cross cultural dialogue

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Washington, D.C.) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited Gallup’s Center for Muslim Studies while in Washington, DC, Monday, to review the center’s latest findings and to discuss the Muslim-West Facts Initiative, a not for profit partnership between Gallup and the Coexist Foundation whose mission is to promote understanding between Eastern and Western communities by sharing the views of the people.

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Los Angeles) - Five years ago, William Howard Taft High School in Los Angeles, California, piloted an innovative and bold program to eradicate prejudice and intolerance amongst its students. Since its inception, the Zerohour campaign has fought successfully to fight those problems and promote multicultural inclusion.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Boston) In a speech at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah warned of the growing rift between East and West, and urged students to concentrate their efforts in bridging that gap. "The gulf between narratives is wide – and only getting wider," she said, "and as a result, I fear a creeping affliction on both sides of what the philosopher William James called 'the blindness in human beings' that prevents us from understanding the feelings of those 'different from ourselves.'" "No matter where we come

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department- New York) In an address at Yale University in Connecticut, on Tuesday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah called for greater political courage in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Following remarks from Yale President Richard Levin, Her Majesty reflected on the desperate plight of the Palestinian people, underlining the deprivation and despair brought about by years of instability and stalled hopes.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Long Beach, CA)  Recalling childhood anecdotes and some of the defining moments of her life, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah addressed an audience of 14,000 women in Long Beach, CA. The Queen's speech carried a message of cross cultural understanding and emphasized that "we are all much more alike than we are different; the experiences that shape us, no matter where we grow up bring out the same very human responses – of tears and laughter, fear and courage, uncertainty and enlightenment".

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Dearborn) Her Majesty Queen Rania called on Arab-Americans to act “as active agents of cooperation” between Arab and Western cultures.

Queen Rania stressed that as the Arab world stands at a vital crossroads we need to find ways to channel emotions into constructive action “as the impetus for peace, democracy and human development has never been greater…and at the same time the price of failure has probably never been higher.”

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with a delegation from the Michigan chapter of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Life for Relief, a US-based NGO working in Iraq.

The ADC, the largest Arab-American organization is devoted to promoting the interests, rights and voice of Arab-Americans.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Milan) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, an honorary citizen of Milan, visited the historical city, where she and Princess Wijdan, Jordan's Ambassador to Italy, and Mayor Letizia Moratti took part in a class on cultural awareness at Dell’Infanzia School.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Accepting the first ever YouTube Visionary Award via taped message, Saturday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah opted for a very non-traditional approach at explaining why she chose to create a channel aimed at breaking down stereotypes about the Arab and Muslim worlds on YouTube.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Paris) Fifty-one women artists from 21 Islamic countries gathered in an exhibition held in Paris with a common vision of promoting cross-cultural dialogue and painting a clearer picture of Islam.

The exhibition entitled “Breaking the Barriers: Women Artists from the Islamic World” was inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah who has been outspoken on the need for cross-cultural dialogue aimed at dispelling misconceptions about Islam and at a better understanding between different civilizations.