King Abdullah

King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein II is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad and assumed his constitutional powers as King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on February 7th 1999 - the day his father, the late King Hussein, passed away. He was born in Amman on January 30th 1962, the eldest son King Hussein and Queen Noor, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Much like his father, Abdullah had a varied education, beginning at the Islamic Educational College in Amman and receiving his secondary education at St. Edmund's School in Surrey, England and Eaglebrook School in Massachusetts, USA. In 1980, he entered the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, where he received his military education. He also attended Oxford University in 1984, doing a one-year course in International Politics and World Affairs.

Army Days
Returning home, he then joined the Jordanian army, working his way to the rank of Captain and the Commander of a Tank Company in the 91st Armoured Brigade, later becoming attached to the Air Force's Helicopter Anti-Tank Wing as a Tactics Instructor, where he also became a Cobra Attack Helicopter Pilot. He worked his way up the ranks and, in June 1994, assumed command of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces. In May 1998, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.

In addition to his career in the army, King Abdullah, often assumed the duties of Regent in his father's absence, regularly travelling abroad with the late King Hussein. King Abdullah has indicated that he is committed to building on the legacy left by his father, who made enormous advances in sanitation, literacy and the country’s infrastructure, notably continuing to improve the country's education and humanitarian efforts. He married Queen Rania on June 10th 1993 and the couple have one son, Prince al-Hussein, born on June 28th 1994, and one daughter, Princess Iman, born on September 27th 1996.

Hobbies and Interests
King Abdullah is a qualified diver, pilot and free-fall parachutist, as well as a serious racing driver (he's a former Jordanian National Rally Racing Champion). As a hobby he enjoys collecting ancient weapons and armaments. He has done much to moderate ill-informed views about Arabs in western countries, especially the US, often appearing on television to explain the background to the current troubles and preaching a message that attempts reconciliation, rather than aggression. "There is no such thing as moderate Islam and extreme Islam; there is Islam, and then there are extremists."