The Royal Glam Squad

The Royal Glam Squad

Laaleen Khan
http://tribune.com.pk/story/338349/the-face-of-contemporary-muslim-royalty/

They’ve got university degrees, promote humanitarian causes and live lives of ample luxury, all in the public eye. These modern-day Arab women, who’ve either married or been born into royalty, also rule the glamour stakes from their influential positions. Their unique styles and strong views have modernized the ‘face’ of contemporary Muslim royalty.

Before these ladies married their princely husbands, it was unheard of for a Moroccan princess to feature prominently in the public sphere, for a Saudi royal to wear dresses that didn’t conceal her shapely calves or her long hair, and for a tweeting Jordanian queen to work with a rock star (i.e. Bono) for a poverty alleviation campaign that put them both on the cover of a prominent magazine. By promoting their wives as royal figureheads, monarchies seem less outdated than in preceding generations. That the Royals spend exorbitant sums on their wardrobes hardly comes as a shock when the Arab world is considered to be the world’s largest consumer of haute couture.  

In Pakistan, it’s not always easy to get away with such varying styles in the public eye. While models and actresses tend to be photographed in relatively daring attire, female politicians (with the exception of Sherry Rehman) are obliged to don dupattas on their heads in public.  A tailored pantsuit or a gown with a dress coat, even if all the right body parts were concealed to meet stringent Islamic requirements, just wouldn’t be culturally acceptable for a Pakistani parliamentarian, first lady or head of state.  

Comparatively, many Middle Eastern women, including expatriate Persians and Afghans, are more inclined to buy into international runway trends (or the high street, depending on their income bracket). For luxe-loving royalty, it’s all about Dior gowns, Gucci pantsuits, Chanel tweeds and Versace cocktail dresses, not to mention custom-made Lebanese couture by Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad and Reem Accra. The saying that women ‘dress to impress other women rather then men’ seems especially true at segregated Saudi wedding events, where ladies leave their abayas at the door and emerge in shimmering designer gowns slit to the thigh with plunging necklines, dripping with jewels the size of pigeon’s eggs. 

Leader of the Couture clan: 

Queen Rania of Jordan, 43, consort to the 50-year-old King Hussein II, is a Palestinian-descent mother of four whose sense of style has catapulted her to the global A-list as an international fashion icon. The queen favours knee length dresses and jackets for her daytime appointments, and gowns for the red carpet, only occasionally donning a caftan. Critics even found her better dressed than Carla Bruni-Sarkozy during the Jordanian visit to Elysees Palace.

The Saudi who could: 

Princess Ameerah Al Taweel, 28, is the fourth (and only current) wife of notable billionaire Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, 56. She’s also the first princess in Saudi history in the limelight, much to the dismay of her husband’s uncle, the King. Her ensemble at Britain’s Royal Wedding is among her best couture looks, where she dressed head-to-toe in stunning, custom-made Zuhair Mourad (dress, coat, hat and clutch).

The turban-chic Sheikha: 

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned of Qatar, 60, is the second of the three wives of the Emir Of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, 79, and mother to seven children. She is widely regarded as figuring among the world’s best-dressed women. An avid follower of couture, the Sheikha’s stylish interpretation of the hejab is eminently chic, terribly expensive and a turban, her signature look, has never looked so glamorous as it does on her.

Rocking the caftan Marocain: Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, 32, consort to King Mohammed VI and mother of two, is the first princess in her country to be publicly acknowledged with a royal title. The flame-haired princess frequently dresses in vivid silk caftans belted at the waist at formal occasions, along with tailored suits and dresses during the day. Her elegant sister-in-law, Princess Meryem, 59, and her attractive daughter, Princess Sukaina, 25, are equally known for their glamorous fashion sensibilities; their caftans at Monaco’s Royal Wedding were the most striking outfits among the dignitaries present.

Pakistani-origin princesses: 

Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan, 64, pairs regal tiaras and tailored dress coats with her traditional saris and counts Rizwan Beyg among her designers of choice. Crown Princess for three decades (before King Hussein changed his choice of successor from Princess Sarvath’s husband to her nephew), the Cambridge-educated, Taekwondo black belt holder has a distinguished Pakistani lineage. Her father, Mohammed Ikramaullah, served as Pakistan’s first Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and her mother, Begum Shaista Suhrawardy, was one of Pakistan’s first female parliamentarians. Princess Sarvath’s four children include three daughters, all of whom dressed in Pakistani joras on their mehndis as part of their otherwise contemporary Arab weddings. Princess Rahma, 43, Princess Sumaya, 41, and Princess Badiya, 33, sport eclectic styles including pantsuits, dresses, kameezes and caftans. 

