Jordan queen seeks to tackle stereotypes through YouTube
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 22:19:00 04/01/2008
AMMAN -- Jordan's Queen Rania has launched her own Internet channel on YouTube in a bid to encourage young people to help tackle stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs, her office said on Tuesday.
"In a world where it's so easy to connect to one another, we still remain very much disconnected. There's a whole world of wonder out there that we cannot appreciate with stereotypes," a statement quoted her as saying.
"I want people to know the real Arab world, to see it unedited, unscripted and unfiltered, to see the personal side of my region, to know the places and faces and rituals and culture that shape the part of the world I call home."
Rania, the wife of King Abdullah II, urged viewers to respond with their opinions of the Middle East "and to acknowledge stereotypes they've heard of Arabs and Muslims".
The queen said she would work "towards breaking down these preconceptions over the next few months" on the popular website.
"From now until August 12, which is International Youth Day, I hope to be receiving from YouTubers some of the questions that they have and common stereotypes, and I will try to break them one by one," she said on her YouTube channel.
"I will be also encouraging YouTubers to help me address some of these common stereotypes, so I will be relying on your skills and creativity ... to get this right."
Last year, Rania told an annual economic forum in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah that Muslims should reject extremism if they want to be taken seriously by the West.
"We are right to question Western governments when their actions only make it easier for radicals to recruit new followers. But our moral authority depends on our willingness to reject the voices of extremism and violence in our midst," she said.
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