Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud

Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud (Arabic: عادلة بنت عبد الله آل سعود ʿAdila bint ʿAbd Allāh Āl Suʿūd) is a member of the Saudi royal family.[1] During the reign of her father, King Abdullah, she was one of the women who could influence the political development of Saudi Arabia in women-related areas such as education, employment and health.[2]

Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud
BornBeirut
SpouseFaisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud
Names
Adila bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
HouseAl Saud
Alma mater
FatherKing Abdullah
MotherAida Fustuq

Early life and education edit

Princess Adila was born in Beirut, Lebanon.[3] She is the fifth daughter of King Abdullah.[4] Her mother is Aida Fustuq, a Lebanese woman of Palestinian descent.[5][6] Her parents divorced later.[3] Prince Abdulaziz is her full brother.[7]

She received a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from King Saud University.[5]

Activities edit

Adila bint Abdullah was one of the few Saudi princesses with a semi-public role during the reign of King Abdullah.[8] She acted as the public face of him.[9] She is a known advocate of women's right to drive, women's health awareness and their legal rights.[10] She spoke out against domestic violence and supported women's groups and organizations.[11][12]

Princess Adila is the patron of many charitable foundations: she is the chair of the National Home Health Care Foundation;[13] the president of the consultative committee of the National Museum;[14][15] president of the Sanad Children's Cancer Support Society;[16] 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.[5] She was also patron of "Saudi Women’s Forum", a women's conference in Jeddah in 2007.[17] She led the Saudi Society for Preservation of Heritage[18]

Views edit

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.[19]

Personal life edit

Princess Adila is married to her cousin Faisal bin Abdullah in her 20s.[2] Faisal bin Abdullah served as the minister of education from February 2009 to 22 December 2013.[20][21] Moreover, Faisal is the former deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).[22]

They have six children, two sons and four daughters.[23] One of their daughters is a graduate of King's College in London.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "Saudi 12-year-old bride drops divorce case". Al Arabiya News. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Stig Stenslie (2012). Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-136-51157-8.
  3. ^ a b c d Kaelen Wilson-Goldie (2011). "More talk, less distortion". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  4. ^ "تعرّف على أبناء وبنات الملك عبد الله الـ36". Al Sharq. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Stig Stenslie (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. S2CID 153320942.
  6. ^ "Saudi Foreign Policy after Saud Al Faisal". Institute for Gulf Affairs. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  7. ^ "محليات صور نادرة للملك عبد الله وحياته". Mz.net (in Arabic). 15 March 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  8. ^ Simon Henderson (18 February 2009). "Saudi Arabia Changes Course, Slowly". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  9. ^ Christopher Dickey (30 March 2009). "The Monarch who Declared His own Revolution". Newsweek. 153 (13): 40.
  10. ^ "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". APS Review Oil Market Trends. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Arab social media report". Dubai School of Government. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  12. ^ Caryle Murphy (30 May 2009). "Saudi princess speaks out on abuse". Global Post. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  13. ^ Mohammed Al Kinani (18 October 2019). "Award-winning Saudi health care organization homes in on global awareness day". Arab News. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  14. ^ Walaa Hawari (14 February 2012). "Some retrieved artifacts 'were in safe hands'". Arab News. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Saudi Princess concludes her six-day visit to India". Deccan Herald. New Delhi. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  16. ^ Walaa Hawari (8 March 2012). "Sanad auction fetches SR1.45m". Arab News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  17. ^ Caroline Montagu (Winter 2010). "Civil Society and the Voluntary Sector in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Middle East Journal. 64 (1): 67–83. doi:10.3751/64.1.14. S2CID 143572307.
  18. ^ "Chairman and members of the Board of Directors". Saudi Heritage Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  19. ^ "Have you meet the daughter of The King of Saudi Arabia?". 27 April 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Saudi Cabinet Reshuffle; Woman Deputy Minister Appointed". Carnegie Endowment. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  21. ^ "Prince Khalid Bin Faisal appointed Education Minister". Asharq Alawsat. 22 December 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  22. ^ Christopher Boucek (June 2009). "Saudi Arabia's king changes the guard" (PDF). Islamic Affairs Analyst: 2–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2010.
  23. ^ "Family Tree of Adila bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 1 May 2012.