Bounty of statehood: theoretical memorandums to Emirati womanhood
The AM of Emirati Women’s Day: An environmental frame for new thinking. The smell of jasmine rose and musk. Intricate and subtle introspection. Fruitful dialogue. Philosophical sanctuaries.
My barometer for female empowerment in the UAE is asking young Emirati girls what their aspirations are. If we had endured the laborious task of operationalising this over a 50-year or even 20-year period, the degree of specialisations that girls’ responses ensue would probably correlate with the number of governmental policies aimed at increasing female participation in the workforce.
When asking a seven-year-old Emirati girl her aspirations, it goes without saying she might combine two to three specialisations in narrating her future aspirations - from becoming a neurosurgeon, a vet, and a teacher. I couldn’t help but be thankful to her mother for eliminating the material and immaterial limits of her thinking. Nourishing her creative mind was a matter of virtue in the case of this young girl’s mother, as when I asked what inspired her to confidently elevate her daughter’s eloquently decorated spirit, she pointed to her mother as a means for flourishing her matrilineal line with a value-system package passed down her daughters. Inherited value systems are housed in the many treasure houses of Emirati women’s minds, at the heart of which lies the nation’s promise with rock-solid certainty to cherish women’s positions in whatever specialised trajectory they wish to pursue. Value systems are the only means of connection between our service to the country and the philosophies of generations of women before us. So here’s to celebrating these very women.
Gender studies journals have yet to grapple with the institutional actors that have lifted the walls between Emirati women and their innate and evolving professional and personal inclinations. However, if we were to call on global gender studies academics to authenticate and document the early relationship between female advocacy and statehood, there are five women that the UAE confirms as the pillars of female intellectual thought. Five women, who the UAE Union Celebration in 2021 deemed their names “engraved in the history of our homeland”.
Women of the pre-union era for the books:
From the narrations of the UAE 50th National Day Show, below are translated descriptions of the select women:
Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Al Ketbi
“Fatima, the epitome of generosity and kindness. You are a symbol of wisdom and glory. A proud free woman. Keeper of a rare leader and mother of his likeness. Oh Fatima, the epitome of generosity and kindness”
Sheikha Maitha Bint Salmeen Al Mansoori
“Maitha answered the call when it came. On horseback, she fought her sword held tight in her hand. Until she met Zayed and said, “Welcome! We Value who values our guests””
Sheikha Hessa Bint Al Mur Al Falasi
“The mother of compassion and generosity, Hessa, is a truth in Zayed’s homeland. Tales told about Hessa, compare not to the generosity of her right hand alone”
Shamsa Bint Sultan Al Marar
“She is the pearl diver’s catch. Shamsa is a story of forever burning sun. Always illuminating, never setting. She is the pearl diver’s catch. Her tale reverberates on every pearling voyage”
Hamama Bint Obaid Al Tenaiji
“Hamama’s cauterizer has healed many who have suffered of ailments. Cure is found in a smile, hard work and generoisty. Hamama’s cauterizer has healed many”
Podcast picks:
Below I linked my favorite experts of Emirati women discussing pertinent issues in their respective specialities - from contemporary political dialogue to food security strategies:
Lana Nusseibah, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN, talks to AJC Advocacy Anywhere:
Professional expertise: Multilateral diplomacy, Israeli and Jewish Diaspora Studies, international negotiations, and Emirati governance
Side note: Beyond the matrilineal inheritance of sisterhood value systems, Lara makes note of how Emirati fathers often partake in carving female inclusion in male-dominated spaces. In her sit-down interview with Seera, I was also reminded of how much I admire Lara and Zaki Nusseibah’s relationship:
‘HE ambassador Lana Nusseibeh is the UAE permanent representative to the UN. She talks to host Amina Taher how she convinced her school to let her try out on an all boys football team, how her father UAE Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh fostered her love of history and how the UAE is her favourite story’
Habiba Alsafar, Emirati geneticist talks to Thmanyah:
Professional expertise: Biomedical science, population genetics, personalized medicine, biobanking, and public health
Maryam Almhairi, Former Minister of Climate Change and Environment talks to CSIS
Professional expertise: Agricultural technology, climate-smart farming, hydroponics, crop optimization, and agriculture policy and strategy
Et voilà!
To the women reading my Substacks, here’s to your self-development and celebrating your small and big wins.
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