Jordan’s Queen Noor Asked to Meet Herbert W. Armstrong
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, 1983, Herbert Armstrong arrived in Jordan’s capital, Amman. On this visit he would tour the Al Hussein Center for physically handicapped and the Bunyat Center for Special Education, where eight Ambassador College students worked as part of Ambassador International Cultural Foundation’s (aicf’s) contribution to humanitarian service and support in the royal kingdom.
The next day, he was hosted by Princess Majda, wife of King Hussein’s cousin Prince Ra’d, who “escorted Mr. Armstrong through the center housing more than 100 physically handicapped people, mostly children.” He was moved at the inspiring work accomplished in the small inadequate facility and “while touring the facility, he learned that escalating costs and poor planning were financially troubling the new facility” (Worldwide News, Nov. 7, 1983).
At 7 p.m. that evening, upon royal invitation, Mr. Armstrong attended a benefit reception that featured unique productions of Arab art. The queen was the feature guest and was touring the exhibits when he arrived. Princess Majda informed Mr. Armstrong that Queen Noor wanted to meet him at the reception area. “There Mr. Armstrong was formally introduced to the queen, who asked several questions about him and the activities of the Ambassador Foundation worldwide” (ibid).
After about 10 minutes of discussion, Queen Noor stated her desire to meet with Mr. Armstrong again. The queen’s husband, King Hussein, first met Mr. Armstrong in 1974 and thereafter established an enduring friendship in the kingdom’s search for stability, growth in friendship and peace with its neighbors. The Jordanian royal family knew Mr. Armstrong championed the way of “giving,” as an unofficial ambassador for world peace, and were witness to his various initiatives and projects in the service of the Hashemite people.
Queen Noor had many more guests to greet at that benefit, while Mr. Armstrong had a scheduled 8 p.m. dinner meeting at the home of Adnan Abu Odeh, Jordan’s minister of information. Thus the queen and Mr. Armstrong bid each other farewell until their next meeting.
Upon arrival for dinner at the minister’s residence, Mr. Armstrong’s host introduced the country’s minister of occupied territories and minister of youth and culture, along with the head of Jordan television, Dr. Kamal. Also attending were Prince Ra’d, Princess Majda and the Ambassador College students serving an already established aicf project in Jordan.
During this trip, a special World Tomorrow television program was presented to Dr. Kamal. As head of national television, it would be up to him to approve any subsequent airing in Jordan of the worldwide program that began on radio in America back in January 1934. The pilot program included “extensive quotes from the Koran’s account of Adam and Eve and a strong report from the Isaiah 40:9-10 message to the cities of Judah” (ibid).
Friday was the Muslim day of rest, and as such Mr. Armstrong devoted that day to extensive writing, most notably working on a new booklet at the time titled A World Held Captive, which he planned to debut as a feature series in the mass circulation Plain Truth magazine, founded by him in February 1934.
On Saturday, he conducted Sabbath services, with aicf officials, television staff and the Ambassador College students in attendance. Afterward he discussed “The Only Real Value of Human Life,” his article written for the 50th-anniversary edition of the Plain Truth while on a recent visit to Denmark. The group later dined together and before concluding enjoyed a card game of Hearts initiated by Mr. Armstrong.
On Sunday, he toured the Bunyat Center for Special Education. This was a project of Princess Sarvath, wife of Crown Prince Hassan, and was financially aided by the aicf. Mr. Armstrong reportedly said “he was impressed with the gains made by the children, and it was moving to see the Ambassador College students unselfishly serving thousands of miles from home.” He heard many impressive remarks about the impact of the students in the country. Later that evening at his suite at the Marriot Hotel, Mr. Armstrong met with Princess Majda and her Danish friend, who claimed she’d been a Plain Truth subscriber for four years and had just realized Mr. Armstrong was the publication’s founder and editor in chief. With this influential and now captive audience, he “discussed the physically handicapped center and spoke briefly of the incredible human potential of the crippled children” (ibid).
During January 1986, when the news of the death of this unofficial ambassador for peace reached King Hussein and Queen Noor, minister of the Royal Hashemite Court Adnan Abu Odeh wrote, “Their majesties instructed me to convey their heartfelt sympathies and condolences on the passing away of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong and their hope that the life of benevolence, altruism and the drive for a better understanding among peoples which Mr. Armstrong led will continue to be the inspirational path for others to follow” (Good News, May 1986).
Following its humble beginning back in 1996, the revived, reborn and refreshed Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, under the direction of editor in chief Gerald Flurry, first set about to serve the Mideast kingdom of Jordan by collaborating with the Al-Hussein Society, thus reviving the support Mr. Armstrong gave it.
As founder and chairman of Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, Mr. Flurry then lent support to the Petra National Trust, with its vision and mission of conserving, preserving and sustaining the historic city, and joined in supporting its “projects and programs to safeguard and maintain site significance and integrity for Jordan and the world” (petranationaltrust.org).
The increasing efforts of Armstrong International Cultural Foundation over the past two decades, seeking to aid other cultures and create opportunities to showcase the very best of achievements to which the human spirit can aspire, are proof that Mr. Flurry is honoring the request of emperors, kings, queens, princes, presidents and prime ministers—along with a myriad of other dignitaries from around the globe who met and worked with Mr. Armstrong and the foundation during his life—to continue his legacy.
Through these efforts, Armstrong International Cultural Foundation continues Mr. Armstrong’s legacy of seeking to bring about understanding between all peoples, nations and cultures as the world unknowingly awaits the inevitable, soon-coming government of world peace that Christ will soon impose on this globe.
