He is a member of the Hashemites , who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since , and is considered a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As the king's eldest son, Abdullah was heir apparent until Hussein transferred the title to Abdullah's uncle Prince Hassan in Abdullah began his schooling in Amman, continuing his education abroad.
He began his military career in as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces , later assuming command of the country's Special Forces in , eventually becoming a major general in A few weeks before his death in , King Hussein named Abdullah his heir, and Abdullah succeeded his father. Abdullah, a constitutional monarch with wide executive and legislative powers, liberalized the economy when he assumed the throne, and his reforms led to an economic boom which continued until During the following years Jordan's economy experienced hardship as it dealt with the effects of the Great Recession and spillover from the Arab Spring.
In , large-scale protests demanding reform erupted in the Arab world , which led to civil wars in some countries. Abdullah responded quickly to domestic unrest by replacing the government and introducing reforms. Proportional representation was reintroduced to the Jordanian parliament for the election , a move which he said would eventually lead to establishing parliamentary government , but government critics remained skeptical, viewing the reforms as cosmetic changes.
The reforms took place amid unprecedented challenges stemming from regional instability, including an influx of 1. Abdullah is known for promoting interfaith dialogue and a moderate understanding of Islam. The longest-serving current Arab leader, he is custodian of the Muslim and Christian religious sites in Jerusalem , a position held by his dynasty since As Hussein's eldest son, Abdullah became heir apparent to the Jordanian throne under the constitution.
He began his military career at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England in , while he was a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces. Abdullah was admitted to Pembroke College, Oxford , in , where he completed a one-year special-studies course in Middle Eastern affairs. The prince then attended the Edmund A. In , Abdullah assumed command of Jordan's Special Forces and of other elite units as a brigadier general, restructuring them into the Joint Special Operations Command two years later.
