Dr Suaad Al Shamsi, The UAE’s First Female Emirati Aircraft Engineer Breaking the Glass Ceiling
New
Age Islam News Bureau
14
February 2023
• Kim
Sin-Ae a South Korean Female Artist Depicts Traditional Saudi Clothing in Style
of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”
• Valentine’s
Day in Saudi Arabia: Once-Banned Holiday Entices Couples, Singles Alike
• Restrictions
on Women's Education is Temporary: Islamic Emirate MoCI
• UAE
Gender Balance Council Boosts Work With IPU
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/suaad-uae-emirati-aircaraft/d/129104
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Dr Suaad Al Shamsi, The UAE’s First Female Emirati Aircraft Engineer Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Dr
Suaad Al Shamsi,: Supplied photo/ Khaleej Times
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by
Nandini Sircar
14
Feb 2023
A
well-known personality now, Dr Suaad Al Shamsi, who is the UAE’s first female
Emirati aircraft engineer, opened up to Khaleej Times in a conversation that
ranged from breaking the glass ceiling and women in leadership to raising her
two boys.
Speaking
on the sidelines of the Women in Leadership Panel Discussion of the Abdulla Al
Ghurair Foundation, held recently in Dubai, Dr Al Shamsi emphasised the
importance of remaining grounded, no matter what one's achievements are.
The
media spotlight is not unknown to her because of her trailblazing career — she
is a also an accomplished author apart from being an aviation engineer — but Dr
Al Shamsi retains a humble personality with a pleasing demeanour and a
contagious smile, which is a testimony to the values that she has been raised
with.
“I
respect my religion and culture, and what I represent… I am an Emirati woman. I
keep saying you must forget about the titles — like holding a doctoral degree
or being the first female Emirati aviation engineer and all other titles I have
received. When I enter my mother’s house, I forget about my degrees and
accolades. All I know at that moment is that when someone elder to me is asking
me something, I must stand. We are still old-fashioned that way," said the
aviation consultant for Abu Dhabi’s Midfield Terminal, one of the biggest
airport terminals in the world.
"When
I enter my mother’s house, we have a basket where we deposit all the mobile
phones and answer only emergency calls. So, I feel good value systems are
imperative in life; they take you a long way.”
Pursuing
her career for 18 years now, she often wakes up at 4am and works long hours
while managing both home and office.
“People
need to understand that in this field you have to work for long hours. Some
people say six or eight hours. For us, sometimes it stretches up to 14 hours a
day with different shifts. But if you are passionate about your career you
won’t think about the environment and the timings.
“In
aviation we come across people who belong to different religions and
backgrounds. So, initially I had to understand them and put myself in their
position… They are from different places — like India, the UK, France, several
Arab countries. In the beginning it was tough, but now I am part of the team.
One has to work hard to be a part of the team. I think the UAE is changing and
its approach towards women is changing for the better. More and more changes
have happened in hiring patterns with regard to pilots and aviation engineers.”
Her
love for aircraft and knack for fixing things were apparent from early on in
her life. While her mother wanted her to be a doctor and pursue a career in
medicine, she resolved to become a different sort of doctor — one with a
doctoral degree.
“I
am crazy about mechanical stuff — cars, aeroplanes, etc. I always gave the money
that I received from my parents to my brother and said I want your toy (to
repair things). My mom said ‘enough’ and wanted me to be a doctor. I hated
medicines and hospitals. So, I thought I’ll be a doctor but in a field that I
am passionate about. I told my mother that I want to be an aeronautical
engineer. That was over 18 years ago and (there's been) no looking back.”
Dr
Al Shamsi, who has received an honorary doctorate for her work in supporting
and empowering women in aviation, finished her higher education in aerospace
engineering at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK in 2006. She went on
to obtain an MBA in aviation management from Coventry University, also in the
UK, in 2012.
Shedding
light on breaking the glass ceiling in pursuit of her passion, she highlighted
that she has proven herself to be an inspiration not just for Emirati women but
for women across the world, aspiring for similar roles.
“It’s
a male dominated field and people didn’t accept me easily, initially. Somebody
even said 'you will resign within a month', and I kept smiling. The problem
sometimes is with people’s mentality, but it is changing," she said.
"The
UAE is really doing everything to aid women to enter into any field that they
want to pursue, even the niche fields. As a country, I feel the UAE is a role
model for many others. In our nation, you’ll find women in leadership positions
in many different fields.”
