Queen Rania on Education, Peace in the Middle East and Twitter

Sept. 23, 2009— -- Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, who calls herself a "mum and a wife with a really cool day job" spoke to "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer about her efforts to erase stereotypes, her love of social networking sites and her passion for education.

"At the moment, there's 75 million children who are out of school," she said. "To get them into school would cost about $11 billion a year.

"Now, that sounds like a lot of money. But let me put it into perspective. Americans spend that amount of money on their pets in three months. Europeans spend that amount of money on ice cream every year."

Queen Rania established an organization called 1Goal, which aims to provide education for every child in the world by 2015. She calls education a lifeline that gives children an opportunity to climb out of poverty.

Although the organization will likely not meet its goal by 2015, Queen Rania said she hopes to draw attention to the problem and spur leaders to act.

"I really feel that political will is born out of popular will," she said.

On her Twitter page, the queen once described education as "my shield, my sword and my olive branch."

"I'm sure all of your viewers, as well, we agonize over our kids' education," Queen Rania said. "Because we understand how important their education is for their future ... and we just need to realize that every parent feels that way toward their children. Every parent wants to give their children the chance at a better life."

CLICK HERE to learn more about 1Goal and to join.

Queen Rania on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook

While many people in royal families might shy away from using social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, Queen Rania said she embraces it.

"It's difficult to make friends sometimes," she said. "And people are reluctant to speak their mind, because sometimes they feel they have to be formal or sometimes they feel like they don't want to be the bearers of bad news."

Web sites are places where she can connect with people to share "raw and natural and unedited" opinions, the queen said.

"It's a way for me to give people a window into my life," she said. "It's a great way for me to look into their lives and learn a lot."

The Internet is also a way for Rania to dispel stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims. She has nearly 850,000 followers on Twitter, and her YouTube channel has more than 22,000 subscribers. One of her goals is to foster communication and understanding in order to break down cultural barriers, she said.

Queen Rania answers questions and personally addresses issues in this video she posted on Facebook titled "Fact vs. Fiction."

But the queen also uses these sites to show her sense of humor. Upon accepting YouTube's Visionary Award for her work in breaking through stereotypes, the queen made a video spoof of David Letterman's Top 10 list.

"Well, tonight, I want to tell you the reasons why I launched my YouTube channel. No. 10, because I didn't have enough friends on Facebook," she said in the video, sitting at a desk looking into the camera and throwing her note cards in typical Letterman fashion. "No. 9 nine, because anything Queen Elizabeth can do, I can do better."

At the end of her video, Queen Rania said she started her own channel because "we are stronger when we listen and smarter when we share."

Click here to watch the YouTube video.

Prince Hussein, Heir to the Throne

Queen Rania and her husband, King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, were married in 1993 and have two sons and two daughters. Their oldest son, Prince Hussein, 15, was named heir to the throne in July.

Queen Rania said, as a mother, she had mixed feelings when the official announcement was made.

"You know I want my son to have an opportunity to have a normal upbringing, to have relations with friends and just do the things that teenagers do," the queen said. "But at the same time, I also understood that being in this position also prepares him. It introduces him to the protocols, the problems, the people in our country without necessarily subjecting him to the pressures that come with all those things."

Click here to see pictures of Queen Rania and her family on Twitter.

The queen said she spoke to her son about becoming king and told him that his life should continue as normal.

"That he has to focus, first and foremost, on his grades, doing well in school," Queen Rania said. "Also on being a decent guy."

Queen Rania told him that people will judge him according to his values and behavior. She said there will be no shortcuts but that the family will be there to support him along the way.

Queen Rania on the Middle East Peace Process

President Barack Obama met Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to attempt to move the stalled peace negotiations forward.

All parties need political will in order to move forward with the negotiations, Queen Rania said.

"We need the leaders to have the fortitude to really make the right decisions," she said said. "We want to get to the endgame. We want to move beyond process and really see decisive and concrete actions on the ground that gets the Palestinians and Israelis to move forward on peace."

Queen Rania on the Middle East Peace Process

One of the reasons for the stalled negotiations is the Israeli settlements that were built in Palestinian territory, which are illegal, Queen Rania said.

"How can you sit at a negotiating table with your partner when your partner is creating facts on the ground that are non-negotiable? And that's what happens with these settlements," Queen Rania said. "They must stop."

Netanyahu told ABC's Charles Gibson Tuesday that the issue of the settlements should be left to the final negotiations and not be predetermined before the talks take place.

"I think putting on preconditions is a way for the peace process to not move forward," Netanyahu said.

The peace and security of the region hinges on the negotiations between Israel and Palestine, Queen Rania said.

"There has been too much pain, too much mistrust," she said. "It's in the world's strategic interest for there [to] be peace between Israelis and the Palestinians."

CLICK HERE to learn more about 1Goal and to join.