CAIRO: Queen Rania's visit to the American University in Cairo (AUC) left students mesmerized by her youthful spirit and her work in various fields, leading them to draw parallels between her and Princess Diana. Hundreds flocked to AUC's Bassily Auditorium to attend the queen of Jordan's speech on civic engagement in terms of social responsibility. She was introduced by AUC President David D. Arnold as an "AUCian driven by four forces in her life: career, activism, faith and family, granting her great popularity and political support; in the Middle East and worldwide. He described her commitment as one to emphasize "the foundational role of education and social progress worldwide. Her engaging speech on the initiatives she launched or took part in brought about a comparison between the youngest queen in the world and the former Princess of Wales among students. "She is like the Middle Eastern Princess Diana, always there for the people, and really engaged in activities to make our lives and others' lives better, Zaina Bseiso, an sophomore from Lebanon studying business at AUC said. "Queen Rania and Princess Diana broke the common protocol of what it means to be a royal, [royal people are] usually conceived as living in their own world, detached from everyone else, Roqaya Farouq-Tbeileh, 19, a freshman, said. "As a woman to me she represents everything that a queen should be, she continued, "but it was obviously easier for Queen Rania than Lady Diana to set a standard of what a royal family in the Middle East should look like, because the monarchy in Jordan is not as old as the one in England. With her involvement in charity work, many expect her to fill the role left void by Princess Diana. "She is the embodiment of equal opportunity between genders, and the influential role of women as loving mothers and leaders, Asma AlKhoudary, a freshman from Palestine, said. Popular as she is, Queen Rania, just like Lady Diana, remains a subject of great scrutiny, especially regarding her decision to not wear the veil. She was quoted in a BBC interview last month, saying that she is "a staunch supporter of every woman's right to wear the Hijab, just as [she is] a staunch supporter of every woman's right to choose not to wear it. She also speaks of "Islam being externally and internally placed under siege, as it is constantly being portrayed as a violent and aggressive religion from the outside. Though a supporter of many social causes, Queen Rania finds herself simultaneously a victim of misconceptions about the very same thing she is advocating. "I am a fan of Her Majesty, but at the same time, after living in Jordan for many years, I realized that there is no middle class, and that there are people living under the poverty line in Western Amman. Her children go to the best schools, and receive special education, how can she advocate equal opportunities, when she herself applies the opposite? Farouq-Tbeileh said.
