal House Hashemite
Father Sharif Jamal 'Ali bin Nasser
Mother Wijdan Shakir Pasha

Zein al-Sharaf Talal born in Egypt (August 2, 1916-April 26, 1994) was the Queen of Jordan as consort of King Talal. She was mother of the late King Hussein of Jordan.

[edit] Life

Zein al-Sharaf is remembered for her pioneering efforts in charitable works and her support for women’s rights.

Queen Zein played a major role in the political development of the Kingdom in the early 1950s. She took part in the writing of the 1952 Constitution that gave full rights to women and enhanced the social development of the country, as for example in 1944 when she created the first women’s union in Jordan. Queen Zein’s political instincts and courage allowed her to successfully fill a constitutional vacuum after the assassination of the late King Abdullah I in 1951, while the newly proclaimed King Talal was being treated outside the Kingdom. The Queen again performed this role during the period between August 1952, when her son, King Hussein, was proclaimed monarch, and May 1953, when he assumed his constitutional duties at the age of eighteen.

Following the influx of Palestinian refugees into Jordan after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, she led national relief efforts to help the tens of thousands of refugees. She was also instrumental in establishing the women's branch of the Jordan National Red Crescent Society in 1948. Throughout her life, she tirelessly dedicated time and energy to the Um Al Hussein orphanage in Amman. A true pillar of modern Jordan, Queen Zein is a symbol to all Arab women of the balance between Islamic tradition and a modern outlook.

[edit] Marriage

Queen Zein married the then Prince Talal bin Abdullah of Jordan in 1934, with whom she bore four sons and two daughters:


Royal titles
Preceded by
Musbah bint Nasser		 Queen consort of Jordan
20 July 1951 – 11 August 1952		 Succeeded by
Sharifa Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid
Languages