Prince Hassan bin Talal (, born 20 March 1947) is a member of the

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

ian royal family who was previously Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, being removed just three weeks before

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generati ...

's death. He is now 20th in line to succeed his nephew

King Abdullah II Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

Background and personal life

Prince El Hassan is a Prince of the

Hashemite The Hashemites (), also House of Hashim, are the Dynasty, royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz (1916–1925), Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria (1920), and Kingd ...

Kingdom of

. He is the third son of King Talal and Queen Zein. He is thus a younger brother of late

and uncle of the present

. Prince El Hassan is a descendant of

Mohammed Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

. His family is descended in patrilineage from Hassan, the elder of the two sons of

Fatima Zahra Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and the first Shia imam. ...

and

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, the daughter and son-in-law of Mohammed. More recent male-line ancestors served as Sharifs of Mecca. In the early 1900s, the kingdom of Hejaz was set up in western Arabia by the Western powers in order to torment the

Ottoman empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, and Hassan's great-grandfather, already Grand Sharif of Mecca, was made king of this state. That kingdom did not last long, being soon conquered by

Al Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling fac ...

. However, one of the sons of the Grand Sharif, Prince El Hassan's grandfather, King Abdullah I, became king of Transjordan in 1946. In 1949, after annexing the West Bank in Palestine, and "uniting" both banks of the Jordan River, it was constitutionally renamed the "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan", commonly referred to nowadays as

Kingdom of Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian t ...

Marriage and issue

In 1968, Prince El Hassan married Sarvath Ikramullah, whose family belongs to the feudal aristocracy of

Bhopal state Bhopal State (pronounced ) was founded by the Maharaja of Parmar Rajputs. In the beginning of the 18th-century, Bhopal State was converted into an Islamic principality, in the invasion of the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was ...

in central India. Her father,

Mohammed Ikramullah Mohammad Ikramullah Hilal-e-Pakistan, Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG (hon), Order of the Indian Empire, CIE, Knight Grand Cross Portuguese Order of Christ (; 15 January 1903 – 12 September 1963) was a figure in the administration ...

, was an Indian politician who chose to move to Pakistan at Partition and became a diplomat there. His brother (Princess Sarvath's uncle),

Mohammad Hidayatullah Mohammad Hidayatullah (; 17 December 1905 – 18 September 1992) was an eminent Indian people, Indian jurist, scholar, linguist, educationist, writer and politician, statesman who served as the acting President of India on two different occasio ...

, choosing to remain in India, rose to become the 11th

Chief Justice of India The chief justice of India (CJI) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India and the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the President of India to appoint, as recommended by the outg ...

and then, after retirement from the judiciary, became the 6th

Vice President of India The vice president of India (ISO: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in t ...

. Princess Sarvath's mother, Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, came from the prominent Suhrawardy family of Undivided Bengal. She was the daughter of Hassan Suhrawardy and first cousin of former Prime Minister of undivided Pakistan,

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (8 September 18925 December 1963) was an East Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 to 1957 and before that as the Prime Minister of Bengal from 1946 to ...

. Prince El Hassan and Begum Sarvath Ikramullah first met in London in 1958, when they were both mere children. Their families knew each other very well and they played together as children. In the mid-1960s, they married with the full consent of their families. They have four children together: * Princess Rahma (born 13 August 1969) * Princess Sumaya (born 14 May 1971) * Princess Badiya (born 28 March 1974) * Prince Rashid (born 20 May 1979)

Education

Prince El Hassan was educated first in Amman. He then attended

Sandroyd School Sandroyd School is an independent co-educational preparatory school for day and boarding pupils aged 2 to 13 in the south of Wiltshire, England. The school's main building is Rushmore House, a 19th-century country house which is surrounded by th ...

in Wiltshire before going on to

Summer Fields School Summer Fields is a fee-paying boys' independent day and boarding preparatory school in Summertown, Oxford. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school, Summerfields, St Leonards-on-Sea (known as "Summers mi"). ...

, Oxford, followed by

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

in England, then Christ Church, a college of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, where he graduated BA with

Honours Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valo ...

Oriental Studies Oriental studies is the academic field that studies Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology. In recent years, the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Middle Eastern studie ...

and later proceeded to MA. Hassan is fluent in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, English, French and German. He has a working knowledge of Turkish and Spanish, and studied

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

at university.