Sense before style: In their own words

Princess Badiya is an Oxford graduate and Jordan’s first princess Barrister. 

“We’re very quick to get upset when we’re being treated badly, but I don’t see the same level of protest when Muslims treat non-Muslims badly; for example when Christians are murdered in Iraq or Pakistan, where are the furious demonstrations? And what about when it’s Muslims against Muslims? Where’s the outrage when it comes to non-Arab Sudanese being massacred in Darfur? Where is the outrage about the Sunni-Shi’a bloodbaths? We’re good at complaining when it’s the ‘non-Muslim Westerner’ who we see as being the perpetrator, but we’re very reluctant to take responsibility for ourselves” (in an interview with Emel magazine in 2011)

Princess Ameerah is a Business Administration graduate from the University of New Haven. She is Head of the Executive Committee of the Al-Waleed bin Talal Foundation and has traveled to Pakistan for flood relief efforts. 

“No matter how many great things we do, we’ll always be judged as a country that suppresses women because we’re the only country in the world where women can’t drive….We (Saudi women) are not backwards. We’re not second-class citizens. Maybe the rules are backwards and the policies are backwards, but it’s not us. We’re educated. We’re very much respected in our families. We’re entrepreneurs, businesswomen, social leaders”  (interviewed on The Today Show in 2011).

Queen Rania is a Business Administration graduate from the American University of Cairo and worked at Citibank and Apple before her marriage. She is a prominent humanitarian and plays an active role in UNICEF, the World Economic Forum and the International Youth Foundation. 

“There are 600 million girls shackled by housework or work in factories; many fall victim to early marriage, sexual abuse, HIV. So I push for girls’ education because it works. Girls’ wages can go up by 20 percent for every year of education. Look at any country that’s plagued with poverty, disease or violence; the antidote is girls. Girls are the antibodies to many of society’s ills” (in an interview for Glamour magazine as their 2010 Woman of the Year).

Princess Lalla Salma worked as an IT engineer before her marriage. She founded the Lalla Salma Association against Cancer foundation and is a WHO Goodwill Ambassador. 

“There can be no political or institutional empowerment of women unless their economic, social and cultural rights are promoted, and unless women become part and parcel of the development process” (in a 2009 speech at the Higher Council of Arab Women).

Sheikha Mozah studied Sociology at the University of Qatar. She runs the Qatar Foundation and spearheaded the Al Jazeera Children TV channel and the Qatar Luxury Group. 

"How can we, in all sincerity, talk about women’s political participation in parliaments that are farcical…The truth is there is nothing in our religion to prevent women’s political participation. Women are excluded for the same reasons men are excluded" (in a speech delivered at Rice University in 2007). 

Kiran Caramelized: the story behind Club Caramel's 'Teray Bin' video

Kiran, Caramelized:

The story behind ‘Teray Bin’

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/8878/kiran-caramelized-the-story-behind-teray-bin’/

Kiran Chaudhry, one half of the Pakistani musical duo Club Caramel, is a characteristically adventurous, freedom-loving Sagittarian who excels at pretty much everything she puts her mind to. 

Ms. Chaudhry has a staggeringly diverse array of talents; while Head Girl at her school in Lahore, her former classmates recall tearing up during her soulful rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. Musically inclined, she trained with Ustad Fateh Ali Khan while still in her teens.

Kiran went on to win an International Baccalureate scholarship at the World College of the Atlantic in Wales, after which she read PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) at Balliol College at the University of Oxford (yup—she’s an academic whizz kid too). She then practiced law as a solicitor at Freshfields, a London firm, for several successful years. Ever resourceful, Kiran returned to Lahore in 2006 and took over the reigns of her family business while delving into her creative side. ‘Caramel’ was launched as a cover band that began festive ‘club’ nights, earning it the title ‘Club Caramel’ with fans, a name that stuck as the band went on to regularly perform at venues across the country. 

