DesertDawn

The Magazine of Dubai Women’s College

‫فجر الصحراء‬

Fatal traditions:
female circumcision in the UAE
Bedoon
No identity, no nation

The ugly truth about your degree

Is your university accredited?
 HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Noor Islamic Bank

THANK YOU
from Dubai Women’s College
for your generous donations

Red Crescent
Al Maktoum Foundation

To contribute to DWC students’ education

and future, please contact Bassima Al Alyah at:
Telephone: 04-2089238
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Dubai Islamic Bank Humanitarian Foundation

Contents 06 Women: Fatal traditions:


female circumcision in the UAE
The husband with the magic wand
Me, my mother and trust
Dear women drivers...

18 Education: The ugly truth about your degree

UAE parents prefer private schools
Raising stars

26 Society: Bedoon: no identity, no nation

Children in heels
I smoked!
Shhhh... don’t tell!
Driving with attitude
Gone with the debts

40 Art: The revolution of cavewomen

42 Personality: Learning is life

48 Business: The bright side of the economic crisis

50 Environment: Recycling is fun

61 !‫مشاركة أم مسؤولية؟‬

63 !‫مناهج دراسية بني اجلمود واتكالية؟‬

67 ‫ بدون وطن‬.. ‫ بدون هو ّية‬: ‫البدون‬

6 71 !‫عادات وتقاليد قد تؤدي إلى املوت‬

The opinions presented in this issue do not necessarily represent the views of Desert Dawn, the Applied Communications Department, DWC
or its officials. Desert Dawn welcomes submissions from all students, however, not all submissions may be printed and they may be edited for
space, style and content. Desert Dawn is produced by DWC’s Applied Communications Department and printed by Excel Printing Press..
©
 Publisher
Dr. Howard Reed

From the Director

Editors & Designers
Hessa Al Hamadi
Reem Ahli

Writers
Ahlam Al Bannai
Amina Shahwari
audience anticipation would be
Aisha Bin Obood
high for this issue but that the Asma Al Zaabi
momentum might not be easy Ayesha Al Madani
to sustain. Probably the teachers Eman Al Owais
and I felt the same way. Fatema Al Kamali
Importantly, the students were Fatima Al Matrooshi
excited by the challenge and com- Hamda Al Bastaki
mitted to trying to generate debate Hamda Hassan
about important issues that are Hessa Al Hamadi
Hessa Falaknaz
frequently avoided. As every
Jumana Ghanem
educator knows, it is not just the Khulood Al Jasimi
end result but also the learning Maryam Al Falasi
process that is important at the Maryam Al Mulla
individual level, including the Mirah Al Falasi
personal awareness breakthrough Muna Abdelkarim
that may be relatively minor in Nuha Hassan
the eyes of others. These minor Reem Ahli
awareness breakthroughs are Shaikha Al Ayali
Shamma Al Mansouri
exciting to watch because they
Shamsa Ahmad
Dr. Howard Reed, DWC Director. often evolve into the next big Shatha Al Ameri
Ayesha Bin Zayed/DWC issue. It is safe to say that some, Wafa Al Marzouqi
if not most, of the articles in this
The previous issue of Desert issue started as an individual Cover by
Dawn seemed to catch some of seeing something that they had not Hessa Al Hamadi
our readers by surprise. They noticed before and through discus- Reem Ahli
did not think that our students sion and research the observation
would write about sex education, evolved into an article. Advisors
Dr. Hanan Hairab
boyats, divorce, perhaps even a
Chair-Applied Communications
disgusting but accepted social DD provides the learning platform Margo Tummel
habit like smoking. Some readers or the laboratory for that evolution Graphic Design
were definitely surprised that the to happen for the Team. It also Rajaa Abu-Jabr
College supported the stdents and provides the opportunity for a Journalism
published the socially relevant, similar process to happen for our
but slightly controversial articles. readers, both in print and online. Text editors:
Despite the surprise, the over- The DD Team and I are excited by Alison Harding
whelming response to the issue this process; we hope you are too Bindu Fernando
Dr. Hanan Hairab
was very positive and supportive, and look forward to your feedback
Laura McNabb
definitely abolishing any doubts regarding this issue.
that the Team might have had Dubai Women’s College
regarding the reaction of the Dr. Howard E. Reed Tel. +9714 2672 929
audience to sensitive topics and PO Box 16062, Dubai
encouraging the next Team to keep www.dwc.hct.ac.ae
writing about topics that are For feedback regarding Desert Dawn, please
frequently avoided. contact Dr. Hanan Hairab on +9714 2089530
or email: desert.dawn@hct.ac.ae
As the students prepared for this Publisher
issue, they were aware that the Designed and written by DWC Year 4
Applied Communications students
6 WOMEN

