Basma bint Talal
| Princess Basma | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Royal of Jordan | |||||
| Spouse |
Colonel Timoor Daghistani (1970-1980) Sayyid Walid al-Kurdi (1980-present) | ||||
| Issue |
Farah Al Daghistani Ghazi Al Daghistani Saad Al Walid Zein Al Sharaf Al Walid | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Talal of Jordan | ||||
| Mother | Zein al-Sharaf Talal | ||||
| Born |
11 May 1951 Amman, Jordan | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan, (born Amman, Jordan, on 11 May 1951) is the only daughter of King Talal and Queen Zein al-Sharaf Talal, sister of King Hussein of Jordan and paternal aunt to the current King, King Abdullah II. Princess Basma is often considered the equivalent Princess Royal of Jordan.
Background
Basma's father became King of Jordan two months after she was born as a result of the assassination of her grandfather King Abdullah I in Jerusalem. King Talal was forced to abdicate as King for health reasons in 1952, when Basma was one year old. He lived on until 1972. Her mother was Queen Zein (1916–1994). After her father's abdication, her older brother Hussein (1935–1999) ascended the throne, and her mother was Queen Regent until Hussein came of age in 1953.
Education
| Jordanian Royal Family |
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Extended royal family
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Basma was educated at Ahliyyah School for Girls in Amman, then in England at Benenden School (where she was a friend of Princess Anne) and University of Oxford, where she read Modern Languages.
In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree by Oxford University for a thesis entitled Contextualising development in Jordan: the arena of donors, state and NGOs.
Marriage and career
Basma first married Colonel Timoor Daghistani in Amman, on 2 April 1970. They had two children together:
- Farah Al Daghistani (born 25 March 1971), married 23 September 2004 Saud Abdul Aziz Suleiman.
- Ghazi Al Daghistani (born 21 July 1974), married on 7 September 2006 Samanta Mahdi Saifi.
In the late 1970s, they divorced and Basma went on to marry Sayyid Walid al-Kurdi in Amman, on 14 April 1980. They also had two children together:
- Saad Al Walid (born 8 November 1982).
- Zein Al Sharaf Al Walid (born 1 June 1986).
On 2 January 2013, an arrest warrant was issued by Jordan poice for Walid Al Kurdi due to his alleged involvement in the multi-million dollar case.[1] ANSA reported that Kurdi fled the country for the United Kingdom.[1]
Since the late 1970s, Basma has worked to promote human development, gender equity and children's charities. Through forums that include the United Nations she contributes to the global debates on health, education, population and the environment.
Appointments
- President of the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW)
- President of the Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides
- President of Mabarrat Um al Hussein
- President of Goodwill Campaign
- Chairperson of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development
- President of Save The Children-Jordan (SCJ)
- President of the Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW)
- Honorary President of the General Federation of Jordanian Women (GFJW)
- Member of Board of Trustees for the Higher Population Council
- Member of the World Health Organization's Adolescent Health Programme Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, 1991–1993
- Honorary Human Development Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme since 1993
- Member of the World Health Organization Global Commission on Women's Health, 1994
- Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund for Women since 1995
- Member of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development to the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 1995–1998
- Member of the Earth Council since 1996
- Member of UNESCO Culture and Development Steering Committee, 1996–1997
- Member of UNESCO International Panel on Democracy and Development, 1998
- Member of UNESCO Scientific Committee for the World Culture Report, 1998–2000
- Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund since 2001
- Member of the International Advisory Board of the International Council on Social Welfare since 2001
Honours
- Honorary Degree of Doctors of Laws, As-syafiiyah Islamic University, Indonesia, (May 2011).
- Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA, (May 2010).
- WAGGGS' World Citizenship Award, June (2005)
- Dr. Jushichiro Naito International Childcare Award, (June 2001)
- Honorary Person for the International Year of Volunteers 2001, Jordan, (2001).
- The UNESCO 50 Years Commemorative Medal, (March 2000).
- Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws of the University of Reading, UK, (July 1998)
- Arab Woman of the Year 1995 (Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting of the Fourth World Conference on Women)
- Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, (1994)
Honorific Orders
-
Jordan : Dame Grand Cordon of the Jewelled Supreme Order of the Renaissance, July 1994 -
Austria : Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria -
Brunei : Most Esteemed Family Order of Brunei (DK), 22 July 2000 -
Japan : Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown, March 1976 -
Spain : Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, 18 March 1977[2] -
Sweden : Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star, 7 October 2003 -
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Empire of Iran : Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire, 14 October 1971[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Jordan: Arrest warrant for brother in law King Abdullah". ANSA. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ↑ Boletín Oficial del Estado
- ↑ Badraie