‘Teray Bin’ (‘Without You’) is the second release off of Club Caramel’s debut album, released independently under its own label, Caramel Entertainment, that handles everything from concerts and videos to distribution. In the video, Club Caramel conveys emotional angst, passionate rage and romantic sorrow. The baroque-meets-retro mise-en-scene, complete with ebony, scarlet and burnished gold costumes in embossed velvet, brocade and chiffon, pays homage to a bygone era with its latticed windows, silver jhoola, heavy eyeliner and Old-Hollywood style wavy hair. There’s a hint of the macabre in the choice of props: the vampiric dining table resplendent with goblets and candelabras, the poison-filled chalice and the bloodied dagger. Red, the overt colour of passion, pigments the roses, lipstick, liquor-like liquid and splattering of blood.

What were you aiming for with the emotive drama in this video? Did your acting skills from Mamma Mia! (she played a starring role in 2009-10) come in handy during the shoot?

“I’m still learning to act and consider myself a singer primarily. My debut acting gig was “Mamma Mia!” and yes, I learned a whole lot from that experience. In the summer of last year, I also went to New York for an intensive training course in musical theatre at a specialist conservatory at NYU. I focused on the acting part of the course.  Yes, I would like to do a lot more acting in the future given the right opportunities. It’s such a thrill to take on another personality for a while. It’s like looking at the world through somebody else’s eyes, with a whole new set of desires and perspectives – its’ enormously interesting and exciting.”

Is the video symbolic for break ups, separations and/or divorce?

“Well, no. It’s not trying to symbolize any archetypes or stereotypes. It’s just a woman’s unique journey on the path of love. She, if anything, defies social norms of how a woman reacts to betrayal. She is no meek wallflower who sits and mourns her loss for long but, rather, seeks to ‘right’ the wrong that is done unto her by seducing and destroying all of ‘mankind.’ In a sense there is a hint of ‘feminism’ creeping in here…”

To what extent was the look and feel of this music video your vision, its narrative and stylistic techniques?

“The concept for the video was brought forward by Aabroo Hashimi of Masscott films, the directors of the video. We had instructed them to come up with an unusual theme, something that was stylistically strong and visually appealing. When they come up with the storyline, it instantly struck a chord with us.  The dark and gothic feel is in keeping with the intensity of the song and brings out the darker, more destructive side of love.”

Describe the persona you’re adopting in the video; would you say this characterization reflects a side of your own personality or is it entirely fictitious?

“I’m portraying an innocent girl who changes into a psychotic killer after suffering a betrayal in love. In taking on this persona, I was hoping to show how beautiful love can be one moment, and how utterly cruel and destructive the next. I believe most people have been through bitter experiences in matters of the heart that have changed them in some way, even if they don’t become cold-hearted murderers! This doesn’t make them ‘bad’ people. This is just another, equally interesting aspect of love and how it affects us. We all have such emotions inside us, even if they are not so extreme. But the answer is ‘no’—I don’t really identify with the character in the video, being the hopeless romantic that I remain to this day! I am still unable to watch action thrillers, let alone horror flicks! Having said that, I believe the skill of an actor is to be able to portray a character quite different from their own and I hope that I have been able to do that to some extent.”

Does the video have a lot do with the song or is just one of many interpretations?

“We felt that both the video and the song should be able to stand alone as pieces of artistry, but complement each other in an unusual way when brought together. The song appears to be a simple love song at first, but the video gives it the ‘twist’ that makes it more interesting as an audio-visual experience. The video is, to that extent, an ‘interpretation’ of the song.”

How would you like viewers to interpret and respond to it?

“However they choose. I would not dare so far as to instruct our audience in this regard. They are a sophisticated bunch and can take away whatever they like from it. There is not one ‘correct’ way to interpret our work or, for that matter, any work of an artist.”

More on Club Caramel at www.facebook.com/clubcaramel 

Video Credits:

a.     DIRECTOR: Masscott Films

b.     PRODUCER: Adnan Sarwar

c.      EDITOR: Fuzzal Ahmed

d.     WRITER/LYRICS: Adnan Sarwar

e.     VOCALIST/S: Kiran Chaudhry

f.      INSTRUMENTALS: Farhan Albert (Keyboard/drum arrangements), Sameer Ahmed (Bass), Ahsan Pappu (Flute), Guitar (Adnan Sarwar)

g.     ACTORS: Kiran Chaudhry, Adnan Sarwar

h.     CAMEO PERFORMANCES: none

i.       WARDROBE DESIGNERS: Fahad Hussayn, Munib Nawaz

j.       MAKE-UP/EFFECTS/STYLIST/S: Maram & Aabroo

k.     VENUE FOR SHOOT:  Evernew Studios

l.       HOURS/DAYS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE THE SHOOT/SCENES: 2 days

