Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco
Encyclopedia
Moulay Hicham of Morocco, born March 12, 1964, is the cousin of the current King Mohammed VI and Prince Moulay Rachid. Raised in Rabat
, he is the son of Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco
, the late brother of former king Hassan II, and Princess Lalla Lamia as-Solh, daughter of Riad as-Solh
, the first prime minister
of Lebanon
. He is also the cousin of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
of Saudi Arabia
, whose mother is another daughter of as-Solh. Under the constitution, Moulay Hicham stands third in the line of succession
to the Alaouite throne
.
He has been nicknamed "The Red Prince" because of his leftist political positions, and his advocacy of democratic reforms in Morocco and the Arab world. A graduate of Princeton University
, he is currently a research fellow at Stanford University
.
alongside his brother and cousins. He attended the Rabat American School
, and afterwards matriculated into Princeton University
. He later attended Stanford University for graduate study in political science. In 2002, Moulay Hicham relocated to Princeton, New Jersey
. He is married, since 1995, to Malika Benabdelali, a cousin of the Moroccan businessman and current minister of Agriculture Aziz Akhannouch. He has two daughters: Lalla Faïza (b. 1996) and Lalla Hajar (b. 1999).
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, he is the son of Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco
Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco
Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco was the brother of Hassan II, later King Hassan of Morocco and the son of King Mohammed V of Morocco and his wife Lalla Abla bint Tahar .-Family:...
, the late brother of former king Hassan II, and Princess Lalla Lamia as-Solh, daughter of Riad as-Solh
Riad as-Solh
Riad as-Solh was the first Prime Minister of Lebanon , after the country's independence. Like all of his successors as prime minister of Lebanon, he was a Sunni Muslim. He later served as prime minister of Lebanon again from December 14, 1946 to February 14, 1951...
, the first prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. He is also the cousin of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
Al-Waleed bin Talal
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and member of the Saudi royal family. He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. An entrepreneur and international investor he has amassed a fortune through investments in real estate and the stock market.He is founder and CEO of...
of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, whose mother is another daughter of as-Solh. Under the constitution, Moulay Hicham stands third in the line of succession
Line of succession to the Moroccan throne
The present King of Morocco is Mohammed VI. Article 20 of the Moroccan constitution of 1996 states that the Moroccan Crown and the constitutional rights thereof shall be hereditary and handed down, from father to son, to descendants in direct male line and by order of primogeniture among the...
to the Alaouite throne
Alaouite Dynasty
The Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan royal family. The name Alaouite comes from the ‘Alī of its founder Moulay Ali Cherif who became Prince of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay r-Rshid was able to unite and pacify the country...
.
He has been nicknamed "The Red Prince" because of his leftist political positions, and his advocacy of democratic reforms in Morocco and the Arab world. A graduate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, he is currently a research fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Activities
- Founder and President of the Moulay Hicham Foundation, a non-profit private foundation for social science research on North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. - Co-founder, along with John WaterburyJohn WaterburyJohn Waterbury is an American academic that served as the 14th president of the American University of Beirut between 1998 and 2008. He was the first president to reside in Beirut since 1984...
and Abdellah Hammoudi, of the Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia (TRI) at Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. - Managing director of Al-Tayyar, a renewable energy firm.
- Member of the consultative committee of Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
on the MENAMENAThe term MENA, for "Middle East and North Africa", is an acronym often used in academic, military planning and business writing.The term covers an extensive region, extending from Morocco to Iran, including the majority of both the Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries...
region.
Personal life
As a member of the royal family, Moulay Hicham was raised in RabatRabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
alongside his brother and cousins. He attended the Rabat American School
Rabat American School
The Rabat American School is an independent college preparatory day school located in Rabat, Morocco. The program is co-educational and non-residential. English is the language of instruction.-History:...
, and afterwards matriculated into Princeton University
Princeton
-Princeton, New Jersey:*Borough of Princeton, New Jersey*Princeton Township, New Jersey*Princeton, New Jersey -Other places in New Jersey:*Princeton Junction, New Jersey*Princeton Meadows, New Jersey...
. He later attended Stanford University for graduate study in political science. In 2002, Moulay Hicham relocated to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. He is married, since 1995, to Malika Benabdelali, a cousin of the Moroccan businessman and current minister of Agriculture Aziz Akhannouch. He has two daughters: Lalla Faïza (b. 1996) and Lalla Hajar (b. 1999).