Rula Ghani

Rula Ghani
First Lady of Afghanistan
Assumed office
September 29, 2014
Preceded by Zeenat Karzai
Personal details
Born Rula Saade
1948 (age 67–68)
Lebanon
Nationality Lebanese, American, and Afghan
Spouse(s) Ashraf Ghani (m. 1975)
Alma mater Sciences Po university, Paris American University of Beirut Columbia University of New York
Religion Maronite Christian

Rula Ghani (born Rula Saade; Afghan name: Bibi Gul[1]) is the current First Lady of Afghanistan and the wife of the incumbent President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani.[2]

In 2015, Rula Ghani was named to the Time 100, a list of the world's most influential people, by Time magazine.[3]

Personal life

Rula Ghani was born Rula Saade and raised in Lebanon to a Lebanese Christian family. She received a diploma from Sciences Po, France, in 1969.[4] She completed a master's degree in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut in 1974, where she had met her future husband, Ashraf Ghani.[5]

The couple married in 1975 and have two children: a daughter, Mariam Ghani, a Brooklyn-based visual artist,[6] and a son, Tariq. Both children were born in United States and hold American citizenship. Rula Ghani earned another master's degree in journalism from the Columbia University in New York City in 1983. Ghani returned to Afghanistan in 2003.[7]

Ghani holds citizenship in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and the United States.[1][8] She is reportedly fluent in English, French, Arabic and Dari.

2014 election

In an unusual move for a politician in Afghanistan, Dr. Ghani at his presidential inauguration in 2014 publicly thanked his wife, acknowledging her with an Afghan name, Bibi Gul.[5] "I want to thank my partner, Bibi Gul, for supporting me and Afghanistan," said Dr. Ghani, looking emotional. "She has always supported Afghan women and I hope she continues to do so."[9][10] Historian, Ali A Olomi, has argued that following the precedent of Afghanistan's Queen Soraya, Rula Ghani can bring real change for women's rights in the country.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Rula Ghani, the woman making waves as Afghanistan’s new first lady". The Guardian. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Al Arabiya: Afghan first lady in shadow of 1920s queen?
  3. ↑ Hosseini, Khaled (2015-04-16). "Time 100 Leaders: Rula Ghani". Time (magazine). Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  4. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/06/rula-ghani-afghan-first-lady
  5. 1 2 The Daily Telegraph: Ashraf Ghani inaugurated: Is Afghanistan ready for a high-profile first lady?
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ O'Donnell, Lynne (27 May 2015). "AP Interview: Afghanistan's first lady breaks taboos but insists she 'doesn't do politics'". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Al Arabiya: Afghanistan’s next first lady, a Christian Lebanese-American?
  9. ↑ Wall Street Journal: Ghani Sworn In as Afghan President
  10. ↑ Foreign Policy: The real first ladies of Afghanistan
  11. ↑ The History News Network: Afghanistan's New President Thinks His Wife Can Play a Decisive Role in the Country's Future Despite Her Gender. Why He's Right
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