Successfully
juggling her professional and personal commitments is by now second nature to
this remarkable woman, who is the mother of two boys, aged nine and four.
“I
am the kind of a mother who wants to know what my children are doing... are
they studying? But it becomes doubly difficult when you are a mother because
time becomes precious. I sometimes have to cut down on my sleep to manage all
ends. I try to be successful on both the personal and the professional fronts.
I want to show the world that women can be both. But for that one has to be
prepared to work very hard.
“The
only thing that I wished (back then) was that I had longer maternity leave. But
now (as they are growing up), every day I share with them my daily schedule and
what I am doing. We need to show them that they need to support women, just
like women support them. Live your dream and follow your passion. Have faith
and persevere."
Source:
Khaleej Times
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Kim
Sin-Ae a South Korean Female Artist Depicts Traditional Saudi Clothing in Style
of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”
Kim
Sinae on changing perceptions of the Middle East
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NADA
JAN
February
13, 2023
JEDDAH:
Kim Sin-ae, a South Korean digital illustrator, is showcasing one of the Arab
world’s most beautiful and celebrated cultural features — its traditional
clothing — in the style of the seminal 19th-century Austrian artist Gustav
Klimt, particularly his most famous work, “The Kiss.”
Sin-ae
has blended Middle Eastern and North African culture with a touch of Korean
writing. The end result is a new interpretation of Klimt’s painting.
Klimt’s
“The Kiss” is the archetype of tenderness and passion with its shimmering,
colorful, love scene of two faces and bodies embracing each other wrapped in a
large golden cloak. This heavy embellishment protects and encircles the couple,
reiterating the immortality of their love in an unbreakable embrace.
Sin-ae
has incorporated 23 traditional outfits from countries including Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, Syria, Egypt, Mauritania, and Morocco into her versions of “The Kiss”
and has added in other cultural elements, including famous landmarks.
Sin-ae
told Arab News she discovered her passion for art after visiting museums and
galleries during her time as a flight attendant for Qatar Airways. She visited
The Klimt Museum on a layover in Vienna and fell in love with “The Kiss.”
She
said that she only discovered her own artistic skills when the COVID-19
pandemic hit, and lockdowns gave her time to study YouTube videos on digital
drawing, allowing her skills to surface.
“I
decided to make MENA culture my main subject, since, after living with Arabs
for seven years in Qatar, I learned a lot about them,” she told Arab News. She
also said she wanted to give Koreans a new perspective on Arabs that is
different from that shown in the media.
“I
chose ‘The Kiss’ to be the foundation of my art as it represents love and
compassion,” she said. “My name also includes (the Korean word for) love and I
believe that it is my mission to share and live love.”
While
she used the most common cultural outfits in her drawings, she also dove into
Saudi Arabia’s regional cultures. She drew intricate details of traditional
clothing from the western region of Hijaz, Taif, the southern region of Asir,
and the Kingdom’s central region.
Sin-ae
said she had had a very positive impression of Saudi Arabia since she was a
college student, after she met a Saudi exchange student who ignited her
interest in the country.
It
was one of her social-media followers who suggested drawing regional outfits
and asked her to look into the different types of clothing in Saudi Arabia to
tell the world more about the Kingdom’s diverse culture.
“I
am very grateful for the ideas given by my followers,” said Sin-ae. “I think
the most important thing is to find a common denominator between what people
want and what I want, because I think art should inspire people.”
The
artist said that she reaches out to her followers to provide her with
references for each outfit, as well as carrying out her own research into each
culture.
Sin-ae
has creatively included Korean words in some of her drawings. In the
illustration depicting Asir clothing, for example, the Korean word for Saudi
Arabia, “사우디
아라비아,”
is inscribed around the couple and next to symbols historically found in Asir.
She added the word “사랑,”
meaning love, in her Taif illustration, and used the Damask rose — for which
Taif is famous — and its leaves as part of the word.
Sin-ae
said the outfit from Asir was particularly tricky, as she saw it as being very
similar to Yemeni clothing. She asked Asiris and Yemenis for in-depth
explanations of the differences between the two styles.
To
further portray the beauty of cross-cultures, Sin-ae takes commissions from
couples around the world who are married to a partner from a different country.
So far, they have included couples with partners from Singapore and Korea,
Palestine and Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Argentina, and Jordan and the US.