Female circumcision in the UAE. Who’s to blame? Wafa Al Marzouqi/DWC

Fatal traditions: female circumcision in the UAE

WAFA AL MARZOUQI

“I was eight years old when my
mother took me and my sisters
to the hospital. I was really terrified
because I didn’t know what was
going on. I entered a white room
and was told by the nurse to lay
on the bed. A few minutes later,
I felt severe pain and then every-
thing ended,” narrates 21 year old
Asma Obaid, about the day her
mother took Asma and her five
sisters for ‘a quick trip.’
Female circumcision is considered
a sensitive topic in UAE society as
people still argue about whether
it is recommended Islamically or
simply practiced because of tribal
traditions. A signifanct number
of UAE Nationals follow the foot-
steps of their parents and grand-
parents without questioning the
practice of female circumcision.
If Islam encourages female
circumcision, why do experts
consider the practice medically
and psychologically harmful to
females? Is there any religious
text people should refer to? What
is the medical point of view? Are
there benefits to this practice?
Many questions regarding female
circumcision need answers.
Female circumcision originated
in Egypt in 100 BC, where
the concept of the Pharaoh’s
circumcision was established.
It is based on the mutilation
of the sensitive female genital
area, which leaves only a very
small aperture for the passage
of urine and menstruation. This
type of female circumcision is still
popular in some Arab countries
such as Egypt and Sudan. In the
Gulf countries, and specifically
in the UAE, female circumcision
is to some still a tribal tradition
and a religious tradition to oth-
ers. Although it has been banned
in UAE government hospitals, it
is still performed secretly in the
country. The common type of
circumcision in the UAE is the
one in which a small portion of
the female genitalia is removed.
Opinions on female circumcision
vary because of cultural sensi-
tivity and the different levels of
education among members of
the community. In a Desert Dawn
survey of 200 Emiratis from both
sexes on the subject of female
circumcision, 34% of female
respondents were circumcised
because of customs and traditions.
A significant 40% of circumcised
female participants were in favor
of female circumcision and will
circumcise their daughters
in the future. 82% of all women
respondents opposed the practice
while 99% of male participants
also opposed female circumcision.
If Islam
encourages
female
circumcision,
why do
experts consider
the practice
medically and
psychologically
harmful to
females?
Mariam Humaid, a 21 year old
university student, was seven
years old when she was taken
to her grandmother’s house
who was known for her medical
7
knowledge in the tribe. “I was
feeling every needle prick as I
was circumcised without any
pain killers.” Mariam stresses
that female circumcision is a
must in her tribe; those who are
circumcised will be respected and
appreciated unlike those who are
not and who will be held inferior
and looked down on. “Of course
I will circumcise my daughters
and if my husband doesn’t like
the idea, I will do whatever it
takes to persuade him.”
Mariam tells the story of her
friend, 22 years old Alia Saeed,
who was circumcised against her
will when a man proposed to her
and requested the circumcision
as a condition to marry her. “I re-
searched the topic and I discovered
that if it was done in the correct
way, it is alright.” So she agreed
and married him.
Sara Ali, a 23 year old university
student, was circumcised at the
age of nine with her six sisters
at a government hospital. One
of her sisters was not circumcised
after the authorities banned the
practice. “My father didn’t like the
idea of female circumcision, but
the pressure from my grandmother
and aunts was greater than his
wish.”Sara believes female circum-
cision violates women’s rights.
Although the youngest in her family,
22 years old bank employee Fatma
Essa is the only circumcised girl
in her family. Her mother took her
along with the mother’s friend
and daughter to get both daughters
circumcised. Fatma thinks her
mother was influenced by her
friend. “I don’t know the reasons
behind the circumcision and I
don’t know whether I am for or
against it, but I’m sure that my
8
mother won’t do anything that
will cause me harm.” She explains
that every mother wants the best
for her daughter and so if the
circumcision is harmful, her
mother would not do it.
Mona Ahmed, a 22 year old student
and mother of two boys, said she
will circumcise her daughter if
she has a baby girl. She will do as
her mother did to her when she
was only two days old. “In case
my husband refused to circumcize
our daughter, I won’t object to
him because my only objective for
circumcizing her is to follow the
Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH).”
She stressed, however, if she
circumcises her daughter, it will
be in her early days and not when
she grows up.
On the other hand, Um Reem,
a circumcised mother of two girls,
did not circumcise her daughters
because she believes it has no
benefits. “When I know that the
damage caused by girls’ circumci-
sion is much bigger than its ben-
efits, what’s the point of endanger-
ing the lives of our daughters?”
Fatma Al Marzouqi, a 25 year old
employee in Abu-Dhabi, opposes
female circumcision for its violation
of women’s rights. “Most people
who circumcise their daughters
are people who cling to their
tribal traditions and customs
which have nothing to do with
religion or medicine.” Agreeing
with Fatma, 22 years old student
Maitha Mohammed, encourages
the authorities to take action on
female circumcision. “The author-
ities must play a better advocacy
role. We are suffering today from
the lack of resources and informa-
tion regarding the circumcision
of girls which prevents individuals
from gaining the knowledge about
such procedures, especially if it
was carried out by unqualified
doctors or individuals.”
While
circumcision is
performed on
men and women,
there is no
evidence from
the Quran
or Sunnah
requiring
female
circumcision.
As shown in the results of the
survey, the majority of UAE men
agree there is no point of female
circumcision, rejecting the idea
because of its many disadvantages
especially if it is performed
improperly. Mohammed Ahmed,
a 28 year old bank employee,
opposes female circumcision
because it leads to endless physical
and psychological problems. “Many
who circumcise their daughters
have misunderstood Islam and
most of them perform it due to
cultural reasons which do not
have anything to do with religion.”
Majed Ahmed, a 19 year old
university student, agrees with
Mohammed. “The real reasons
behind female circumcision are
the traditions and customs with-
out referring to the advice of
experts.” He believes the practice
of circumcision is unjust to females.
“Many people are afraid their
daughters will misbehave, so they
circumcise them. Good manners
and sticking to real Islamic prac-
tices will guide the girls to proper
behavior. Circumcising them won’t
make them better behaved.”
With reference to the origin of
female circumcision in Islam, Dr.
Ahmed Al Haddad, Grand Mufti
of the UAE and Director of Ifta
Department, notes that historically
Arabs always knew about female
circumcision, but only medicine
women performed the procedure.
He quotes Prophet Mohammed
(PBUH) saying to a woman whom
he saw circumcising a girl: “cut
off only the foreskin (outer fold
of skin over the clitoris; the
prepuce) but don’t cut deeply (i.e.
the clitoris itself ), for this is
brighter for the face (of the girl)
and more favorable with the
husband.” While circumcision is
performed on men and women,
there is no evidence from the
Quran or Sunnah requiring female
circumcision.
The four Sunni schools of juris-
prudece in Islam have slightly
different interpretations. Some
of them see it as obligatory like
Al Shaafi’i school: “Circumcision
is obligatory for both men and
women, but on a very small scale
for women.” Some of them believe
it is desirable like Hanbali and
Hanafi, while Malki thinks it
is an honor for the girl.
Dr. Ahmed Al Qubaisi, former
President, Department of Islamic
Studies at the University of Baghdad,
and recently at the UAE University,
agrees with Dr. Ahmed Al Haddad
that circumcision is a personal
choice, not religious. To him,
many Muslims do it without any
clear evidence from the Quran or
Sunnah. He stresses on the signifi-
cance of the statement released by