How To Marry A Clooneyaire

How To Marry A Clooneyaire

By Laaleen Khan

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/7437/10-rules-to-marry-a-clooney-aire/
A ‘Clooneyaire’ is the characteristic George Clooney brand of debonair, moneyed, elusive bachelor whom women universally covet as their future husband. In order to qualify as a Clooneyaire, candidates must exude jet set glamour, age with the stylishness of James Bond, possess homes in spectacular locations, and count strings of pretty women as their exes. All the while, Clooneyaires must take great care to appear rakish instead of lecherous (http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/3321/are-you-a-player/). After all, there’s no challenge that romance-novel reading women find more irresistible than the impossible task of reforming a hardened rake.

Why the hoopla over George Clooney?

‘Gorgeous George’ (as he’s nicknamed) may have turned half a century this May, but he remains one of the world’s most sought-after bachelors. An A-list actor and director, Mr. Clooney’s traditionally rugged good looks include a square jaw complete with the requisite cleft, a full head of un-dyed gray hair, a twinkling sense of humour, and a strong interest in world affairs (both political and amorous). Hobbies include riding his dashing motorbike to and from his palatial Villa Oleandra in spectacular Lake Como, Italy.

George Clooney was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1997 as well as in 2006, as the only other person to have received this title twice along with Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, something he mocks in his signature brand of wry wit. The future Mrs. Clooney (or Girlfriend Clooney) would attend the Oscars swathed in Valentino gowns and Harry Winston diamonds, and spend her summers at Clooney’s palatial estates in Italy and at his place in Studio City, California. And let’s face it, who wouldn’t want Brangelina for their in-laws?

After a marriage that lasted from 1989 to 1993 to actress Talia Balsam (she is now 52), Clooney swore off remarrying and continued to sow his wild oats for the next two decades. Subsequent relationships and arm candy dates have been the topic of tabloid speculation with actors including Teri Hatcher, Kelly Preston, Renee Zelwegger and Lucy Liu, as well as former Vegas cocktail waitress Sarah Larson (Clooney is apparently an Equal Opportunity dater). Mr. Clooney also sports an international portfolio of girlfriends that includes British TV Presenter Lisa Snowdon and supermodel Naomi Campbell. His most recent relationship, with little-known Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis (who currently models for Armani), ended after 2 years of yacht parties and black tie events. A few seconds after his breakup with the 32-year-old Ms. Canalis, Mr. Clooney began dating 31-year-old actress-turned-wrestler, Stacey Kiebler. On a recent trip to the delightful Villa Oleandra, Ms. Kiebler tweeted, “I’m in heaven” and “Life could not be any better, I’m smiling all day” (yeah, but it could get a lot worse).

Once You Go Pak, You Never Go Back:

In 2009, Mr. Clooney was rumoured to be romantically interested in Fatima Bhutto, whom he met at an international peacekeeping conference. One may speculate that Clooney was attracted to Bhutto’s blend of Pakistani mystique, literary intellect, and ladylike reserve. Ms. Bhutto, now 29, termed her alleged Hollywood hookup as “character assassination” by the Pakistani press.

Had she gone down the Clooney path, however, she may have stood a solid chance; after all, Pakistani women are adept at getting budding Clooneyaires to settle down, thanks to a society that can pressure even a commitment-phobic international playboy into marriage. In fact, ‘The Rules,’ (a classic dating-and-mating guidebook by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider for single women http://www.therulesbook.com/ ) is amateurish in comparison with the set of guidelines that come naturally to many young Pakistani women, as ingrained by societal customs, aunties’ admonitions, and the experiences of their peers.

The secret?  Pakistani women are ‘Keepers’ aka marriage material and the antithesis of a ‘Baby Mama’ (single unmarried moms) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=keeper  Here, a woman goes from being the daughter of a house to a daughter-in-law of another house, a status that remains until she becomes a mother-in-law herself.  She is also adept at prompting a man to commit his lifetime to her (Jennifer Aniston, are you listening?)

