First of all, in many Muslim countries women have incredible amounts of freedom, sometimes more than in some countries in Europe. So you cannot just make a generalized statement about women. Second, Islam is not the problem. It's tradition. It's culture. It's age-old mind-sets that need to be changed.

Women in Jordan are participating in all aspects of civil as well as political life - as female judges, parliamentarians, businesswomen. And the evolution will continue. This is not something that happens overnight.

I believe that if we want our children to understand the world beyond their classroom, we must bring the world into their classroom.

I don't believe there is a clash between cultures. I believe there is a clash between perceptions of each other.

I really feel that political will is born out of popular will.

I'm amazed by the misconceptions about Muslim women and the Arab world that I hear, and that really does hurt me.

Whatever title or office we may be privileged to hold, it is what we do that defines who we are ... Each of us must decide what kind of person we want to be-what kind of legacy that we want to pass on.