the United Nations two years ago
which totally prohibits female
circumcision due to the harm it
causes. “Even if the simplest female
circumcision is beneficial to men,
we should not forget that it may
harm the girl physically and
psychologically and in Islam we
are not allowed to favor one party
over the other.”
Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, an esteemed
Islamic scholar, noted in his study
on women’s issues in Islam, as
posted on his website (www.
qaradawi.net), that people, includ-
ing doctors and scholars, support
female circumcision to prevent
females from committing sins.
“Many Muslim countries do not
circumcise their women and we
do not notice increased levels
of females’ sinful acts there!”
Dr. Al Haddad argues if female
circumcision is to be performed,
it should be done at birth and not
later which is forbidden in Islam.
“It will harm the girl and reveal
her private area.” Men, however,
can be circumcised at any age
Women’s opinions on circumcision
18%
82%
With
Against
because of hygenic reasons.
“Female circumcision is not
performed due to hygenic reasons
and there is no harm if she is not
circumcised.” He also emphasizes
the harm caused by Pharonic
circumcision and asks to punish
those who perform it because
it harms the woman and damages
her relationship with her husband.
Medically speaking and according
to one doctor (she asked not to be
identified), male circumcision
is a must because it prevents serious
infections which could cause
dangerous diseases such as cancer.
She argues, however, that female
circumcision is medically unac-
ceptable as there is no benefit
to it other than reducing the
female’s sexual desires. “The
circumciser removes a part of
the female’s genitalia which leads
to reducing the female’s libido.”
She also explains that in Pharonic
circumcision, the circumciser
performs clitoridectomy (removing
all or part of the labia minora, the
labia majora) “leaving the circum-
cised totally incapable of feeling/
Number of circumcized women
34%
66%
Circumcized
Uncircumcized
Opinions of circumcized women on circumcision
9
enjoying intercourse and turning
her into a woman whose job is to
deliver babies!”
Pharonic circumcision can be
deadly as it may cause bleeding
and infections during intercourse
or while giving birth. Many females
who experienced Pharonic circum-
cision have ended up in surgery
rooms or, in some cases, dead.
The role of the Government in
putting an end to this fatal tradition
is being questioned and a clarifica-
tion is needed on the legality of
female circumcision in the country
as it is currently ambiguous. If it
Number
is banned inofgovernment
circumcized women
hospitals,
why is it still being performed in
other health facilities? It comes
as no surprise that many health
officials refused to cooperate in
providing information on the topic.
34%
66%
Many refused to talk about female
circumcision, preferring to keep
the silence. But how effective is
that?
Circumcized
Uncircumcized
Opinions of circumcized women on circumcision
40%
60%
With
Against
10
The husband with the magic wand
SHAMSA AHMAD
Parents vs daughters. Shamsa Abdulla/DWC
Dear diary,
“Today I turned 23 and I am still
waiting. You must know this very
well by now, how much I want
this and for how long I have been
waiting. Supposedly, I am an
independent adult who can make
decisions on her own, but appar-
ently I am not. My mom gave me
again the same old answer: “Wait
until you get married.” Well, I am
sick and tired of it, I just want to
cut and dye my hair, why do I need
to wait for a man to do that!”
This is a piece from the diary of
my angry friend who is still waiting
for a husband so she can cut and
dye her hair. Something about it
got me thinking, not just laughing
hypocritically at what I read.
Many years ago, it was normal
to find parents who rejected a lot
of things their daughters wanted
to do as families were strict in
many ways and did not allow
their daughters to go out, study
or work. But with today’s devel-
opment and openness in society,
young ladies are able to go to
college, work, or go out with fewer
restrictions.
Surprisingly, however, and despite
the openness, many families do
not allow their daughters to do
simple things for bizarre reasons.
Parents allow their daughters to
make big decisions related to their
career and life while objecting to
other simple things such as cutting
and dying their hair.
Noura Abdulla, a 22 year old
single student, wanted to pluck
her eyebrows and reshape them
for a long time. “My mother refuses
each time saying that I can’t do it
as I am a single lady.” Arwa Salem,
who barely had any makeup on,
explained that her parents do not
allow her to wear makeup because
they think she is still young and
she needs to wait, although she
is 23 years old! “My family always
look at me as a child, and this
really bothers me.”
Sleeping over at a friend’s house
is another thing that many girls
wish to do. Aisha Abdulrahman,
20 years old, always wanted to
sleep over at her best friend’s
house, whom she has known for
eight years. “My mother allows
me to stay at my friend’s house
very late at night till around
12 a.m. if we are working on a
project but she strongly refuses
a sleepover.”
More stories from different young
ladies demonstrate the various
degrees of restriction families
impose on their daughters. Some
families object to very simple
things such as going out with
friends or more serious issues
such as traveling to go to College.
Ameera Khaled, a 25 year old bank
officer, had big dreams. “After
finishing my bachelor degree
and working for two years at a
bank, I decided I wanted to get
my Masters Degree from the UK,
so I spoke to my mother and her

