Sharifa Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid
Encyclopedia
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Sharif
a Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid (born in 1929) was the first wife of King Hussein of Jordan
and is the mother to his oldest child, Princess Alia
. She and the king were married from 1955 to 1957, and in 1970 she remarried a high-ranking official in the PLO
.
She is a graduate of Cambridge University
and a former lecturer in English literature
at Cairo University
.
, Egypt
, to 'Abdu'l-Hamid bin Muhammad 'Abdu'l-Aziz and Fakhria Brav. She was entitled to use the honorific sharif
a of Mecca as an agnatic descendant of Hasan ibn Ali
and was a third cousin to her father-in-law, King Talal. Her father and uncles claimed a waqf
that consisted of nearly 2000 feddan
s.
while she was at Girton College, Cambridge
. The King visited her in Maadi
therefter. She took the Bachelor of Arts
degree with honours and was a lecturer in English literature Cairo University
prior to her marriage.
In 1954, two years after her son's accession to the throne, Queen Zein, who exerted a significant influence early in his reign, announced the engagement of the King and Dina. The union was strongly favoured by Gamal Abdel Nasser
, the future President of Egypt. They were married on 18 April 1955. The bride was 26 and the groom was 19. Upon her marriage she became Queen of Jordan but according to the author Isis Fahmy, who interviewed Dina in the presence of her husband on their wedding day, Hussein determinedly said that she would have no political role. Fahmy noted that Hussein had intended to exercise authority over Dina, who was herself a strong personality, and that his mother viewed her as a threat to her own status.
It soon became apparent that the King and Queen had little in common. On 13 February 1956 she gave birth to the king's first child, Princess Alia, but the arrival of a child did not help the royal marriage.
On 7 October 1970, Princess Dina married Lieut-Colonel
Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir (b. 1942), alias Salah Ta'amari, a Palestinian guerrilla
commando who became a high-ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization
. He was imprisoned by the Israelis in 1982. A year later, Princess Dina negotiated one of the largest prisoner exchange
s in history—freeing her husband and 8,000 other prisoners.
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Sharif
Sharif
Sharīf or Chérif is a traditional Arab tribal title given to those who serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets, such as property, wells, and land. In origin, the word is an adjective meaning "noble", "highborn". The feminine singular is sharifa...
a Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid (born in 1929) was the first wife of King Hussein of Jordan
Hussein of Jordan
Hussein bin Talal was the third King of Jordan from the abdication of his father, King Talal, in 1952, until his death. Hussein's rule extended through the Cold War and four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict...
and is the mother to his oldest child, Princess Alia
Princess Alia bint Al Hussein
Princess Alia bint Al Hussein of Jordan was born on 13 February 1956 to King Hussein of Jordan and his first wife, Sharifa Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid.-Education:...
. She and the king were married from 1955 to 1957, and in 1970 she remarried a high-ranking official in the PLO
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
.
She is a graduate of Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and a former lecturer in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
.
Early life
Dina was born in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, to 'Abdu'l-Hamid bin Muhammad 'Abdu'l-Aziz and Fakhria Brav. She was entitled to use the honorific sharif
Sharif
Sharīf or Chérif is a traditional Arab tribal title given to those who serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets, such as property, wells, and land. In origin, the word is an adjective meaning "noble", "highborn". The feminine singular is sharifa...
a of Mecca as an agnatic descendant of Hasan ibn Ali
Hasan ibn Ali
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib is an important figure in Islam, the son of Fatimah the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hasan is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa...
and was a third cousin to her father-in-law, King Talal. Her father and uncles claimed a waqf
Waqf
A waqf also spelled wakf formally known as wakf-alal-aulad is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes. The donated assets are held by a charitable trust...
that consisted of nearly 2000 feddan
Feddan
A feddan is a unit of area. It is used in Egypt, Sudan, and Syria. The feddan is not an SI unit and in Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen': implying the area of ground that could be tilled by them in a certain time. In Egypt the feddan is the only non-metric unit which remained in use...
s.
Queen of Jordan
Sharifa Dina first met King Hussein in London, where they were both studying, at the home of a relative from Iraq, in 1952. The King was then at Harrow SchoolHarrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
while she was at Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
. The King visited her in Maadi
Maadi
Maadi is a wealthy suburb south of Cairo, Egypt. The town is home to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Cairo American College , Lycée Français du Caire , Misr American College , Maadi British International School , the Cairo Rugby Club, and the national Egyptian Geological Museum.-...
therefter. She took the Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree with honours and was a lecturer in English literature Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
prior to her marriage.
In 1954, two years after her son's accession to the throne, Queen Zein, who exerted a significant influence early in his reign, announced the engagement of the King and Dina. The union was strongly favoured by Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, the future President of Egypt. They were married on 18 April 1955. The bride was 26 and the groom was 19. Upon her marriage she became Queen of Jordan but according to the author Isis Fahmy, who interviewed Dina in the presence of her husband on their wedding day, Hussein determinedly said that she would have no political role. Fahmy noted that Hussein had intended to exercise authority over Dina, who was herself a strong personality, and that his mother viewed her as a threat to her own status.
It soon became apparent that the King and Queen had little in common. On 13 February 1956 she gave birth to the king's first child, Princess Alia, but the arrival of a child did not help the royal marriage.
Princess of Jordan
In 1956, while the Queen was on a holiday in Egypt, King Hussein informed her about his intention to separate from her. They were divorced on 24 June 1957, during a period of strain between Jordan and Egypt, at which time she became known as HRH Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan. The ex-Queen was not allowed to see her daughter for some time after the divorce.On 7 October 1970, Princess Dina married Lieut-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir (b. 1942), alias Salah Ta'amari, a Palestinian guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
commando who became a high-ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
. He was imprisoned by the Israelis in 1982. A year later, Princess Dina negotiated one of the largest prisoner exchange
Prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners. These may be prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc...
s in history—freeing her husband and 8,000 other prisoners.
Decorations
- Dame Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance special class (19.4.1955)
- Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of Spain (3.6.1955)
International roles and positions
- Honorary President The Arab Women's Association in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.