H.H.Sh. Hind Bint Maktoum AL Maktoum

[El Jood]

As part of Dubai International Holy Quran Award activities, an Islamic lecture titled "My reason for giving up acting career" was held on Thursday at Rashid Hospital Auditorium under the patronage of Shaikha Hind bint Juma Al Maktoum, wife of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence.

The lecture was delivered by Shahira, who was one of the prominent actresses of Egypt. She is wife of renowned film star Mahmoud Yassin and mother of actress Rania, but gave up her acting career in 1992 and chose to closely follow the Islamic path with all its morals and virtues.

In her lecture, Shahira stressed that acting has a respectful noble mission of conveying messages that aim at serving people and the society as a whole. "Actors can play a positive and vital role in their societies through works which highlight crucial issues such as Muslim women's rights and freedom in addition to the works which speak about various Islamic and historical figures who contributed through their hard work to bringing prosperity to Islam and to their countries," Shahira said.

" Since my childhood I always dreamt of being an actress and couldn't imagine myself in any other career but acting. My dream was accomplished when I became a well-known actress in Egypt. I devoted all my life and efforts to performing respectful roles that mainly aimed at serving the society and the Arab nation.

"Throughout my career, I never performed any obscene scene that I regret and be ashamed of," Shahira said. She added that God has granted every human being a hidden talent that needs to be explored in the right manner.

Explaining the main reasons for quitting, Shahira said: "I always felt close to God and performing my prayers was a way of life for me. I felt that most of my time is allocated to my career and my role as a wife and a mother, and so there was not enough time dedicated for worshipping God.

"The decision to quit acting was a surprise to my family as they knew I loved and cherished my career so much. To date I still remember that day clearly as if it happened on Saturday. I was reading the Holy Quran and precisely Surrat Al Haj and while reading the verses I felt strongly shaken deep within me and decided immediately to leave anything in my life and get closer to God. At this particular moment, I felt I could better communicate with God than any other time," she added

Forsaking her career at the peak of her success was not a decision that Shahira regretted or will ever do.

"My life after wearing the Hijab has changed drastically in a better way and I noticed that I have become more forgiving, peaceful, patient and willing to bear and forgive others' misbehaviour."

Shahira urged the women audience to regularly read the Holy Quran and to attend Islamic lectures which, she said, had contributed to consolidating her will to move in the right path and made her understand more about Islam, thus feel closer to God and submissive to His will.







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[El Jood]

'UAE WOMEN READY TO PLAY POLITICAL ROLE': SHEIKHA HIND

The woman of the UAE has become intellectually, psychologically and socially qualified to handle any job in any field, according to Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister. In an interview with the Arabic magazine, Al Maraa Al Youm, (Woman Today), Sheikha Hind said local women were now competent enough to carry out any work, whether in the field of economy and trade, training, education, medicine, or police and army. She said women in the country had already taken up posts in such areas and proved their excellence and capability to shoulder any responsibility. Some had even shown excellent creativity. In reply to a question on her ideas regarding conditions for a competent local woman to enter the Federal National Council, FNC, following the call of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, wife of the President and Chairperson of the UAE Women's Federation, for participation of local women in political work, she said since women in the country had become competent and well-educated a decision was needed from the leadership of the country to allow women to take part in political work and secure membership in the FNC. UAE women have figured prominently inside and outside the country, Sheikha Hind said, adding that the woman of the country no longer remained a "forgotten figure" in comparison to any country wishing to improve the standard of its people and trying to acquire social justice for all segments of society. She said she believed in the equality of man and woman. Both are equal in the eyes of God, she said. And the future of men in the UAE was dependent on that of women, Sheikha Hind said, adding that in case the future of one was lost, that of the other was lost too, leading to fragmentation and collapse of society. Answering a question on the importance of child care programmes since she championed the cause of children and showed great interest in supporting such programmes, she said her support for child development programmes stemmed from her belief that the child was the prime brick in the building of a proper and healthy society. She said she ingrained faith in God and Islamic teachings in the hearts of her children. Such an effort required the support and participation of the husband, without whose advice and instructions the family would become incomplete and ineffective. She said in this context that she was proud of her husband, Gen. Sheikh Mohammed, who would not forget his duty towards his family as a husband and father despite his busy schedules. Sheikha Hind praised Sheikha Fatima, describing her as the ultimate role model for all Arab women. She added that she felt honoured to be the patron of a function which was held recently in Dubai to felicitate Sheikha Fatima in recognition of her unlimited support to women. She also paid rich tributes to the UAE Women's Federation and the women's associations countrywide for playing a pivotal role in educating local women and improving their standards in all fields. She said she liked reading and studied the Holy Quran and Islamic teachings to educate her children and inculcate in their minds Islamic tenets and intrinsic social values. (The Khaleej Times)