answer was very sharp and brief:
“Get married and then travel with
your husband wherever you want
to go.” Ameera was very disap-
pointed by her mother’s response.
“I don’t know when I am going
to get married and I can’t plan my
future career based on the husband
who might or might not come.”
Practicing a hobby is an important
thing to many young ladies. Khawla
Saeed, a 24 year old accountant,
had different dreams when she
was a child. “I dreamt of becoming
a horse rider, and I practiced horse
riding until I was 13.” At that time,
her mom rejected horse riding
claiming it was dangerous and
informing Khawla she could only
go back to it if she got married.
Khawla did not understand her
mother’s rejection and why she
was doing that.
Mothers’ restrictions leave
young women confused. It makes
young women think they are not
complete and will always need
a man in their lives to make the
decisions on their behalf. This
will gradually make them lose
self-confidence and the belief that
they are independent women.
A phrase such as “wait until you
get married” raises many critical
questions Why after marriage?
Why not now? What is it in a
husband that will make things go
fine? What is in the mother’s head
that makes her think this way?
According to Fatima A, a mother
of five daughters, it is all about
gossip. “I don’t allow my daughters
to go out with their friends. Not
because I don’t trust them, but
because people like to talk and
gossip in our society and they
might say bad things about my
daughters. If they are married,
Parents allow
their daughters
to make big
decisions
related to their
career and life
while objecting
to other simple
things such as
cutting and
dying their hair.
people won’t talk about them and
will look for somebody else to
gossip about.” Gossip is something
that people tend to be very careful
of, especially parents as gossiping
about a girl means gossiping about
her reputation, which is the most
important thing about a girl in the
local culture.
Other parents act this way with
their daughters to protect them.
Many families disapprove of stories
11
they hear in society about girls
misbehaving. “Girls are a
responsibility,” comments Yosuf
Abdullah, father of four daughters.
“A heavy responsibility that will
only go away when they get
married.” This perception is
very common amongst parents,
although to varying degrees. They
have to make sure their daughters
are not doing anything that might
damage their own and the family’s
reputation.
Other families have a different
point of view. Mariam S., a 50 year
old mother, does not allow her
daughter to pluck her eyebrows,
cut or dye her hair until she gets
married because she believes the
bride should look different on her
wedding day. “A girl should keep
her beauty for her husband.”
The practice goes back to culture
and traditions. People in this region
make daily decisions based on
these two factors. They embrace
them in their daily lives, especially
parents and the elderly. While this
could be really great when talking
about keeping the heritage and
might not be the most effetive way
in helping young women build
self-confidence and independent
personalities.
12

