Adila bint Abdulla Al Saud

Adila bint Abdullah
Born Beirut
Spouse Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud
Full name
Adila bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
House House of Saud
Father King Abdullah
Mother Aida Fustuq
Religion Wahhabi Hanbali Sunni Islam

Adila bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: عادلة بنت عبد الله بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎) is a very influential member of the Saudi Royal Family.[1] She is one the kingdom's few princesses who could influence the political development of Saudi Arabia in women-related areas such as education, employment and health.[2]

Early life and education

Princess Adila was born in Beirut, Lebanon.[3] She is the daughter of late King Abdullah and Aida Fustuq, a Lebanese woman.[4][5] Her parents divorced later.[3] Prince Abdulaziz is Princess Adila's full brother.[6]

She received a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from King Saud University.[4]

Activities

Adila bint Abdullah is one of the few Saudi princesses with a semi-public role.[7] She acts as the public face of her father, King Abdullah.[8] She is a known advocate of women's right to drive, women’s health awareness and their legal rights.[9] She spoke out against domestic violence and supported women's groups and organizations.[10][11]

Princess Adila is the patron of many charitable foundations: she is the chair of the National Home Health Care Foundation; the president of the consultative committee of the National Museum;[12][13] president of the Sanad Children's Cancer Support Society;[14] and the deputy chair of the National Family Safety Program. Princess Adila also supported the business women of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.[4] She was also patron of "Saudi Women’s Forum", a women's conference in Jeddah in 2007.[15] She leads the Saudi Society for Preservation of Heritage[16]

Views

Interview with Princess Adila was included in Mona Almunajjed's book entitled Saudi Women Speak: 24 Remarkable Women Tell Their Success Stories, published in 2011 by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing in Amman and Beirut.[3] She stated: "I am only one part of this whole society and I am presenting my point of view. However, we cannot go back. We need to become more liberal and we need to change."[3] She believes that wearing the niqab is a tradition and the scarf is a better alternative.[17]

Personal life

Princess Adila was married to her cousin Faisal bin Abdullah in her 20s.[2] Faisal bin Abdullah served as the education minister from February 2009 to 22 December 2013.[18][19] Faisal is the former deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).[20]

They have six children, two sons and four daughters.[21] One of their daughters is a graduate of King's College in London.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Saudi 12-year old bride drops divorce case". Al Arabiya News. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Stig Stenslie (21 August 2012). Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-136-51157-8. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wilson-Goldie, Kaelen (2011). "More talk, less distortion". The Daily Star. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Stenslie, Stig (2011). "Power Behind the Veil: Princesses of the House of Saud". Journal of Arabian Studies: Arabia, the Gulf, and the Red Sea. 1 (1): 69–79. doi:10.1080/21534764.2011.576050. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "Saudi Foreign Policy after Saud Al Faisal". Institute for Gulf Affairs. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Family Tree of Abdallah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Simon (18 February 2009). "Saudi Arabia Changes Course, Slowly". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  8. ↑ Christopher Dickey (30 March 2009). "The Monarch who Declared His own Revolution". Newsweek. 153 (13): 40. Retrieved 30 August 2013.  – via Questia (subscription required)
  9. ↑ "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". APS Review Oil Market Trends. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Arab social media report". Dubai School of Government. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Murphy, Caryle (30 May 2009). "Saudi princess speaks out on abuse". Global Post. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Hawari, Walaa. "Some retrieved artifacts 'were in safe hands'". Arab News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "Saudi Princess concludes her six-day visit to India". Deccan Herald. New Delhi. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  14. ↑ HawariI, Walaa (8 March 2012). "Sanad auction fetches SR1.45m". Arab News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Montagu, Caroline (Winter 2010). "Civil Society and the Voluntary Sector in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Middle East Journal. 64 (1). doi:10.3751/64.1.14. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  16. ↑ "Chairman and members of the Board of Directors". Saudi Heritage Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "Have you meet the daughter of The King of Saudi Arabia?". 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "Saudi Cabinet Reshuffle; Woman Deputy Minister Appointed". Carnegie Endowment. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  19. ↑ "Prince Khalid Bin Faisal appointed Education Minister". Asharq Alawsat. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  20. ↑ Boucek, Christopher (June 2009). "Saudi Arabia's king changes the guard" (PDF). Islamic Affairs Analyst: 2–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  21. ↑ "Family Tree of Adila bint Abdallah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
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