While many a mother and her daughters complain of scarce commodities of highly eligible men, the stock market of partially eligible men rises to new highs, creating an imbalance in the demand and supply curves of the marriage market (these are times of recession, after all). Women of marriageable (and remarriageable) ages may be fiercely competitive on the one hand, while on the other hand, are increasingly reluctant to settle for less than their ideals. Nevertheless, societal pressures kick in and the wedding industry remains bullish, season after season.   

Pakistani ‘Rules’ For Marrying A Clooneyaire

(Note: This is based on casual research and observation and to be taken with a pinch of salt).

Rule number 1: Demonstrate charm that appears natural and effortless and use your accent to full effect: keep it posh-Pakistani-sounding abroad to appear ‘exotic’ and keep it Anglo/American in Pakistan to appear ‘global.’

Rule number 2: Dress flatteringly but conservatively; the rule is to highlight only one well-toned asset at a time (like shoulders or calves) to avoid looking tarty. Your Clooneyaire should be looking into your eyes, not your cleavage.

Rule number 3: Create the opportunity for him to make the first move (no idea how that’s done, but that’s what they say). Even famous men like ‘the chase’ because they’re so used to being chased themselves.

Rule number 4: Flippantly mention that you’re aristocracy and casually pepper your conversation with illustrious relatives, ‘family friends’ who are heads of state and royalty, and prominent people who have proposed to you and been rejected. Your breeding and lineage should impress him as the future genetic half of his progeny.

Rule number 5: Pretend you don’t know who he is (unless he really is George Clooney). This helps if you’re semi-famous yourself, as is virtually everyone who’s been photographed for a society magazine).

Rule number 6: Looks are essential but not enough to sustain interest. Be well read, well traveled and better educated than your Clooneyaire is, but don’t make him feel like a total moron or he’ll run the other direction (apparently, women wait until after marriage to do that).

Rule number 7: Insist that you don’t want to be publicly photographed with him until you’re wearing a multi-carat engagement ring (unless it’s an A-list red carpet event that you can momentarily sacrifice the rule for).

Rule number 8: Never move countries/cities to be near him until after you’re married; only your husband ought to require such a sacrifice, not a mere potential. And absence makes the heart grow fonder (or, conversely, out of sight, out of mind).

Rule number 9: Appear the high maintenance princess that you deserve to be without looking shallow; keep your obsession for handbags and shoes for chatter with your friends. Be ingenious enough to intrigue the jaded palate of a mature Clooneyaire while continuing to look hotter than women ten or more years younger to prevent your eventual replacement.

Rule number 10: This one’s most important for women all over the world to emulate for getting their Clooneyaire: don’t move in with him until after you’re married. In Hollywood, things happen backwards: people hookup, then get pregnant, have a baby, move in together, get engaged, and only then get married if they’re still together after experiencing all of that. Follow the correct, nice-Pakistani-girl order of things and, if it still doesn’t work out, quote Beyonce (“If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it”) and move the heck on as elegantly as can be.

Huma Abedin deserves widespread media support, not slander

Huma Abedin: Refusing to be humiliated

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/6597/huma-abedin-refusing-to-be-humiliated/

Abedin and Weiner on their wedding day

Generally, the world loves to side with famous women whose celebrity husbands’ extramarital escapades are chronicled by scandalous headlines. Judging by the smorgasbord of sympathetic magazine covers, TV chatter and internet buzz that supported the marital tribulations of Maria Shriver-Kennedy-Schwarznegger (her‘Governorator’ husband’s affair with their housekeeper that resulted in a ten-year-old son), Elin Nordegren-Woods (whose golfer husband Tiger’d it out with countless prostitutes) and, of course, Jennifer Aniston-Pitt (who continues to get public sympathy six years after theBrangelina coupling), Huma Abedin-Weiner should be the public’s darling by now.

Instead, she seems to be bearing the brunt of the bigoted, self-righteous backlash to Weinergate while she remains maddeningly calm.

Until recently, Abedin, 35, had managed to maintain a reasonably low profile in a high profile career (she is Secretary Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff).  Congressman Anthony Weiner‘s, 46, (Dem/NY with 7 straight terms) sexting scandal not only ‘exposed’ his lascivious fascination for college students and porn stars but has also threatened his wife’s public image (the same Congressman Wiener who introduced a bill against internet predators five years ago).