Me, my mother and trust

FATEMA AL KAMALI & HESSA FALAKNAZ

Mother-daughter communication. Hessa Falaknaz & Fatema Al Kamali/DWC


Hind and her siblings were playing
hide-and-seek in the backyard.
This time it was her turn to hide.
She rushed to the nearest room
scared that someone would find
her. She chose her father’s office
and quickly crawled under
the table. When her brothers’
voices approached the office, she
squished her body to one of the
corners to make sure they did
not find her. This was when
she caught her breath as she
noticed blood.
This is what Hind, a 28 year old
Emirati woman, had to say
describing her experience when
she got her menstrual period the
first time. Hind thinks it was kind
of embarrassing to talk about
these issues with her mother.
Some mothers do not know how
important it is for their daughters
to be educated about puberty
before experiencing the signs.
Many girls are shocked when
they first get their period because
no one ever told them that it is
only natural and healthy. Some
mothers feel uncomfortable about
talking to their daughters as they
might think it is shameful, while
others might not be aware how
this could affect their daughters
psychologically.
Educating girls about the fact
that the period is a natural body
function and not an illness helps
them react to its signs more easily.
Dr. Layla Al Samarai, Clinical
Psychologist at Dubai Health
Authority, argues that the most
common problems that terminate
the dialogue between a mother
and her daughter are the lack
of education and the generation
gap. Mothers always think their
daughters are still too young to
understand.
Many girls are
shocked when
they first get
their period,
because no one
ever told them
that this is
only natural
and healthy.
Embarrassment is another factor
that keeps the mother from
starting a dialogue. “Mothers
nowadays should know that
education about puberty is very
important, because it shapes
the way a female thinks about
herself; the way she dresses,
her hygiene and health,” Dr. Al
Samarai explains. Some mothers
wait till their daughters get their
periods to start talking about
puberty. Most of them are not
aware of how important it is for
their daughters to know about
13
body changes before experiencing
them. “When my breasts were
developing, I always used to wrap
a piece of cloth around them so it
wouldn’t show. It looked awful,”
says K.A. a 16 year old girl.
On average, girls first get their
periods when they are 12 or 13
years old (some earlier or later).
Dr. Saif Ahmed Salim, Community
Medicine and Educational Health
Specialist at Dubai Health Authority,
advises a mother should begin
having conversations with her
daughter when the daughter starts
understanding what is happening
around her, which is around 2 to 3
years old. This will make it much
easier for the mother to talk to
her daughter later on when it
is time for more important and
sensitive topics.
Abeer Al Suwaidi, a mother of two,
says her eight year old daughter
started questioning her when she
first saw a pack of sanitary pads
at home. “I explained it to her
when she was a bit older. This was
when I realized that puberty is an
important issue and not a matter
to ignore.”
If daughters are not used to having
conversations with their mothers,
they may rely on their friends
as a source of information about
different things in life, which is not
always the perfect solution. They
might even get false information
from the Internet or magazines.
14
Some girls may be scared of sharing
the special news with their mothers
because they think what is
happening to them is abnormal,
Dr. Asamarai explains. On the
other hand, the ones who have
absolutely no idea about what the
period is will be in shock when
they first get it. “When I got my
period, the first thought that came
to my mind was that I was dying,”
says Maryam Abdulla, a teenager
who has experienced the situation
recently.
If girls have no idea about what
a period is and how it happens,
most probably they will not know
how to use a pad properly. “I had
to change my underwear more
often because of Blood stains. I
wasn’t sure if my mom should
know about it,” says Alia, a bank
employee.
Girls are supposed to be prepared
for the physical changes that will
happen to their body such as
developing breasts, body curves,
hormones, pubic hair, and their
period. The way the information
is taught to girls should help them
feel relieved and joyful when they
experience those first drops of
blood. Dr. Saif clarifies that mothers
have to explain the signs of
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
like mood swings, breast tender-
ness and sleepiness that will make
her identify that the changes she
is experiencing are natural.
A mother has to state positive
things to her daughter about
menstruation. She should also
know that it means her daughter’s
ovaries are working properly and
one day she will be a mother and
have children, which is beautiful.
“Instead of scaring your daughter
and making her feel that her child-
hood is gone, she can know that
it’s the birth of her womanhood,
which is a nice thing,” Dr. Al
Samarai adds. Another positive
fact to say is that every time
a girl gets her period her body
is cleansed.
Difficult topics are preferably
discussed in a place where there
is not much eye contact. “I talk to
my mom about my secrets in the
car, especially at night,” says 16
year old Fatima M. Friendly
conversations are always a good
start no matter how hard the sub-
ject is. Privacy is an important
factor when it comes to such
sensitive topics. “A mother might
want to choose a place where her
daughter will be comfortable,
which depends on the personality
of the girl. Some would like to go
to a restaurant, while others
would prefer staying at home,”
Dr. Saif explains.
Lack of education, age difference
and embarrassment are probably
the main reasons behind the
barrier between a mother and
her daughter. A mother is her
daughter’s role model, friend
and teacher. A healthy mother-
daughter relationship means that
every daughter must know that
her mother is the one whom she
can approach whenever she needs
help with such issues.
Dr. Prager, who hosts “Ask Dr.
Iris” forums and manages the
content on several websites,
including
www.tampax.com,
www.always.com, and
www.beinggirl.com
provided some of the tips for
all mothers on how to talk to
their daughters.
He recommends the following:
• Talk openly with your
daughter, face to face, and more
than once to make sure your
daughter understands what
you are saying.
• If your own mother never
talked to you about your
period or puberty, you will feel
awkward which is normal.
• Let your daughter know
that every girl goes through
the physical changes in
different ages.
• If you are not sure about any
of the information you have about
puberty, there are several books
or websites you can refer to.
• Be a good listener to her all
the time.
• Share your own personal
experiences, so she feels relaxed.
unrestrained passengers can seriously injure themselves and others

DON’T RISK IT!

PROTECT YOUR CHILD

WEAR A SEAT BELT
16
Dear women drivers…
AHLAM AL BANNAI
A BMW is parked on the side of
the road on a very hot summer
day with an open bonnet. If you
come closer you will see 19 year
old Fatima wearing her abaya
and holding a towel and bottle
of water to refill her car coolant.
Fatima learned how to refill her
car coolant when she first saw a
sign on her car display. She called
her father and asked about the
danger of this sign; he showed her
how to temporarily fix it and took
the car to the nearest repair shop.
She usually faces this problem
with her car and she is used to
fixing it alone. “Everyone was
staring at me, some of them were
surprised and others offered help,
but I was able to fix it alone,” Fatima
comments.
Maryam Ali had a similar experi-
ence to Fatima’s. “I learnt the basic
warning icons from my brothers
as I was curious to know every-
thing related to cars even before
I started driving. While at college,
I drove a basic car. After graduation,
I worked and then bought a fancy
car so everything changed from
thekey to the start/stop button
and from the flashy yellow warning
icons to the smart display that
talks to me and shows me every-
thing.”
Unlike these brave females, there
are some girls who do not have
enough knowledge about these
signs. “I saw the battery icon on
my smart display screen, but I by selfish sellers. Ibrahim advises
thought it was related to my key women drivers of paying extra
battery. I went to a shopping mall attention to the age of the tires
and when I came back I tried to as a significant safety precaution
open my car but it failed. I thought as they could be older than what
it was an engine breakdown and they look.
I panicked because I love my two
year old car,” said 20 year old Ibrahim believes women drivers
student Hanan Mahmood. “ A take good care of their cars only
group of guys came to help me from the outside, but they lack
and they told me it was a battery proper knowledge about important
problem. They charged my car auto related issues such as the
and asked me to go to the nearest engine and the brakes.
repair shop to replace the battery
without switching off the car.” This Some women, however, do it all
experience was a wake up call to by themselves. Ibrahim has a
Hanan to learn more about the female customer who fixes her
warning icons. car on her own without any help
from men, but she refers to the
From the expert garage in specific cases when she
According to auto repair experts, can not use the equipment at
the most common auto problems her home.
among women are related to the
brakes or oil. “Some women buy Here is a list of the most common
a used car in a good condition, but signs one would see indicating
with old brakes, which is dangerous a problem in the vehicle:
and can destroy the whole car.
They come after the breakdown
when it’s too late to fix,” said Khalid
Ibrahim, a garage owner in Sharjah.
“Most of the women come to
our garage to change the battery,
but actually they come when the
battery dies although they would
have seen the sign before. Some
of them ignore the signs and some
delay taking their cars to the garage
because of laziness,” Ibrahim adds.
Most women with auto repair
problems are victims of fake
pieces and are usually cheated

