Fatimah el Sharif

Early life

Fatimah el-Sharif was born in Italian Libya in 1911, the fifth daughter of Sayyid Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi, the former chief of the Senussi religious order. Her father was active in resistance toward the colonial forces. Her mother Khadija (second wife of her father) was a daughter of Ahmad al-Rifi. In 1929, she was forced to flee on camel to Egypt from Marchal Graziani. In 1931, she married her cousin Idris al-Senussi, then Emir of Cyrenaica and her father's successor, in Siwa. Their only son died in 1953 aged one day old.

Queenship

Upon her husband's accession as King of Libya in 1951, Fatimah became Queen. In 1954, her nephew assassinated Idris' advisor Ibrahim al-Shelhi because of a rumour that Shelhi had convinced the King to divorce Fatima in favour of a marriage with his own daughter. Idris then ordered the execution of Fatima's nephew. When Idris decided to obey the demands to remarry in order to have an heir, Fatima selected two women as prospective brides: he chose neither of them, but instead an Egyptian heir appointed by his premier, Alia Abdel Kader Lamloum, whom he married in 1955. As there was no divorce, Fatimah however refused to leave the royal residence in Tobruk, and after a couple of months, she and Idris reconciled.

Post-revolution and death

Fatimah was in Turkey with her spouse at the time of Muammar Gaddafi's revolution in 1969. With the help of the Turkish government they returned from the resort town of Borsa to Kanmena Yourla in Greece. On 13 September she wrote to their life time friend Eric Armar Vully de Candole, CBE, who held the post of Her Britanic Majesty’s Resident, Cyrenaica: “ We could not answer your cables and letters as I was alone with my husband when the coup took place without any money at all until the Turkish Government came to our help, paid our hotel and arranged our journey to Greece”. She wrote to Mr. de Candole again on 26 October: “The weather here is cold and Ramadan will soon start and we cannot perform fasting obligations in any European Country. It is the will of God and may it be for the benefits of all. We shall sail next Friday for Alexandria and the same day get to Cairo”. She lived in Cairo since 3 November 1969 until her death. Fatimah was later tried in absentia by the Libyan People's Court and sentenced in November 1971 to five years in prison and seizure of her assets. Her house in Tripoli was returned to her in 2007.

Fatimah died on 3 October 2009 in Cairo, aged 98. Her body was flown to Saudi Arabia for burial at Al-Baqi Cemetery in Madinah beside her husband and her father accompanied by her longtime companions and servants Dr. Nafa Al-Arabi Al-Senussi, his wife Alia Benghalbon and her longtime friend Mrs. Amina Darbi. The Saudi Authorities denied her family permission to bury her at Al-Baqi. Her body was finally laid to rest in the Hamza Cemetery near Mount Uhud in Madinah on 7 October 2009 after “Janaza” prayers in the Prophet’s mosque.

Personality

The relationship between Queen Fatimah and King Idris is described as a mutually happy one, and they became foster-parents to several children of relatives, as well their adopted Algerian daughter Suleima, whose father had been killed fighting against France in Algeria's war of independence. Fatimah was described as humorous and tactful, with an ability to make people relax, especially children. She also was a most loyal supporter of Idris, with a simple but elegant style. Fatimah also became a role model for a new way of life for the women of Libya by her role as a queen. Fatimah neither wore a veil, nor did she live in seclusion; as a queen, she played a visible role in society, and was present regularly at various public events.