| Fatima as-Senussi | |
|---|---|
| Queen of Libya | |
| Spouse | Idris I of Libya |
| Father | Ahmed Sharif es Senussi |
| Born | 1911 Oasis of Kufra, Libya |
| Died | 3 October 2009 (aged 98) Cairo, Egypt |
| Burial | Hamza Cemetery, Medina, Saudi Arabia |
Sayyida Fatima el-Sharif (Arabic: فاطمة الشريف), after her marriage Fatima as-Senussi,[1] or Fatima Al-Shifa Al-Sinousi (1911 – 3 October 2009), was Queen of the Kingdom of Libya, the spouse of King Idris I, until Muammar al-Gaddafi's coup in 1969.
Fatima el-Sharif was born in Libya in 1911, the only daughter of Sayyid Ahmed Sharif es Senussi, the former chief of the Senussi religious order. Her father was active in resistance toward the colonial forces. In 1929, she was forced to flee on camel to Egypt from Marchal Graziani. In 1931, she married Idris, then Prince of Cyrenaica, who was her relative and her father's successor, in Siwa. Her only son died, at one day old, in 1953.
Fatima became Queen in 1951. In 1954, her nephew assassinated Idris' advisor Ibrahim al-Shelhi because of a rumor that Shelhi had convinced Idris to divorce Fatima in favor of a marriage with his daughter. Idris then ordered the execution of Fatima's nephew.[2] When Idris decided to obey the demands to remarry in order to have an heir, Fatima selected two women as prospective brides: he chose neither of them, but instead an Egyptian heir appointed by his premier, Alia Abdel Kader Lamloum,[3] whom he married in 1955. Fatima, however, being not divorced, refused to leave the royal residence in Tobruk, and after a couple of months, the couple reconciled. The relationship between Fatima and Idris is described as a mutually happy one. They became foster-parents to several children of relatives, and they also adopted a daughter: Suleima, whose father had been killed fighting against France.[2]
Queen Fatima was described as humorous and tactful and with an ability to make people relax, especially children, and as the loyal support of Idris, with a simple but elegant style. She became a role model for a new way of life for the women of Libya by her role as a queen.[2] Fatima neither wore a veil, nor did she live in seclusion; as a queen, she played a visible role in society, and was present regularly at various public events.[2]
Fatima was in Turkey with her spouse at the time of the fall of the monarchy in 1969. She lived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, from the overthrow of the royal governance in Libya on 1 September 1969, until her death. After the "revolution" of 1969, she was tried (in absentia) in the Libyan People's Court and sentenced in November 1971 to five years in prison and her properties were seized. Her house in Tripoli was returned to her in 2007. She died on October 3, 2009, aged 98, in Cairo.