H.H.Sh. Hind Bint Maktoum AL Maktoum
The participation of the UAE woman in the political arena is a natural development of her role in society, said Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Wife of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister.
Sheikha Hind was speaking during an exclusive interview with Gulf News on the eve of the 31st anniversary of UAE National Day.
Pointing out that women's participation in the political field will enrich the Federal National Council (FNC) and society as a whole, Sheikha Hind said: "This will complete the picture of our society where efforts of men and women are intertwined."
On whether there will be any woman representative from Dubai in the FNC, Sheikha Hind said: "Our wise leadership has to decide."
Emphasising that education has to be reshaped, Sheikha Hind in the interview quoted Sheikh Mohammed who has said "education in our country is in a race with time."
Sheikha Hind said: "I am a regular reader of the Holy Quran, the sayings of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and the Holy Quran's interpretations. I always find time for reading, as I am interested in Arabic and Islamic history."
The UAE woman is creative and has the capacity to assimilate the most modern technologies, but she has to develop herself further as life is a journey of continuous learning, said Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Wife of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence.
Sheikha Hind was speaking in an exclusive interview with Gulf News on the eve of the 31st anniversary of UAE National Day.
The following is the full text of the interview:
In light of the changes and developments witnessed by UAE society over the past 31 years since the establishment of the UAE Federation, what is your evaluation of the UAE woman's status?
By the grace of God and thanks to the wisdom of our leadership, the UAE woman is enjoying an excellent status. Today, she is a partner and on par with the man in the process of the country's construction and development.
The UAE woman is playing a vital role in all walks of life – she is a virtuous mother, mindful tutor, distinguished employee, university professor, accountant, engineer and businesswoman.
I would like to point out that since its foundation, the UAE Federation has underlined the woman's role and rights. In fact, the human development process has covered on an equal basis the rights of the man and woman in the fields of education, health, social services and work.
I am proud of the position achieved by the UAE woman and her active participation in serving the nation. I am also proud of our society's appraisal of the woman's role, practices and creativity. The woman in our society is the man's complete partner, sharing with him responsibilities and working with him side by side with excellence and sincerity.
The UAE woman is proud of the governmental support which has paved her way to step into the most difficult fields and this is clear in the number of university graduates both in the arts and sciences.
The UAE woman today is living in a golden age in which she has reached the highest positions. This has enabled her to raise her profile in international forums.
When we talk about the UAE woman, we have to point to the leading role played by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Wife of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union, a role that qualified her to be honoured by several international and Arab institutions. This serves as testimony to the position the UAE woman has achieved, one that is lauded worldwide.
You have mentioned in previous statements that the child is the very foundation of society, free of social and psychological ills. How does one ensure such an environment, especially since UAE society has been witnessing many changes – a time that has been labelled as the age of globalisation?
Naturally, the child is the main cornerstone in building a healthy society. If a child is born and brought up in a good environment, we can guarantee a perfect generation and a safe and sound future for the whole society. It goes without saying that the main responsibility of bringing up a child, is the family's responsibility in general and the mother's in particular.
A poet once said: 'The mother is a school that if it is well prepared, it will yield a people of noble descent'.
By the grace of God, the UAE woman has been brought up armed with principles of religion, traditions and customs of the society and education and knowledge.
I am confident that the UAE woman gives special attention and care to her children who are the core of life for the majority of mothers. I believe that the daily life of parents in our country revolves around taking care of their children.
The UAE government has provided society with the means to have physically and mentally strong children. We have many child care institutions which aid the child from his first days in his mother's womb to adulthood.
The changes that are taking place in the age of globalisation are inevitably affecting strongly the environment in which our children are brought up.
These influences have within them the positive and the negative. The role of society and its institutions, including family institutions, is to make use of the positive elements and ward off the negative ones. I believe that teaching children the principles of religion and social values will help confront the negative effects of globalisation.
In view of the changes which society has been living through and the revolution in technology and communications, how do you perceive the future role of the UAE woman?
Society at large is prone to be exposed to these modern changes and not just the woman. The efforts of men and women should be intertwined to deal with the changes.
The woman's role is especially more important in view of her responsibilities towards the upbringing of children. She is responsible for passing on essential values to her children and exposing them only to what is useful.
As for other roles in society and the workplace, the woman is required to follow these developments and should be able to have a good command over modern tools, particularly those related to information technology.
She should become computer-literate, mastering all Internet applications. She also has to widen her scope of information and education so that she is capable of making the right choice when she is faced with the many options in the fields of work, entertainment and consumer goods.
The technology and telecommunication revolution has opened new horizons for men and women all over the world. In the UAE, the woman has strongly and boldly entered this domain. We see nowadays more and more graduates in the technical and technological fields, and many of them have proven themselves in their work.
The fast pace of technology has provided the UAE woman with new opportunities for work and production. The concept of 'working from the home' will become widespread in time. This revolution will help the UAE woman to work from her home without her family duties being affected and at the same time, enabling her to serve her society.
The UAE woman is creative and smart and has the capacity to assimilate the most modern and advanced technologies. She is capable of taking advantage of the new opportunities that are offered to her and conditioning them to suit her needs and circumstances.
The UAE younger generation carries on its shoulders many responsibilities, not only towards the preservation of the Federation's achievements of the past 31 years, but also towards future challenges especially in a changing world. What role do you perceive this generation to play?
Every new generation has to undertake the responsibilities imposed on it by the new age. There have always been challenges and as the present and past generations succeeded in shouldering their responsibilities, the new generation should do the same. The country has provided them every opportunity for them to excel and face challenges.
Change is the norm of life and the rapid speed of the current change should prompt the new generation to be more energetic in acquiring further education and training, paying more attention to work, perfection and excellence, developing new attitudes towards work and looking for new domains brought by the development plans.
I would like to inform you that the vision of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, is creating thousands of job opportunities for our young generation who should seize them.
I am looking forward to seeing our young men and women in various posts in the private sector and involved in new projects and institutions.
In previous statements you have indicated that the woman has to advance her educational, technical, social and cultural levels of knowledge, pointing out to the Arab proverb, which says: 'If one rides on ignorance, he will bring humiliation to himself and if one accompanies ignorance, he will lose his way'. In your opinion, what is the way to achieve this level of advancement?
I have pointed out previously that the woman should enhance her educational, technical, social and cultural knowledge. What the woman in these areas has achieved is good, but she has to develop herself further as life is a journey of continuous learning.
Therefore, the woman and the man alike should undertake this journey by following everything that is new, updating their information and educating themselves on the latest inventions.
