Lalla Aicha of Morocco
Lalla Aïcha of Morocco ( Arabic للا عائشة, DMG Lallā ʿĀʾiša ; born on June 17, 1930 in Rabat ; died on September 4, 2011 ibid), also transcribed Lailla Aischa , was a Moroccan princess and ambassador and the sister of King Hassan II.
Childhood and youth
Lalla Aicha grew up as the second eldest daughter of Sultan Mohammed of Morocco , and was the daughter of his main wife Lalla Abla bint Tahar. She had six siblings and, like them, enjoyed a western and emancipated upbringing at the request of her father. She studied history at the Sorbonne and received a Dr. phil.
As early as April 1947, the seventeen year old appeared in public with her father and brother in front of a traditionally minded audience in Tangier . While her father gave a speech in which he called for the unification of Morocco (without mentioning the colonial powers France and Spain ), Lalla Aicha represented a modern image of women in the speech written for her. A "revealing" beach picture of her also triggered a scandal among the more conservative Moroccans. This was used by Thami El Glaoui , an internal political opponent of her father, for propaganda.
Career and Later Life
Her father was exiled in 1953, but he was recalled in 1955 and then installed as king of the now independent Morocco. Lalla Aicha returned with him and took a prominent position in the women's rights movement. In November 1957 the Times put it on the front page as a symbol of Islamic feminism. Her father supported this role and appointed her to the head of National Welfare and the Moroccan Red Crescent (until 1967). Following the example of the International Women's Council, she founded a National Women's League as an umbrella organization for women's organizations.
On August 16, 1961, Lalla Aicha married her first husband Hassan al-Yaqubi, with whom she had two daughters, Lalla Zubaida and Lalla Nufissa al-Yaqubi. In 1972 she divorced and married her second husband Hassan bin al-Mahdi, who was his third wife. Their second marriage remained childless, al-Mahdi died in 1984.
After her brother's accession to the throne on March 3, 1961, Lalla Aicha represented Morocco as Ambassador to Great Britain (1965–1969), Greece (1969–1970) and Italy (1970–1973). Sending a woman as an ambassador for an Islamic country was unusual.
Observers saw this as a move by Hassan II to push the politically very prominent sister out of the public eye. After her recall, she withdrew into private life, according to this reading so as not to damage the image of the royal family through public dissent . She retained her title of Honorary Chairperson of the Moroccan National Women's League (obtained in 1969) and was passionate about golf.
On September 5, 2011, she was buried in Rabat in the presence of her family.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Genealogy of Muhammad V.
- ^ Antonius Lux (ed.): Great women of world history. Sebastian Lux Verlag, p. 16.
- ↑ Obituary 2011
- ↑ Article 2008 (French)
- ↑ Obituary 2011 (French)
- ↑ Information on the funeral of Princess Lalla Aicha (en)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Aicha of Morocco, Lalla |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Aisha, Lailla |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Moroccan princess and ambassador |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 17, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rabat |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th September 2011 |
| Place of death | Rabat |