Outspoken Right-Wingers have gone far beyond mainstream neo-Con ‘Weiner’s weiner’ jokes (as well Wiener’s own wiseguy-phallic humour), to attacking the heritage and upbringing of his wife (and, thereby, the Democrats) for alleged links to radical Islamists, all in the name of protecting American national interest. While Islamophobic ranting has led to fulsome conjecture and conspiracy theorieswhizzing across cyberspace, here in Pakistan, it seems absurdly unjust that Abedin’s Saudi upbringing is seen as suspicious; after all, Saudi Arabia is America’s leading ally in the Middle East, but then, so is Pakistan, though Abedin’s half-Pakistani ethnicity has also contributed to the backlash she’s experiencing.

At best, she’s been called “unflappable” by the Washington Post. The Washington Times briefly posted a racist blog (before removing it soon after) by Eliana Benador, former president of Benador Associates (who worked on spin doctoring Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ in the media) and US Representative of the Shomron Liaison Office (Israel-occupied West Bank).

According to Benador,

“Huma and the silent creeping Sharia(h)…” would “advance a socialist-Muslim agenda” in Congress and “bankrupt America, breaking its population and paving the way to surrender to wealthy Muslims” like the Saudi Royals.

Had her name been Jennifer (or Aniston), we could have expected headlines in the vein of “Huma’s Anguish” and more sympathetic covers than being called “Mrs. Crotch” by sex blogger, Shirley Coco.Either Abedin is an easy target or her calm, collected persona prevents her from instigating positive reactions in her favour. In any case, Abedin doesn’t try to appear like a victim and succeeds in coming across as elegantly in her marital crises as she does in her evening gowns. On Facebook, there are only a handful of people who have started fan pages and groups in her name.  As of June 24th, “Huma Abedin for Congress” had a paltry 83 members while “Support Huma Abedin—she should leave Anthony Weiner” had a dismal 20 members. Anthony Weiner’s official fan page, on the other hand, had 59,671 members.

Now, former Congressman Weiner is heavily into social networking (as his Twitter scandal illustrated), whereas Abedin has always maintained a low profile. She enjoys the rare privilege of being a Muslim woman who enjoys Hillary Clinton’s confidence, from the Office of the First Lady to the New York Senate and the State Department. The only other known South Asian-American Muslim woman in an influential position at the State Depertment is the Srinager-born Farah Pandith, who also reports directly to Secretary Clinton as the Special Representative for Muslim Communities.

Very impressive, ladies!

- Huma Mahmood Abedin was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1976, raised in Saudi Arabia and speaks English, Arabic and Urdu.

- She studied at GWU (George Washington University in Washington, DC), and has worked for Hillary Clinton for a decade and a half.

- Her father, Syed Zainul Abedin (who died in 1993), was an Indian Saudi who founded an institute on interfaith dialogue, while her Pakistani mother, Prof. Saleha Mahmood Abedin, is a prominent educationist in Jeddah who pioneered a women’s college.

- She also has a sister, Heba, a fashion stylist in New York, and a brother, Dr. Hassan Abedin, who is a Fellow at Oxford University’s Centre for Islamic Studies.

The Nation newspaper in Pakistan called her “dignified” but that’s about all that’s been said about Abedin here in Pakistan, where male politicians’ adulterous behaviour has never lost them significant political standing, and where the wives of famous figures aren’t given much sympathetic editorial space to begin with. The US media circus and its fixation with the private lives of its elected representatives remains an enigma here. Washingtonian politics, far more conservative than Islamabad’s, have cost many American politicians their careers including several presidential hopefuls and even the impeachment of a former president, all for the sake of an illicit relationship.

The Huffington Post cited the Weiner-Abedin pairing as a living example of their theory that “attractive men don’t make the best husbands,” yet, continued the report, high powered women continue to look for physical attractiveness in their mates. Although Weiner could be perceived by some as attractive, it’s Abedin who’s described more frequently as “beautiful,” along with “well coiffed,” “elegant”and “smart” by political aides, journalists and colleagues. A slender 5’6,” she has distinctly Indo-Pak features with characteristically medium-long dark hair. She’s famously tightlipped about her personal life, which includes ex-boyfriends from Hollywood’s enviable A-list, George Clooney and John Cusack.

