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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Beirut | ||||
| Spouse | Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud | ||||
| |||||
| House | Al Saud | ||||
Alma mater | |||||
| Father | King Abdullah | ||||
| Mother | Aida Fustuq | ||||
Early life and education
editPrincess 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
editAdila 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
editInterview 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
editPrincess 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- ^ "Saudi 12-year-old bride drops divorce case". Al Arabiya News. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Stig Stenslie (2012). Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-136-51157-8.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "تعرّف على أبناء وبنات الملك عبد الله الـ36". Al Sharq. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Saudi Foreign Policy after Saud Al Faisal". Institute for Gulf Affairs. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ "محليات صور نادرة للملك عبد الله وحياته". Mz.net (in Arabic). 15 March 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Simon Henderson (18 February 2009). "Saudi Arabia Changes Course, Slowly". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ Christopher Dickey (30 March 2009). "The Monarch who Declared His own Revolution". Newsweek. 153 (13): 40.
- ^ "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". APS Review Oil Market Trends. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
- ^ "Arab social media report". Dubai School of Government. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ Caryle Murphy (30 May 2009). "Saudi princess speaks out on abuse". Global Post. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Mohammed Al Kinani (18 October 2019). "Award-winning Saudi health care organization homes in on global awareness day". Arab News. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Saudi Princess concludes her six-day visit to India". Deccan Herald. New Delhi. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ Walaa Hawari (8 March 2012). "Sanad auction fetches SR1.45m". Arab News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ Caroline Montagu (Winter 2010). "Civil Society and the Voluntary Sector in Saudi Arabia". Middle East Journal. 64 (1): 67–83. doi:10.3751/64.1.14. JSTOR 20622983. S2CID 143572307.
- ^ "Chairman and members of the Board of Directors". Saudi Heritage Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Saudi Cabinet Reshuffle; Woman Deputy Minister Appointed". Carnegie Endowment. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ "Prince Khalid Bin Faisal appointed Education Minister". Asharq Alawsat. 22 December 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Family Tree of Adila bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 1 May 2012.