The sign means the system
detected an error in the engine.
There are many different reasons
for this icon. Do not panic in case
you see this sign, but drive safely
to the nearest auto repair shop.
This is the sign that you should
never ignore. Stop driving imme-
diately and switch off the engine
for a few minutes then turn it
on to check the coolant or the
radiator. Be careful while opening
the bonnet and radiator cap as
it might be too hot!
You will regularly see this sign.
It means that the oil is low. Visit
the repair shop because this can
destroy the engine.
This is related to the battery.
Do not stop the car immediately,
because it might not start again.
The sign may pop up because the
battery is dead. Go directly to the
closest repair shop to change the
battery or to recharge it. If your
car stops on the way, try to charge
it from another car (get help) and
drive directly to the nearest repair
shop without turning the engine off.
17
If you see this low tire pressure
icon, stop by the nearest petrol
station or the nearest repair shop
to fill the tire. Please check the
suitable average pressure for
your car tire.
The above sign means you should
release the parking brake, or you
have a serious problem with your
brake system. Try to release the
parking brake. If the sign does
not disappear, please visit the
repair shop.
* icons designed by Aisha Bin Obood
18 EDUCATION
Confusion is evident between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Resaerch and universities. Mariam Al Falasi/DWC
The ugly truth about your degree
JUMANA GHANEM & MARIAM AL FALASI
Scrolling through the admission
pages, checking the requirements,
essay papers scattered all over the
desk…Ibrahim is trying to fulfill
the criteria essential for applying
to universities inWashington D.C
“I wanted to pursue my Masters in
the UAE; unfortunately, none of the
universities accepted my Bachelor
degree which I received from the
UK’s Leeds Metropolitan Univer-
sity,” said Ibrahim, an executive
director at a leading companies
in Dubai.
If the UAE has become a hub,
attracting famous and well-known
universities, why is Ibrahim unable
to apply for postgraduate programs
in his own country?
Ibrahim graduated in 2002 from
the Polytechnic University, now
known as Dubai University. During
that period, its programs were
obtained from universities in the
UK and were under evaluation. At
the time Ibrahim graduated from
the college, none of the degrees
were accredited by the Ministry
of Higher Education and Scientific
Research (MOHESR).
According to MOHESR, the UAE
has 69 licensed institutions with
479 accredited programs in total.
The figure excludes the number
of operational non-licensed
universities. Ibrahim is one of
many students who are clueless
about the importance of having
an accredited certificate. “I did not
realize that accreditation would
be a crucial matter for my degree
as no one pointed that out to us
at school. I just assumed that
since the university was registering
students, it meant that its programs
were accredited,” Ibrahim noted.
Having an accredited certification
by MOHESR means the program
or degree has met the quality
criteria of the required academic
standards. Details about accredited
institutions and the accreditation
process are available for the public
on the Commission for Academic
Accreditation website (www.caa.ae).
Ms. Fatma Al Mohannadi, Director