In 2010, Time magazine listed her among their complimentary “40 under-40s,” feature describing her as Hillary’s second “shadow.” She has also featured in a glamorous photo shoot for US Vogue in 2007, where Hillary is quoted as saying:

“Abedin has the energy of a woman in her 20s, the confidence of a woman in her 30s, the experience of a woman in her 40s, and the grace of a woman in her 50s. She is timeless, her combination of poise, kindness, and intelligence are matchless.”

However, even the closeness of Abedin with her boss has met with untoward suspicion—‘is she Hillary’s secret lover and does she live with the Clinton’s household,’ went the malicious Republican rumour mill. Even Huma’s elegant wardrobe, penchant for designer handbags and purchasing of an apartment in an upscale Washington DC neighbourhood has conspiracy theorists wondering where her money came from, suggesting that she is a “Saudi intelligence officer.” Yet, there are others in the American media who identify the backlash as a blatant “witch hunt against Huma Abedin” and Eliana Benador’s blog as “paranoid Islamophobia.”

Huma Abedin started her illustrious career as an intern at the Office of the First Lady and has remained by her side since. In 1996, while Monica Lewinsky infamously interned for President Bill Clinton, Huma earned Hillary’s trust during the ensuing scandal and has remained by her side since then; she was her right hand person during Hillary’s meteoric rise to New York Senator, during her presidential campaign, and continues to be her trusted confidante at the State Department. Hillary is always effusive in her praise of her, promoting her from Intern to Staff Assistant to the First Lady’s Chief of Staff, and then to aide and advisor to Traveling Chief of Staff before her current role as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State.

Weiner courted Abedin during Hillary’s presidential campaign in 2008 and, according to a speech he made at their wedding, he pursued Huma relentlessly despite her initial rejection of him. She was aware of Weiner’s playboy past, though unlikely to have guessed that it would continue into their married life together. The besotted couple married in July 2010 with her family’s blessing (aka ‘rishta’), at the fairytale-like Oheka Castle in Long Island, New York, in a garden ceremony with a jazz band playing in the background and the glamorous guests dressed in tuxes and gowns. At a pre-wedding celebration earlier, Hillary had made a touching speech, saying:

“I have one daughter. But if I had a second daughter, it would [be] Huma,”

On the Abedin-Weiner wedding day, the bride wore her Pakistani grandmother’s heirloom necklace and a ravishing, custom designed east-west fusion gown using burnt gold embroidery by Oscar de la Renta. Designer De La Renta, a close friend of the Clintons’ and Abedin’s, spoke fondly of Huma saying that he made her a dress “that reflected her history.”

He added:

“It was like dressing Scheherazade, the beautiful queen from ‘One Thousand and One Nights.’”

The ceremony was officiated by former President Bill Clinton, who remarked ominously at the time that politicians did not make easy spouses because it is “easy to distrust them, whatever their religion.”

In wake of the sexting scandal and the revelation that she was pregnant with the couple’s first child, she continued her rigorous job and continued to travel with Clinton as she immersed herself into her work since Huma Abedin is not merely the wife of a Congressman but a powerful entity on her own. According to CNN’s Alan Duke:

“Her popularity among movers and shakers in the Democratic Party should have been an asset for Weiner’s future.”

Although Abedin seems to have received lukewarm sympathy in the media, there hasn’t been an strong outpouring of pubic support as one might have expected in such a case. However, an internet spoof report about Huma Abedin running for Congress caught on as a rumour with a generally positive response (which in itself is no small feat for a Muslim American woman in post-9/11 America). Cairo-born former Assistant Secretary of State Dina Habib Powell once said that Huma “certainly feels a deep responsibility to encourage more mutual understanding between her beliefs and culture and American culture.”

It seems that her husband’s scandal has created an even greater necessity for this.

…And, not that it’s anyone business, but Judaism is passed on from mothers to their children, not from fathers.  Baby Abedin-Weiner is likely to reflect his/her maternal grandparents legacy of interfaith dialogue and respect, as well his/her parents’ interfaith efforts within their own marriage: his/her mother Huma married a man with a secular Jewish background from Brooklyn; his/her father Anthony has fasted with his Muslim wife during Ramadan and given up alcohol. It may not be everything, but it’s more than many couples can claim to share even when they profess the same religion.

A recent photograph of Huma and Anthony showed the two smiling as they grocery shopped on their way to a weekend in the Hamptons. Anthony Weiner may have resigned in disgrace and ended a promising political career but, as her loyalty to Hillary Clinton has already proved, Huma Abedin is not likely to leave his side.