Jordan's Queen Noor to headline Judson's World Leaders Forum in April
Judson University's World Leaders Forum next year will feature its first leader from the Middle East — while Elgin gets its first chance to welcome royalty.
Queen Noor of Jordan will give the keynote address April 18 at the Christian liberal arts university's sixth annual forum. The American-born Noor, 64, is the widow of Jordan's King Hussein, who died in 1999. Since then, she has been an advocate for cross-cultural understanding and conflict prevention, and other global issues, such as the refugee crises, missing persons, poverty, climate change and disarmament.
“At a time when we are reminded of worldwide conflicts on a daily basis, the perspective of a global human rights leader like Queen Noor is needed more than ever,” Judson President Gene Crume said. “It's very exciting for a variety of reasons. I remember, as a young man, when Queen Noor married King Hussein. It was just a unique moment in American history when an American became royalty somewhere else.
“Her life since then has been remarkable. She is a global leader. It's astounding what all she has been involved in.”
Born to an Arab-American Christian family as Lisa Najeeb Halaby, Noor studied architecture and urban planning at Princeton University. She married King Hussein bin Talal in June 1978, becoming the first American-born queen of an Arab country. She adopted the name Noor al-Hussein or “Light of Hussein” and later converted to Islam.
Her work in Jordan and the Arab world has focused on human security in the areas of education, sustainable development, human rights, and cross-cultural understanding. She founded and chairs the Noor Al Hussein Foundation and the King Hussein Foundation pioneering programs for poverty eradication, women's empowerment, microfinance, health and arts as a medium for social development and cross-cultural exchange.
Noor will speak about her work to support humanitarianism during a community event at 2 p.m. at the Herrick Chapel on Judson's Elgin campus, 1151 N. State St., and a VIP reception at 5 p.m. in Chicago. Her presentations will be followed by question-and-answer sessions.
In another first last spring, Judson welcomed former Mexican President Felipe Calderón as the first Latin American former head of state to grace the World Leaders Forum stage.
In its first four years, the World Leaders Forum has brought former President George W. Bush, former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Elgin.
“That's a great track record and Queen Noor just continues to add to that diversity,” Crume said.
Noor's global perspective, he said, is timely and relevant with her involvement in peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East, the humanitarian response to the growing Syrian refugee crisis, and promoting education and women's empowerment.
Noor, who is of Syrian descent, is on the board of Refugees International, which speaks on behalf of refugees from conflict zones worldwide.
For her efforts toward advancing development, democracy and peace, Noor has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates in international relations, law, and humane letters. She also has written two books — “Hussein of Jordan” (2000) and “Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life” (2003), a New York Times best-seller published in 17 languages.
“Queen Noor's visit will be the first time that our city has hosted royalty,” Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain said in a news release. “This underscores how important the World Leaders Forum is for our community. We can't wait to welcome another global icon to Elgin.”
Funds raised through the event go toward scholarships for Judson students and an endowment to start an entrepreneurial studies program at Judson. Only five scholarships are awarded each year. The program is in its second year.
Limited seating is available for the community event. Judson students, faculty, staff and alumni will be given first priority until Oct. 30 when the public will be able to buy tickets. For tickets and sponsorship information, visit WorldLeadersForum.info. Tickets to the VIP event are available to the public.