ROYALTY MAKES NADA DEBUT

Jordan's Queen Noor

January 31, 2005—Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, who was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby in the U.S and was schooled in architecture and urban planning at Princeton University, spoke to dealers of the importance of "designing and building bridges between peoples and cultures...to bring peace to the world." These were things she believed in as a young woman in the U.S. and as a queen in world she ended up sharing with her late husband, King Hussein, from the time of their wedding in 1978.

As a young woman, she marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., and protested the war in Vietnam.   Her work took her to the Middle East, where she also found passion in causes that the West seemed to ignore. She saw gulfs between religions and cultures, and lamented the subjugation of women and threats to peace.

King Hussein was lover of both aviation and cars, she said. He was also a "man of profound faith and courage," believing in authentic values, pluralism, and consensus among people. He led the most progressive of states in the region and was a leader in coming to peaceful terms with Israel, noted Her Majesty.

Her Majesty also spoke of the true Islam as a religion of peace, which promises rights for all and the empowerment of women. She believes today that Arab women are the key to reducing poverty and hunger, and that women everywhere can contribute to stability around the world.

Her Majesty noted that she tended to fall in love with a new car only every decade. For this she apologized to attendees, who nevertheless gave her a standing ovation for her work in making the world a better place to live and to do business.