Career

In 1965, Hassan was named as Crown Prince of Jordan after the constitution was amended. He was frequently

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

during his brother's absences from the country. During Hussein's final illness in January 1999, he was replaced by his nephew Abdullah three weeks before the king died. Abdullah subsequently inherited the throne of Jordan. In 2009, he joined the project "Soldiers of Peace", a film against all wars and for

global peace World peace is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would come about. Various relig ...

. On 10 June 2013, he was appointed as the chairman of the advisory board on water and sanitation (UNSGAB) by the

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

Removal as Crown Prince

was undergoing cancer treatment in mid-1998, the King assigned Crown Prince El Hassan a range of powers and authority to act as regent. With his newly gained powers, Hassan exercised a number of steps to consolidate his position as heir and future king, which included: (1) "orchestrating the removal of the npopulargovernment" of Abdelsalam Majali and appointing former Royal Court chief Fayez al-Tarawneh in his place, (2) organizing dialogue and reconciliation with opposition groups, most prominently the Muslim Brotherhood, and (3) attempting to effect changes at the top of the military. Hassan's attempted changes to the top hierarchy of the military angered King Hussein and led him to resume full duties as king. It is also a commonly cited reason for Hassan's removal as crown prince on 24 January 1999. Hassan's removal took shape through a 14-page typed letter, described by American historian W. Andrew Terrill as "extremely harsh", in which King Hussein expressed "unmistakable disappointment in Crown Prince El Hassan" and ordered his replacement with Hussein's son Abdullah. Terrill describes King Hussein as perhaps having felt that Hassan had "interest in shifting the line of succession to his own family", which led to his dismissal as Crown Prince three weeks before Hussein's death. Crown Prince El Hassan's attempted consolidation of power led the sickly King Hussein to break off "intensive" treatments for lymphoma and fly back home to Jordan in order to address the issue. At first, the King attempted to negotiate with Hassan, placing the King's younger son

Hamzah The hamza ( ') () is an Arabic script character that, in the Arabic alphabet, denotes a glottal stop and, in non-Arabic languages, indicates a diphthong, vowel, or other features, depending on the language. Derived from the letter '' ʿayn'' ( ...

as Hassan's crown prince to ensure that the line of succession would not switch to Hassan's line. However, Hassan's Pakistani wife Sarvath vetoed the proposal, particularly because of her reported distaste for Hamzah's American-born mother Queen Noor and her desire to have her son Prince Rashid in the line of succession. King Hussein instead replaced Hassan with his own son Abdullah, who had backing within the military and whose position as eldest son of the king would allow him to be enthroned by royal fiat, unlike Hamzah whose enthronement would require confirmation from the Jordanian Parliament.

Organizations

Prince El Hassan has been a very active participant in Jordanian and International civil society. He founded the Royal Scientific Society in 1970, the Annual Bilad Al-Sham Conference in 1978, and the

Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (RABIIT) is an international Islamic non-governmental, independent institute in Amman, Jordan. It is affiliated with the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. The late King Hussein Bin Tala ...

in 1980. He has also established the Al al-Bayt University in

Mafraq Mafraq ( ''Al-Mafraq'', local dialects: ''Mafrag'' or ''Mafra''; ) is the capital city of Mafraq Governorate in Jordan, located 80 km to the north of the national capital, Amman. It is located at a crossroads, with a road north going to Syr ...

, the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency, the Islamic Scientific Academy, the Triannual Conferences on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, the Amman Baccalaureate School, and the Al-Hassan Youth Award. He founded and chairs the Independent Bureau for Humanitarian Issues, Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues, the Higher Council for Science and Technology, the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, the Foundation for Intercultural and Interfaith Research and Dialogue, the Arab Thought Forum since 1981, the Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center, and the West Asia – North Africa Forum (WANA Forum), and was chair of the Policy Advisory Commission for the

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to pr ...

from 1999 to 2002. He has served as the president of the

Club of Rome The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing list of global issues, global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in R ...

from 1999 to 2007, the board of directors for the Center for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, the

Parliament of Cultures In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. T ...

, the Royal Jordanian Polo Club, and the International Tolerance Foundation for Humanities and Social Studies, and is honorary president of the Euro-Mediterranean Association for Cooperation and Development since 2012. Secretary Kerry Meets With Jordanian Prince El Hassan Bin Talal

Secretary Kerry Meets With Jordanian Prince El Hassan Bin Talal

Prince El Hassan is also a patron of the Post-War Reconstruction and Development Unit at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

, the Swiss Rights and Humanity non-profit organization, the

British Institute in Amman The British Institute in Amman (BIA, ), formerly known as the British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History (BIAAH), is a research institute in Amman, Jordan. It is part of the Council for British Research in the Levant. The BIA's patron ...

