Queen’s gambit

Is Queen Rania of Jordan turning into the Marie Antoinette of Jordan? She is loved in the West, and seen as the very model of a modern Muslim monarch. But in Jordan she’s viewed with increasing resentment. As the Arab Spring shakes thrones all over the Muslim world, Mary Ann Sieghart jetted off there to find out – and the results are in this week’s magazine. I thought CoffeeHousers may appreciate a preview.

We all Queen Rania’s her background: a Palestinian beauty, hailed by Oprah as an “international fashion icon,” who speaks up for women’s rights. But, as Mary Ann writes:

“If she mingled at parties with Hollywood stars, her people read about it online. Given her countrymen’s traditional hostility to the West, and particularly the US, this did not go down well. Rania thought she was selling Jordan: many Jordanians thought she was selling out. … This anger came to a head last September when Rania held a lavish 40th birthday party in the Wadi Rum desert, Jordan’s answer to Monument Valley.