At about noon in Amman on February 7, 1999, HM Husayn bin Talâl al-Hâshimî, King of Jordan, passed away. King Husayn spent much of his life working to improve Jordan and to achieve peace in the Middle East. Most recently, his appearance at Wye Plantation while undergoing chemotherapy was a key event in the successful conclusion of the Wye Accords between the Palestinian Authority and Israel last fall.

The longest-serving leader in the Middle East at the time of his death, King Husayn has seen and dealt with much in his nearly fifty year reign. Not all of his actions have been universally popular, as he has tried to balance the interests of Jordanians, Palestinians, the rest of the Arab world, and the West in an effort to promote regional stability and economic growth. Yet he remained well-liked by most everyone.

I have always respected King Husayn, for his pursuit of peace, his keeping a middle path, his skills as a leader, and as a descendant of the Prophet. Like many, I have not agreed with everything he has done, but I respect him nonetheless. The world, the Middle East, the Arabs, and Jordan have lost a great statesman, a great peacemaker.

It is my earnest hope—as it was when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated—that this death will bring a redoubling of the efforts of all the states in the region to achieve a just and lasting peace, in honor and memory of a great man and his life's work.

Thus, for the month of February, this page will greet all visitors to al-Qâhira fî Amrîkâ, in honor of HM King Husayn and his life.

For more detailed coverage than I could ever provide, I urge you to visit the official home page of HM King Husayn, http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/, and view its tribute.

As-salâmu `alaykum, yâ Mâlik Husayn.

On to al-Qâhira fî Amrîkâ