, and

the Woolf Institute The Woolf Institute is an academic institute in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1998 by Edward Kessler MBE and Martin Forward, and now located in central Cambridge on the Westminster College, Cambridge, Westminster College Site, it is dedicated to ...

, in addition to being a member of the

Global Leadership Foundation The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization consisting of a network of former heads of state/government and other distinguished leaders (GLF Members), who seek to assist developing countries in improving gov ...

, the Chairman the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, the Advisory Board of British

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

Gold Mercury International, the board of directors of the

Nuclear Threat Initiative The Nuclear Threat Initiative, generally referred to as NTI, is a non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C. NTI was founded in 2001 by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and philanthropist Ted Turner and describes itself as a "a nonprofit, ...

(since 2002), the Board of Trustees of the

Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue (FIIRD) The Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue (FIIRD) is a registered charitable organization in Alberta, Canada. The main program of the FIIRD is to enhance knowledge and the critical examination of the wellsprings o ...

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

, Switzerland, the Executive Committee of the

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

, the International Advisory Board of

Forum 2000 Forum 2000 is a foundation and conference of the same name held in Prague, Czech Republic. The Forum 2000 Foundation was founded in 1996 as a joint initiative of the Czech President Václav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and N ...

, the Committee of Personalities of

Institut Catala De La Mediterrania An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

, the Informal Advisory Group to the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

, the

Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor was an independent international commission, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and established in 2005 as the “first global initiative to focus on the link between exclusion ...

, the International Board of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

, the Board of World Religious Leaders for

the Elijah Interfaith Institute ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, the

Trilateral Commission The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973, principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...

, the Advisory Council for Research of the

Center for Democracy and Community Development Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...

(since 2010), and the Independent Eminent Experts group of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,

Xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

, and Related Intolerance. Prince El Hassan supports

ecocide Ecocide (from Greek 'home' and Latin 'to kill') is the destruction of the natural environment, environment by humans. Ecocide threatens all human populations that are dependent on natural resources for maintaining Ecosystem, ecosystems and ensu ...

becoming a crime at the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

stating ''Ecocide would need to be a true ICC crime inline with the Rome Statute and in harnessing the power of international criminal law for the protection of our shared global government.

Honours

National

*: * Honorary Knight Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali * Grand Cordon of the

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (,) is the second-most senior order of merit in the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the British For ...

* Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Star of Jordan The Order of the Star of Jordan (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Urduni) or The Order of Hussein ibn Ali (Wisam al-Hussein ibn Ali) is an award and order of Jordan and is awarded for military or civil merit. It was founded in honour of his father, by King ...

* Grand Cordon of the

Order of Independence Order of Independence or Independence Order () is a Vietnamese decoration. Criteria The Vietnamese government states that the decoration "shall be conferred or posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or med ...

* Grand Cordon of the

* Grand Cordon of the Decoration of the Star of the Hashemites * Order of the State Centennial

Foreign

* : Grand Cross of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, 1st Class * : Collar of the Order of Khalifa * Ethiopian Imperial Family: Grand Cordon of the

Order of Solomon Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

* : Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

* : Knight Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

* : Grand Cordon of the

Order of Ouissam Alaouite The Order of Ouissam Alaouite () or the Sharifian Order of Al-Alaoui is a military decoration of Morocco which is bestowed by the King of Morocco upon those civilians and military officers who have displayed heroism in combat or have contribute ...

. * : First Class of the

Order of Intellectual Merit Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

* : Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal * : Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

*: Grand Cordon of the

Nishan-e-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized Civil decorations of Pakistan, civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the awa ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order o ...

* : Recipient of the 70th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf * :

Order of Propitious Clouds The Order of Propitious Clouds () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The center of the medal features a picture of clouds, as a token of auspiciousness. This order was instituted in 1941 and classified into nine ranks. As wit ...

with Special Grand Cordon (1973) * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

* : Grand Cordon of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia

Honorary degrees and doctorates

In 2002, Prince El Hassan was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

by the

, in recognition of his contribution to the field of

post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

reconstruction and development. In 2004 he was awarded an honorary fellowship by

York St John University York St John University (originally established as York Diocesan College), often abbreviated to YSJ, is a public university located on a large urban campus in York, England. Established in 1841, it achieved university status in 2006 and in 2015 ...

