Rula Ghani
Rula Ghani | |
---|---|
| |
First Lady of Afghanistan | |
Assumed office 29 September 2014 | |
Preceded by | Zeenat Karzai |
Personal details | |
Born |
Rula F. Saadah 1948 (age 69–70) Lebanon |
Nationality |
Lebanon Afghanistan United States |
Spouse(s) | Ashraf Ghani (m. 1975) |
Alma mater |
Sciences Po university, Paris American University of Beirut Columbia University |
Rula Ghani (born Rula F. Saadah;[1][2] Afghan name: Bibi Gul[3]) is the current First Lady of Afghanistan and wife of the incumbent President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani.[4]
In 2015, Rula Ghani was named to the Time 100, a list of the world's most influential people, by Time magazine.[5]
Personal life
Rula Ghani was born Rula Saade and raised in Lebanon to a Lebanese Christian family. She received a diploma from Sciences Po, France, in 1969.[6] She completed a master's degree in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut in 1974, where she had met her future husband, Ashraf Ghani.[7]
The couple married in 1975 and have two children: a daughter, Mariam Ghani, a Brooklyn-based visual artist,[8] and a son, Tariq. Rula Ghani earned another master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York City in 1983. Ghani returned to Afghanistan in 2003.[9]
Ghani holds citizenship in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and the United States.[3][10] She reportedly speaks Arabic, English, French, Pashto and Dari.
2014 election
In an unusual move for a politician in Afghanistan, Dr. Ghani at his presidential inauguration in 2014 publicly thanked his wife, acknowledging her with an Afghan name, Bibi Gul.[7] "I want to thank my partner, Bibi Gul, for supporting me and Afghanistan," said Dr. Ghani, looking emotional. "She has always supported Afghan women and I hope she continues to do so."[11][12] Historian, Ali A Olomi, has argued that following the precedent of Afghanistan's Queen Soraya, Rula Ghani can bring real change for women's rights in the country.[13]
See also
References
- ↑ "AUB Couples". 150.aub.edu.lb. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ↑ Rula, Saadah, (26 November 1974). "The shaping of British policy in Iraq, 1914-1921". Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- 1 2 "Rula Ghani, the woman making waves as Afghanistan's new first lady". The Guardian. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ "Al Arabiya: Afghan first lady in shadow of 1920s queen?". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ↑ Hosseini, Khaled (2015-04-16). "Time 100 Leaders: Rula Ghani". Time. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
- ↑ Rasmussen, Sune Engel (6 November 2014). "Rula Ghani, the woman making waves as Afghanistan's new first lady". Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via www.theguardian.com.
- 1 2 Alexander, Harriet (29 September 2014). "Ashraf Ghani inaugurated: Is Afghanistan ready for a high-profile first lady?". Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ↑ Walsh, Declan; Nordland, Rod (14 October 2014). "Jolting Some, Afghan Leader Brings Wife Into the Picture". Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via www.nytimes.com.
- ↑ O'Donnell, Lynne (27 May 2015). "AP Interview: Afghanistan's first lady breaks taboos but insists she 'doesn't do politics'". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ↑ "Afghanistan's next first lady, a Christian Lebanese-American?". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ↑ "WSJ". Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via online.wsj.com.
- ↑ "Foreign Policy: The real first ladies of Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ↑ "Afghanistan's New President Thinks His Wife Can Play a Decisive Role in the Country's Future Despite Her Gender. Why He's Right". historynewsnetwork.org. Retrieved 26 November 2017.