YouTubers will be let down by the Queen of Jordan

The latest member of the YouTube community is none other than Queen Rania of Jordan. In an effort to challenge western stereotypes about the Arab world, the net-surfing monarch decided to launch an online debate. Yet, after attracting almost 5000 responses, she seems to have lost interest in the scheme.

Contributors

Pedro

Benjamin Car...

Daniel Winter

The Queen: "If what most people know about the Arab world is through programmes like 24 then I think they're in for a great surprise"

The Queen's original appeal, posted March 30, has already received almost 5,000 comments and 20 video responses. Here are some of them.

Answer one: "Much of what comes out of Arab or Islamic culture is not only backward but brutal"

Posted by "Pedro", UK

Pedro

United Kingdom

Answer two: "I will say upfront that I know very little of the history of Jordan"

Posted by Benjamin Carruth, USA

Benjamin Car...

United States
Writer

Answer three: "What is the Middle Eastern view of homosexuality?"

Posted by Daniel Winter, UK

Daniel Winter

Germany
Student

Answer four: "If I wore this t-shirt in your country, would they kill me?"

Posted by "fyrstikken", Norway

"You asked a lot of questions spanning a whole range of issues"

But despite the barrage of queries, Queenie is yet to fulfill her promise. In this first response she merely answers everybody with the same message, in the form of a video about "an American who gained a new perspective" when he travelled to Jordan. And while he does have a lovely tale to tell, he doesn't get anywhere close to tackling issues such as Islamic fundamentalism, domestic violence or legalising homosexuality...