Monday, February 15, 1999
Local mourners remember Hussein's humanity
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LOVELAND — To much of the world, he was a statesman, a peacemaker, an international figure in promoting stability in the Middle East. But to Dina Naser of Springfield Township, Jordan's late King Hussein was a sovereign so sensitive to his subjects that he would disguise himself as a taxicab driver and chat with his passengers to learn how they felt about issues.
To Dr. Faheid Daoud of Indian Hill, who attended a Jordanian high school with the late monarch, the memory of King Hussein will always prompt fond images of a boy who preferred girl chasing to homework.
Ms. Naser and Dr. Daoud were among about 100 people who packed the St. James Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church on Sunday to mourn King Hussein, who died of lymphatic cancer Feb. 7.
A framed photo, draped with black ribbon, occupied the altar as parishioners and communal leaders, including Cincinnati City Councilman Todd Portune and U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, eulogized the king.
Smaller pictures crowded church walls and tables as parishioners gathered later to remember him over coffee and Arab desserts.
“He was a great man and I will love him always,” said Ms. Naser, a mother of five who wept during the service.
Ms. Naser met the late monarch in a Jordanian hospi tal about 30 years ago when both were visiting patients. She also met his wife Queen Noor and his son Abdullah, Jordan's new king, when the family visited Cincinnati about 10 years ago.
King Hussein's success was remarkable considering his early hardships, Dr. Daoud said. As a child, King Hussein was walking hand-in-hand with his grandfather when a Palestinian assassin killed the old king.
King Hussein's father suffered from mental illness and had to abdicate in his son's favor, he added.
“He drew power from these adversities,” Dr. Daoud said. “The benevolence and compassion that characterized King Hussein has touched us all.”
“King Hussein was a beacon of light, of hope and of peace,” agreed Mr. Portune, who sponsored a city proclamation praising the king's diplomacy and lamenting his death.
Rakan Shteiwi, St. James' board chairman, added: “He was like a candle — burn itself to light the way for others. That's his legacy. We still feel the loss even though we're so far away.”
Mr. Shteiwi plans to send a condolence package to King Abdullah that will include the city's proclamation, a video and other mementos from Sunday's service.
Included will be a condolence card summing up Sunday's sentiment:
“King at age 17 of a small little-known country, he became a powerful statesman and known to all the world, proving that it is not the size of the country but the size of the spirit. May his memory be eternal.”
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