Sin-ae
said that reactions to her work have been mostly positive but that, like all
artists, she also receives some criticism. She takes the latter in her stride,
saying that just as it is her “freedom to do art,” so others are free to
interpret it in a negative light, adding that she respects and appreciates all
feelings people get from her work.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2250481/saudi-arabia
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Valentine’s
Day in Saudi Arabia: Once-banned holiday entices couples, singles alike
13
February ,2023
In
the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, flower shops and restaurants in Saudi
Arabia are luring in couples and singles alike with beautifully assorted
bouquets and tailored menus to mark the occasion.
Seven
years ago, lovers had to plan their gifts weeks in advance to avoid being
caught by the since-abolished Committee of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention
of Vice.
The
committee had previously banned the sale of red roses and would prohibit shops
from displaying any red-colored items ahead of and on February 14.
Bouquets
and heart-embellished items would be sold in secret at shockingly high prices
to couples in love willing to pay the price.
But
as the Kingdom continues to enact reforms to improve the quality of life across
the country, citizens and residents have been publicly embracing the
celebration more and more each year.
“My
wife and I have been married for ten years. We used to celebrate Valentine’s
Day at home and would buy each other small gifts a week in advance. I would
order flowers, which were doubled in price by the way, days before,” Yousef
Moussa told Al Arabiya English.
“This
year, we plan to enjoy a nice dinner at a restaurant together. It’s nice to
publicly show our love,” he added.
Valentine’s
Day specials in Saudi Arabia
In
Riyadh, the fine-dining Greek restaurant Meraki is offering couples a “romantic
dinner experience inspired by Penelope and Odysseus’ love story.”
Meanwhile,
world-renowned Japanese restaurant Nobu in Jeddah will be hosting a live DJ to
play music for guests who want to dine from a specially curated menu.
For
Floward, the go-to online flowers and gifts delivery destination in the MENA
region, Valentine’s Day is the biggest day of the year.
Last
year, the company received its most expensive order from a client in the
Kingdom who wanted to gift a $3,000-bundle of flowers and other accessories to
commemorate the occasion.
“Each
year, sales leading to and on Valentine’s Day increase by several multiples in
comparison with other days and occasions. Each year we’re noticing a growing
demand on this day and more people celebrating this special moment,” Floward
CEO & Chairman Abdulaziz al-Loughani told Al Arabiya English.
“We
think that people’s attitudes and behavior were already existing but now they
started acting on it publicly rather than privately,” he said.
The
lack of restrictions means both couples and single people no longer have to shy
away from openly celebrating the day of love.
“My
group of friends and I will be handing out roses and chocolates to each other
in the office,” Rania Hasan told Al Arabiya English.
“It’s
a cute way to show each other love on this day.”
Without
having to think twice when writing bouquet cards, people have also been more
expressive about their feelings, the General Manager of the Riyadh flower shop
Little Flora Soniel said in an interview.
“In
the past, they would come three, four days before and make an order. They would
not write a lot of feelings in the cards, but now people are willing to share
their feelings and write them. They order directly through our website instead
of coming secretly or sending a quick, anonymous text message,” he said.
“The
volume of orders was always there, but now there is more of an openness among
people. We never noticed a significant increase. Now people come and directly
make orders for their wives or girlfriends,” Soneil added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Restrictions
on Women's Education is Temporary: Islamic Emirate MoCI
By
Baryali Ansari
The
Deputy of Youth in the Ministry of Information and Culture in a gathering in
Uruzgan said the restrictions on women's education in the country are
temporary.
Mohammad
Yunus Rashid said that the Islamic Emirate is trying to provide an education
structure based on Sharia for women and girls in the country.
“The
Islamic Emirate is making a policy for women's education, the right that Islam
gives to them, the Islamic Emirate is committed to that,” said Mohammad Yunus
Rashid.
“The
door of education is closed for our sister how long?” said Jawed Khapalwak, an
Uruzgan resident.
Meanwhile,
some youth called on the current government to provide work facilities for the
young generation to prevent illegal immigration.
“Currently
there is one commission in all of the departments that work in Uruzgan, and all
previous government staff were fired from all departments,” said Wali Mohammad
Pakhla, an Uruzgan resident.
“Why
does a commission fire an employee, according to which right, it just happens
in Uruzgan, not across the country, why?” said Akbar Khan, an Uruzgan resident.
“I
studied at university in this country, have I committed a crime, or have I sinned,
if I studied at school and university for sixteen years in the previous
government,
is this my sin?” said Jumma Gul Hemmat, an Uruzgan resident.