of Government Communication
Department at the MOHESR,
emphasizes that MOHESR is
trying to raise more awareness
among students about the issue.
“MOHESR regularly publishes
the list of licensed institutions
and accredited programs in the
UAE in the newspapers and also
organizes lectures for students
at high schools,” she says.
There is a number of unaccredited
universities, which are operational
in the country such as Dubai
Middlesex, Manchester Busi-
ness School and French Fashion
University Esmod. Though the
Ministry rules clearly state that
no institution is allowed to admit
students into its programs or
promote such programs if they are
still going through the assessment
stage, it does not impose strict
penalties on those which do not
cooperate. Ms. Al Mohannadi says
the program will not be accredited
if the institutions enrolled students
while under evaluation and students
will be accountable for their own
decisions to join such institutions.
Nevertheless students still fall
into the claims and the blank
promises of some universities,
which advertise that the programs
will be certified after students
complete the courses. This is what
happened with Sara Ghanem, who
attended Al-Quds University in
1997, a well-known institution
from Jordan. “I saw the advertise-
ment about this university in the
newspaper, found out more infor-
mation about it, and I got excited
to take a major that I always
wanted, Sociology and History,”
she says. Sara and Fatima Ibrahim,
another student from the same
university, recall that the university
assured them accreditation would
only come from the Ministry after
the university graduates the first
batch, which did not happen and
ultimately the university was shut
down. Sara had to accept a job
which rejected her Bachelor certif-
icate since it was not acredited and
she was hired based on her high
school qualifications only, until
she rejoined a certified university
for another four years.
“...programs
in licensed
institutions
must be
accredited prior
to students’
enrollments.”
Ms. Al Mohannadi refutes the
allegations of institutions which
imply that they have to be
operational and enroll students
into their programs in order to get
accreditation “Not true, programs
in licensed institutions must be
accredited prior to students’
enrollments,” she confirmed.
When several universities were
approached by Desert Dawn
journalists for comments on
the issue, none of them agreed
to comment unless they could
remain anonymous. An anony-
mous source revealed that its
university applied for the
accreditation while signing up the
students for the undergraduate
programs. The source also
mentionedthat MOHESR asked
the university to provide its
curricula in English whereas this
university taught all its subjects
in Arabic; they could not meet
this requirement, therefore, the
programs were denied accreditation.
19
When confronted by the rule
of MOHESR prohibiting the enroll-
ment of students while the
institution is under evaluation,
the person simply answered that
this rule is not taken seriously by
the university’s administration and
it is up to them to make the choice
to enroll students. The source
added the university did every-
thing it could to help its students
get the accreditation by flying
over their delegations of professors
and the director of the university
to the UAE to discuss the matter
with the Ministry. This university
is no longer operating.
Another certificate, which is not
accredited by MOHESR is distance
education by institutions outside
the country. Aliyah Ahmed, a young,
successful lawyer, took the path of
the non-traditional education “I
studied with the London School
of Law, one of the best universities
out there for law. I completed the
full program and went to the UK
to have my exams,” she says.
Thankfully, Aliyah found good
interest from different law compa-
nies in the UAE regardless of her
certificate’s lack of accreditation.
Yet Aliyah is still facing one hurdle;
she dreams of establishing her
own law firm which she cannot
achieve because her degree is not
certified by the Ministry.
Rules are overlooked and a state
of confusion is evident between
the Ministry and universities. In
the middle of the system, the
rights of the students are lost. “We
need more transparency from the
education authority and more
attention,” says Ibrahim as he finally
clicks on the submission button
with hopes to get an acceptance
confirmation in the near future.
20
KG students during class time with their South African teacher. Maryam AL Mulla/DWC
UAE parents prefer private schools
MARIAM AL MULLA
“Oh, it is time to choose a school
for my son. I cannot decide which
is better; public or private! I am
very stressed out,” says Mohammed
Ali, father of a 5 year old boy.
Mohammed is confused. “Frankly,
I cannot decide unless I investigate
and check with my relatives and
friends on the best school for
my son.”
Choosing the right school for
children’s education is a difficult
task for UAE National parents. It is
important that parents investigate
different schools before making
this decision, checking out things
like the environment, curriculum,
extracurricular activities and
most importantly the quality of
the teachers. Parents spend a
good amount of time searching
the best for their children.
“Fifty three percent of local
students are attending private
schools. It is an obvious move to
private education and it has been
gradually increasing over the last
10 years. Reasons vary and we
don’t have any evidence to support
that as well,” states Dr. Abdulla
Al Karam, Chairman of the Board
of Directors, Director General of
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human
Development Authority (KHDA).

