Jordan remembers Queen Zein

AMMAN — Friday marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Queen Zein Al Sharaf, mother of the late King Hussein and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mohammad, Prince Hassan and Princess Basma.

Queen Zein was born on August 2nd, 1916. She married His Majesty King Talal Bin Abdullah in 1934.

The late Queen played a major role in the political development of the Kingdom in the early 1950’s. She took part in the writing of the 1952 Constitution, which gave full rights to women and enhanced the social development of the country. In 1944, she created the first women’s union in Jordan.

Following the influx of Palestinian refugees into Jordan after the 1948 war, Queen Zein led national relief efforts to help the tens of thousands of homeless refugees.

The late Queen was also instrumental in establishing the women’s branch of the Jordan Red Crescent Society in 1948, and throughout her life she tirelessly dedicated a great deal of time and effort to the Mabarrat Um Hussein Orphanage in Amman.

Queen Zein passed away on April 26th, 1994 at a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland.