Rania Al-Abdullah
She is the quintessential storybook queen: beautiful, elegant, charming. But she is also a woman who is not about to settle for a life of privilege. Far beyond national borders, she works to help others, and women and children in particular. Her most powerful weapon in the fight against inequality is education. She is helping women to determine their own futures by building up a women’s network in Jordan and facilitating access to microloans.
In a region strongly shaped by religion, she is a proud Muslim who embraces Western values when it comes to gender equality and liberalism. She is also an outspoken critic of honour killings, which has made her enemies in some quarters. Her work has struck a chord with social media users worldwide. Queen Rania’s YouTube channel and blog report on her work and share her path towards a fairer world.