, for his lifelong contribution to peace initiatives in the Middle East, humanitarian projects and inspirational leadership in interfaith dialogue. * Honorary Degree of Science,

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

, Turkey (1981) * Honorary Degree of Doctor of Civil Law,

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

, U.K. (1990) * Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters,

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership (DBA for Spertus College) is an institution of higher Jewish education headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It offers learning opportunities that are "rooted in Jewish wisdom and culture and ...

, U.S.A. (1995) * Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters,

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

, Northern Ireland (1996) * Honorary Doctorate,

Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (, also known as MGIMO University) is an higher education, institute of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. The institute is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian ...

, Russia (1997) * Honorary Doctorate of Laws,

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, U.K. (1999) * Honorary Doctorate,

Bilkent University Bilkent University () is a private non-profit research university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by İhsan Doğramacı, the first president of the Council of Higher Education and the head of the prominent Doğramacı family, with th ...

, Turkey (1999) * Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (Hon LLB),

University of Hertfordshire The University of Hertfordshire (UH) is a Universities in the United Kingdom, university in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The university is based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield ...

, U.K. (2000) * Honorary Doctorate of Theology,

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

, Germany (2001) * Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters,

, U.S.A. (2002) * Honorary Doctorate,

, U.K. (2002) * Honorary Doctorate of Laws,

University of Portsmouth The University of Portsmouth (UoP) is a public university in Portsmouth, England. Comprising five Faculty (division), faculties, the university offers a wide range of academic disciplines. in 2022, with around 28,280 students enrolled in Unde ...

, U.K. (2002) * Honorary Doctorate of Laws,

International Islamic University, Islamabad The International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) is an Islamic public university located in Islamabad, Pakistan.

, Pakistan (2005) * Honorary Degree of LLD Honoris Causa,

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

(SOAS) at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, U.K. (2005) * Honorary Degree and the Medal of the World Academy,

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

, U.S.A. (2005) * Doctorate Honoris Causa,

Universidade Cândido Mendes Universidade Candido Mendes is a private university located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is Latin America's oldest private university. History It was founded in 1902, thus being the oldest private university in Latin America, by the Count Când ...

(UCAM), Brazil (2006) * Doctorate Honoris Causa,

Institute of Higher Education of Brasilia An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

(IESB), Brazil (2006) * Doctorate Honoris Causa, Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (FMU), Brazil (2006) * Honorary Degree in Human Letters,

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

, U.S.A. (2006) * Honorary Degree, Soka University, Japan (2006) * Honorary Doctorate, the Faculty of Humanities,

University of Lund Lund University () is a public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially founded in 1666 on the ...

, Sweden (2007). * Doctorate Honoris Causa

Eötvös Loránd University Eötvös Loránd University (, ELTE, also known as ''University of Budapest'') is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in ...

, Hungary (2007). * Honorary Fellowship of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

(2008) * Doctorate Honoris Causa in Multicultural Communication For Human And Nations Development,

Hasanuddin University Hasanuddin University () which is abbreviated as Unhas, is one of the largest autonomous universities in Indonesia. It is located in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Unhas was established on September 10, 1956, and named after Sultan Hasanud ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, 2012

Awards and prizes

* The Four Freedoms Award – May 2014 * The Abu Bakr Al-Siddique Medal of the

Organisation of Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is an entity—such as a company, or corporation or an institution (formal organization), or an association—comprising one or more people and having a parti ...

– September 1996. * The 1995 Science and Society Prize in Madrid. * The inaugural Gandhi/King/Ikeda Community Builders Medal and Torch of Nonviolence – April 2001. * The Distinguished Foreign Visitor Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston – April 2002. * The 2003 Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Award for the Advancement of Inter-religious Understanding – June 2003. * The

Abraham Fund Pioneer of Co-existence Award Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

(New York) – January 2004. * The 2005 Eternal Flame Award by the Annual Scholars’ Conference of the U.S. * The

Calgary Peace Prize The Calgary Peace Prize is an annual Canadian award that is given by an independent committee in Calgary, Alberta. The purpose of the award is to recognize individuals globally for their work supporting peace, "making the world a more just, safer ...

– 2007. * A medal to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the adoption of UNESCO's Constitution, at the inaugural meeting of the Tolerance Foundation held at the Yusupov Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia – May 2007. * The 2008 Abraham Geiger Award for Peace. * The

Niwano Peace Prize The Niwano Peace Prize is given to honor and encourage those devoting themselves to interreligious co-operation in the cause of peace and to make their achievements known. Its foundation hopes that the prize will further promote interreligious co-o ...

in Japan – May 2008. * The Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani medallion –

Iqbal Academy, UK Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

– 2008. * The Peace Prize of the City of Augsburg – Germany – 2008.

