Jordan's Queen Of Hearts

Among Rania's critics are some who support her position, but not her high-profile politics. They argue that the royal couple should remain above the fray, quietly working for change behind the scenes. Rania disagrees. "The approach should be to talk about it, bring it to the surface," she insists, "not sweep things under the rug."

Still, Rania seems to be developing a keener sense these days of how to push reforms without offending traditionalists. Sometimes that entails adjusting her pitch to her audience. When the queen talks to Westerners about schemes to give small loans to poor women, she calls it empowerment. But in male-dominated villages in Jordan, where tribal codes are strong, she avoids the language of gender wars. She talks instead about the ability of women to help put bread on the table. Similarly, when she talks about stopping domestic violence, she couches it in a discussion about "family security."

But even as she presses the envelope of what is acceptable, Rania also criticizes Western stereotypes. Many Arab mothers and workers, she says, can provide a model for women the world over trying to strike a balance between professional and family life. "People in the West view Arab women as being very conservative... not necessarily being educated," she says. "And the truth of the matter is that we have many brilliant women who are very forward-looking." Few more so, perhaps, than Rania herself.

JEFFREY BARTHOLET

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