Meanwhile,
the deputy of Youth of the Ministry of Information and Culture said that
recently they started work on a plan so that, with its implementation, work
will be provided to more than three million young people in the country.
Earlier,
youth in the country cited unemployment and the appointment of non-specialized
people to institutions as the main reason for emigrating from the country.
Source:
Tolo News
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan/provincial-182038
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UAE
Gender Balance Council boosts work with IPU
February
13, 2023
Dubai:
The UAE Gender Balance Council (GBC) on Monday discussed new avenues to enhance
cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organisation
of national parliaments, to accelerate international efforts to achieve UN’s
Sustainable Development Goal 5 related to the empowerment of girls and women
across the world.
Mona
Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and President
of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal, met with
Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and
Member of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal on
Monday on the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023.
The
meeting formed part of the UAE Gender Balance Council’s World Government Summit
engagements and events being held under the patronage of Sheikha Manal bint
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council,
President of the Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of Sheikh Mansour bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.
Global
leaders, senior officials and representatives of international organisations at
the forefront of advancing gender balance are participating in these
engagements and events.
Commitment
During
the meeting, both sides reiterated their commitment to intensifying
international efforts to promote women’s empowerment, protecting women’s rights
and enhancing women’s role as leaders in government sectors around the world.
The
two parties agreed to develop a joint programme focused on advancing gender
balance, with a particular focus on governments and parliaments.
Mona
Al Marri said the support of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed for the Global Council
for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal reflects the UAE government’s
commitment to supporting the UN efforts to accelerate its 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals.
Al
Marri also expressed her appreciation for the cooperation and support of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, headed by Martin Chungong, for the initiatives and
projects of the Global Council focused on advancing the UN’s 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals.
Gender
Balance Toolkit
One
of the key achievements of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable
Development Goal in the 2018-2021 phase was the development of the ‘Global
Advanced Practices for Gender Balance Toolkit’ that provides guidelines, global
legislative models and practical policies for incorporating gender balance and
advancing women’s empowerment in government, private sector and society.
The
project was developed by the Global Council in cooperation with the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Al
Marri said the IPUI has contributed significantly to building the institutional
partnerships and strengthening the people-to-people ties necessary to advance
gender balance globally.
Its
comprehensive research studies have shed new light on establishing a strong
gender balance culture among parliaments across the world.
The
IPU continues to work to enhance the proportion of women’s representation in
parliaments worldwide, which currently stands at 26.4%.
UAE
ranks high in women empowerment
Martin
Chungong expressed his appreciation for the UAE’s steadfast efforts to raise women’s
empowerment and gender balance, which has led to the country obtaining high
rankings in global gender balance indices.
The
UAE leadership’s vision has empowered women to make significant contributions
to social and economic development in the UAE, he said.
The
two sides discussed opportunities to enhance cooperation to raise women’s
participation in various spheres of life across the world and the possibility
of benefiting from the ‘UAE Gender Balance Center for Excellence and Knowledge
Exchange’ launched by the UAE Gender Balance Council last year in cooperation
with the World Bank to promote the development of gender balance expertise in
the region.
Workshop
The
two organisations also agreed to organise a virtual global workshop to further
discuss the projects of the Global Council and conduct a joint study on the
positive impact of having more women in parliaments in the region.
The
study will draw from the UAE’s successes in gender balance.
UAE:
First in the world
Women
comprise 50% of the UAE Federal National Council (FNC). The UAE was ranked
first in the world in women’s representation in parliament in 2020 and 2021 by
the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the International Institute for
Management Development in Switzerland.
It
was also placed first in women’s parliamentary representation by the Global
Gender Gap Report issued by the World Economic Forum for 2021 and 2022.
At
the World Government Summit 2023, the UAE Gender Balance Council is keen to
strengthen its global partnerships as part of its efforts to raise the UAE’s
status as a global leader in gender balance.
Opportunities
The
Gender Balance Forum and the Women in Government Forum organised at the World
Government Summit 2023 under the patronage of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, brings together thought leaders from across the region and the
world to discuss new opportunities to advance gender balance and the
participation of women in government.
Both
events feature a rich dialogue between global leaders, public and private
sector officials, and representatives of international organisations with
expertise in developing gender policies.
Source:
Gulf News
https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/uae-gender-balance-council-boosts-work-with-ipu-1.93825579
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