Abraham Geiger Award

The 2008 Abraham Geiger Award, named after liberal thinker of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Abraham Geiger Abraham Geiger (Hebrew: ''ʼAvrāhām Gayger''; 24 May 181023 October 1874) was a German rabbi and scholar who is considered the founding father of Reform Judaism and the academic field of Quranic studies. Emphasizing Judaism's constant developm ...

(1810–1874), was conferred upon Prince El Hassan bin Talal. The award ceremony was held in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 4 March 2008. Past recipients include Cardinal

Karl Lehmann Karl Lehmann (16 May 1936 – 11 March 2018) was a German prelate and cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Mainz from 1983 to 2016, being elevated to the cardinalate in 2001. He served as chairman of the Conference of the ...

Alfred Grosser Alfred Grosser (1 February 1925 – 7 February 2024) was a German-born French writer, sociologist and political scientist. Although his Jewish family had to move from Frankfurt to France in 1933, he focused on Franco-German cooperation after Wor ...

Emil Fackenheim Emil Ludwig Fackenheim (; 22 June 1916 – 19 September 2003) was a Jewish philosopher and Reform rabbi. Born in Halle, Germany, he was arrested by Nazis on the night of 9 November 1938, known as . Briefly interned at the Sachsenhausen con ...

and Susannah Heschel. "Honouring the President Emeritus of the World Conference of Religions for Peace underlines Prince El Hassan's courage in defending

pluralism Pluralism in general denotes a diversity of views or stands, rather than a single approach or method. Pluralism or pluralist may refer more specifically to: Politics and law * Pluralism (political philosophy), the acknowledgement of a diversi ...

, promoting understanding among different cultures and enhancing dialogue between

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and Christians. The Prince's efforts to promote understanding between the Islamic and Western Worlds are crucial at a time when we seem to be drifting apart, with perceived differences appearing to overwhelm the many things we have in common, both culturally and religiously."

Publications

* (it) ''Camminare insieme'' (with Alain Elkann et Elio Toaff), Milan, Bompiani, 2015. * ''Peacemaking : An Inside Story of the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli Treaty'', Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, 2006. * ''To Be A Muslim: Islam, Peace, and Democracy'',

Alain Elkann Alain Elkann (born 23 March 1950) is an Italian novelist and journalist. Elkann is the host of cultural programs on Italian television. He is president of the Scientific Committee of the Italy–USA Foundation. A recurring theme in his books is ...

coauthor,

Sussex Academic Press Sussex Academic Press, founded in 1994, is a publishing company based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, United Kingdom.

, Handcover, December 2003, (96 pages), . * ''Continuity, Innovation and Changes : Selected essays'', Amman, Majlis El Hassan, 2001. * (it) ''Essere musulmano'' (with Alain Elkann), Milan, Bompiani, 2001. * ''Christianity in the Arab World'',

SCM Press SCM Press is a British publisher of theology, originally linked to the Student Christian Movement. The company was purchased by Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1997. In 2018, ''Church Times'' reported that 100 titles from SCM Press and Canterbury ...

with foreword by the Prince of Wales, 1995, (120 pages), . * ''Search for Peace : The Politics of the Middle Ground in the Arab East'', New-York, St. Martin's Press, 1984. * ''Palestinian Self-Determination: A Study of the West Bank and Gaza Strip'', Quartet Books, New York 1981, . * ''A Study on Jerusalem'', London – New-York, Longman, 1979.

References

External links

Picture of Prince El Hassan
(taken from the BBC)

* ttp://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=1777526643 Interview with Prince El Hassanon

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

's ''

As It Happens ''As It Happens'' is a Canadian interview show that airs on CBC Radio One in Canada and various public radio stations in the United States through Public Radio Exchange. Its 50th anniversary was celebrated on-air on November 16, 2018. It has be ...

'' (2 February 2011)
Abraham Geiger College – Abraham Geiger Award 2008 goes to HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan
(2 November 2007) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hassan bin Talal, Prince 1947 births Living people People from Amman People educated at Summer Fields School People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Hassan, Prince Crown princes of Jordan Princes of Jordan Jordanian Muslims World Intellectual Property Organization people Club of Rome members Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Members of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Jordanian officials of the United Nations Sons of kings Heirs apparent who never acceded 20th-century Jordanian people Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia Recipients of the Order of the State Centenary (Jordan) 20th-century regents