Rula Ghani (born 1948 , Beirut , Lebanon ) is the wife of the second president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai .
| Rula Ghani | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
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| Predecessor | Zinat Karzai | ||||||
| Birth | 1948  Beirut | ||||||
| Spouse | Ashraf Gani Ahmadzai | ||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||
| Education | Institute for Political Studies (Paris) , American University of Beirut , Columbia University | ||||||
| Religion | Christianity | ||||||
Biography
Rula Ghani was born and raised in Lebanon in a Christian family. In 1969, she graduated from the Institute for Political Studies in Paris [1] . In 1974, she received a master's degree in political studies from the American University of Beirut , where she met her future husband Ashraf Ghani [2] .
In 1975, they got married, the couple had two children: daughter Mariam Ghani , works as an artist in Brooklyn [3] , and son Tarik. Both children were born in the United States of America and have American citizenship. In 1983, Rula Ghani received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York . In 2003, Rula Ghani returned to Afghanistan [4] .
In 2015, the American Time magazine included Rulu in the list of 100 most influential people in the world [5] [6] [7] . Rula Ghani has the citizenship of Afghanistan, Lebanon and the United States. She is fluent in English , French , Arabic and Dari [5] [8] .
Afghan Presidential Election 2014
During the presidential inauguration in 2014, Ashraf Gani Ahmadzai publicly thanked his wife, calling her in the Afghan manner Bibi Gul [2] : “I want to thank my wife Bibi Gul for supporting me and Afghanistan” [9] [10] .
Notes
- ↑ Rula Ghani, the woman making waves as Afghanistan's new first lady | World news | The guardian
- ↑ 1 2 The Daily Telegraph : Ashraf Ghani inaugurated: Is Afghanistan ready for a high-profile first lady?
- ↑ Jolting Some, Afghan Leader Brings Wife Into the Picture - The New York Times
- ↑ O'Donnell, Lynne . AP Interview: Afghanistan's first lady breaks taboos but insists she 'doesn't do politics' .
- ↑ 1 2 Rula Ghani, the woman making waves as Afghanistan's new first lady , The Guardian .
- ↑ Al Arabiya: Afghan first lady in shadow of 1920s queen? Archived October 6, 2014 on Wayback Machine
- ↑ Hosseini, Khaled . Time 100 Leaders: Rula Ghani , Time (magazine) .
- ↑ Al Arabiya: Afghanistan's next first lady, a Christian Lebanese-American?
- ↑ Wall Street Journal : Ghani Sworn In as Afghan President
- ↑ Foreign Policy : The real first ladies of Afghanistan Archived November 16, 2014 on the Wayback Machine