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CNN Live At Daybreak

Talk with Queen Rania of Jordan

Aired October 30, 2001 - 08:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: When President Bush asked for allies in the war against terrorism, Jordan stepped in to help. After all, the king and queen of Jordan were, themselves, targets of at least one suspected terrorist attack last year.

Earlier this morning, I talked with Jordan's Queen Rania about the battle against terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Queen Rania, welcome. It is an honor to talk with you this morning.

QUEEN RANIA, JORDAN: Thank you, Paula. Thank you.

ZAHN: I know you traveled to New York recently, and it was very important for you to go down to ground zero. You met with police. You met with firefighters and rescue workers. What lesson do you think America should learn from what happened on September 11?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, the first thing, Paula, is to really understand that no matter what America has done in the past, it did not deserve what happened. There is nothing that justifies those kinds of atrocities. America did not deserve for this to happen to it.

However, there are lessons to be drawn, and I think the whole world -- it's a lesson for the whole world, not just for the United States. We've all learned that we have to work together. We all know that we have a common enemy, and I think out of this event, as this tragedy emerged, a global moral consciousness. We all understand, now, that any problem that happens in any part of the world can poison our whole world. And, therefore, we have to, whenever we see conflict in any part of our world, we have to look at it with objective and concerned eyes and really deal with the issues there, because one day they might come back and hurt us.

ZAHN: You say we all have a common enemy, and people in our audience may not know that your family had to cut short a vacation last year after receiving information that terrorists planned to attack a yacht you were on. Later, that appeared to have been a plot by Osama bin Laden. I'm wondering what your level of concern is about the safety of your citizens as Jordan has embraced this coalition? Does it make Jordan more vulnerable... QUEEN RANIA: Well, you know...

ZAHN: ... to future attacks?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, you know, I think every country in the world today is concerned about terrorism in one form or the other, and Jordan is like any other country. But we have -- we're very confident and have strong faith in our security services, in our intelligence. They have been working over the years, have always been very clear on their stance towards terrorism. They've always worked very hard to fight it and to combat it. And we have now renewed resolve now with the backing of the international community all working together and coordinating, and hopefully we'll do a better job at fighting terrorism.

But like any other part of the world, we are concerned. However, we do have strong faith in our system. They work so hard, and Jordan is really one of the more stable and safest places in our part of the world.

ZAHN: Why do the Islamic fundamentalists hate America so much?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, you know, this question has been asked so many times, and it's not an easy question to answer. I think, as I said earlier, there is nothing that justifies the attack that happened against the United States. I think the majority of Arabs do not hate Americans. Some of them may have certain issues with some of the policies of the United States. However, in times of crisis, you'll find that the radical minority, their voices seem to drown out the more moderate majority of people here.

I think what we need to look at is the concerns with some of the issues regarding the American foreign policy. Some people -- I think the majority of people in our part of the world are frustrated with the fact that they did not see the dividends of peace. The promise of peace was not delivered to our part of the world, and I think many people have concerns about that. There is anger and frustration.

So I think now, more than at any other time beforehand, we really need to focus on finding a just, comprehensive and peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, for instance, and for other conflicts in our part of the world.

But -- and I think another issue that we have to look at is this disconnect between our part of the world and the United States. I think we have to work much harder to communicate more clearly with one another, to explain where we're coming from, explain our policies and our beliefs. And I think this will help to bridge the gap between us and bring about a better understanding and less mutual suspicion, if you will, or mistrust that exists today.

ZAHN: You said something that I think has a lot of resonance about perhaps some critics of the United States taking issue with certain policies of the United States. I spoke with your husband several days after the September 11 attacks, and he told me had there been peace in the Middle East, this never would have happened in America. Do you agree?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, I think, Paula, we have to realize that the Arab-Israeli -- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has poisoned our world for a very, very long time. It is the main source of anger, frustration, a feeling of indignation at the injustice taking place. For over a year now, we've been witnessing funerals almost on a daily basis, many of them are young children. And I think that this is really -- has really made people very, very angry, and really, it's very, very important for us to find a solution to this problem.

ZAHN: But with both sides distrusting each other in such a fierce way, are you optimistic that we'll see any headway in talks towards peace?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, the truth is I don't think there will be any headway without the international intervention. We really need the international community to come together and to exert a genuine and focused and concerted effort to bring both parties together to negotiate. I think we've all had enough of the finger pointing, each side blaming the other. The truth of the matter is that the situation on the ground is not acceptable. And we, as an international community, have an obligation to make sure that the two sides sit together and negotiate for the sake of the people on the ground, and for the sake of the international community as well.

We really need to find a solution to this problem, and I think once that is achieved, then we'll have a much healthier atmosphere in our part of the world and the world at large.

ZAHN: Your own personal story, I think, gives you a unique perspective on the complexities of the region. You're a Palestinian. You were raised in Kuwait. You had to leave Kuwait when Saddam Hussein invaded the country, because of the PLL, in fact, supporting the invasion. How has that affected the way you view this extremely tense time in the United States?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, I don't think of anything in my background gives me a more comprehensive perspective on things. I've lived in different parts of the Arab world. I've seen how people think. I've seen the issues that face people, the challenges, the frustrations. And I think if anything, it just strengthens my resolve to really find a peaceful solution on the ground, and I think it's time for our part of the world to live in a healthy atmosphere and stability, free from occupation. And it's only once that we achieve this peace that we can really start to move forward with our lives.

ZAHN: And in closing, I know how committed you are to your Muslim faith. How insulted are you that the followers of Osama bin Laden have so perverted the foundations of Islam?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, the truth is that Islam has suffered at the hands of radical groups like those, because they have taken Islam, they have taken a religion that is so pure and contaminated it with their own political agendas and views, and really have used it as a platform to project their own views to the world. This is not the Islam that I know. The Islam that I know is one of tolerance, of peace, of respect for human rights and human dignity.

So it does anger me to see how this image can be so unfairly distorted and projected to the rest of the world in such a negative way. And I think the only -- the best way to combat this is to really educate ourselves, to read more about Islam and understand that Islam, in and of itself, is not a threat to the rest of the world. In fact, at its core, it's built on the messages delivered by in Christianity and in Judaism, and so therefore, we have to really understand it a little bit better and realize that there is nothing negative about Islam, but there is something dangerous in the fact that people can take this religion and interpret it to meet their own ends.

ZAHN: Queen Rania, it is a privilege to have you join us this morning, and continued good luck as you go about the work that you do for women and children in your country.

QUEEN RANIA: Thank you, Paula. It was a pleasure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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