But why do local parents prefer
private schools?
“Actually, parents send their
children to private schools for two
reasons: one is the proper English
education they offer and second
is the interactive activities which
help the children remember what
they learn,” says Ms. Kalthoom
AL Balooshi, Head of Customer
Services at KHDA.
The biggest question parents have
is: which is better, private or public
schools? “We can’t say private
schools are better than public
schools. Based on the inspection
KHDA conducts every year, both
have advantages and disadvantages.
However, public schools are
progressing,” Al Balooshi believes.
Parents need to take the initiative
and find the best schools for their
children. “Parents should share
the responsibility of making the
right decision and not depending
on the government to help. Choosing
the best is a responsibility of the
parents. They need to investigate
for the best school and refer to the
inspection report available on the
KHDA official website,” she adds.
Ali Mohammed, parent of a 4 year
old girl, sends his daughter to a
public school because education
is free. He is aware of the short-
comings. “Studying in public school
is not beneficial and the fundamen-
tal course in English is very poor.”
However, Hassan Ali, father of
a 17 year old, has a different
opinion on the quality of education
at public school. “My son has
attended public schools since KG
stage. I never faced any problem
with his education and I chose his
school because of its good reputa-
tion.” Ali admits, however, that his
son’s progress in English is weak.
As English is the second official
language in the UAE, Ali believes
it is important to solve this problem.
The local market demands good
English communications skills.
“Fifty three
percent of local
students are
attending
private schools.
it is an obvious
move to private
education.”
Behavior and discipline is another
differentiating factor for parents.
Local parents worry about their
children’s discipline and how they
will behave once they graduate
from private schools. “My daughter
used to be in a private school from
KG1 to Grade 6. Then I transferred
her to a public school because I
knew that she had the basics from
the private school,” says Asma
Mohammed. “I transferred her
because I was worried about her
behavior as she is influenced by
others easily.”
On the other hand, Amna AL Mu-
tawa, mother of a 5 year old girl,
selected a private school because
teachers’ qualifications were ex-
cellent. “My daughter is progress-
ing very well and that goes to the
qualified teachers the school has
employed and the time and effort
they spend on each child during
the learning process.”
A mix of cultures and a variety
of nationalities might affect the
children’s personalities. Amna
21
is happy about the diversity and
agrees that “the private school’s
environment helps my daughter
shape her personality and bridges
the gaps among cultures. This will
definitely help her in the future
when she works with different
people from different nationalities
and cultures.”
Hassan Ali agrees that the interna-
tional mix private schools provide
is irreplaceable. “My daughter
is now more sociable and she
communicates well with different
people without feeling shy or
hesitant. The mixed culture
changed her a lot by exposing
her to new cultures and life styles.”
He argues that public schools “
offer poor teaching methods
and definitely don’t pay good
attention to the English language,
which disappoints me a lot.”
Other parents commend the
private school system for teaching
their children independence and
confidence. “The private school
adds value to my children’s per-
sonalities by making them more
independent and confident which
will definitely help them in real
life later,” says Abeer Mohammed,
a mother of two children.
Abeer believes teachers at public
schools force children to memorize
the academic content while teach-
ers at private schools make real
efforts stressing on research and
teamwork to help students under-
stand the subjects better.
Noora Ahmed, mother of two pri-
vate school children, recommends
the private school system as it
contributed positively to developing
her children’s personalities. “The
school makes a dramatic change to
their way of thinking. My children
are practicing basic lifestyle
22
Group of students are working on coloring pictures as required. Maryam AL Mulla/DWC
behavior like sharing, talking about
events and issues independently,
and their eating habits are becoming
better as I observe them at home.”
Dr. Howard Reed, Senior Director
at the Higher Colleges of Technology
and Director of Dubai Women’s
College, believes many parents’
decisions about school choices are
based on other peoples’ choices,
especially those who belong to
the same social circle. “The UAE
society is very much oriented
towards keeping up with each
other. For example, if Mohammed
sends his kids to a private school,
Yousef has got to send his kids
to a private school too. Private
schools are good and bad, certainly
most of our students who came
from private schools are good at
English, however, they are weak in
other areas,” Dr. Reed says. On the
other hand “not all students com-
ing from public schools are good
either; some of them are weak in
study habits and their time
management skills are terrible,”
he continues. He is, however,
disappointed with public schools.
“Public schools focus on memorizing
rather than training students to
work on projects to learn more
from them. Encouraging students
to work on real projects, work in
teams, travel all over the world
and work with real companies are
my proudest achievements,” Dr.
Reed says proudly. “I would like
to advise local parents to spend
more time investigating the quality
of education before making the
final decision.”
...many parents’
decisions about
school choices
are based on
other peoples’
choices,
especially those
who belong to
the same social
circle...
Hanan Al Muhairi, a DWC
graduate, believes English
language is one of the biggest
disadvantages of public schools.
“I was sent to a public school and
it wasn’t a bad experience for me.
However, I noticed my English
would not progress any further
if I only depended on school so I
had to take some English courses
in a specialized center in order
to improve my language before
I joined the College. For other areas
and skills, I think school prepared
me well for College. It is always
the individuals’ responsibility
to look for their weaknesses and
work on developing them so they
become strong areas instead.”
Choosing and selecting the school
that is the best for children in the
UAE remains, however, a hard and
challenging task for local parents.
 23

Rising stars
EMAN AL OWAIS

A person’s ability to be the best is determined by his/her willingness to be the best. Desert Dawn asked some
of the top schools in Dubai to nominate their best senior high school students to talk about their achievements,
dreams and ambitions. They all seem to have a clear destination and know their goals.

Join us now to learn what they intend to achieve and what their goals are.

1. Alia Majid Al Mutawaa

School: Sukaina bint Al Hussain High School

Age: 17
Academic Average: 99.3%

I am ambitious and with ambition one will always be able to do many things at school, college,
and life in general. I encourage myself to study, work and get good marks so I can study what
I really want in the future which is architecture. I love my school because of my teachers;
they always encourage us to study and participate more in different competitions and
events. They care about our talents, which gives us confidence in our work.

2. Fawzyah Mohammed Al Khayatt

School: Al Salam High School

Age: 19
Academic Average: 98.7%

Fawzyah is a Dubai Cares volunteer, Takatof group member, and participant in many competi-
tions and events such as Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished
Academic Performance which she won. “The main factor which helped me to achieve my goals
is time management. It also helped me to build good leadership skills and get good grades
at school. I am an honest person who does not like lying or faking things.”

3. Aisha Mohammed Al Rumaithy

School: Al Ettihad Private School

Age: 15
Academic Average: 98.4%

“I love colors and mixing things together in décor and accessories. My ambition is to get to
the top and I always try to be the best. I am interested in chemical engineering as I always
loved chemistry. It is something new since most of people study business, IT, and media. I
won awards like Sheikh Hamdan Award and Sheikh Sultan Award for student excellence.”
24

4. Khadeeja Mohammed Al Jasemi

School: Al Sofouh High School

Age: 17
Academic Average: 97.6%

“I love planning projects. To begin any project, I don’t take any step without studying and
planning for it. I love to read books that teach me goals in personal development and English
novels. I would really like to study genetic engineering abroad, but I will never give up my
hobbies which are photography and design. I love relaxing and staying calm in my free time
which I find sitting on the beach.”

5. Razan Ahmed Al Marzouqi

School: Al Mizhar Private School for Girls

Age: 16
Academic Average: 97.5%

I like photography, playing the guitar, hanging out with my friends and shopping. My school
gave me the chance to be a leader through the Student Council. I became the president
of the Council this year. I am interested in history, politics and international studies and I
would really like to study media in the US. I am also interested in media production, producing
new movies, and broadcasting. I want to be a successful person and achieve something
important in my life. I want everything that I study to give me an advantage in my life so
I can do anything I want.

During my trip to Tanzania last year with my school, I saw the situation there and how
children live. I would really like to give a helping hand to those in need as Mahatma Gandhi
said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I feel I can be this change and try to make
the world a better place, for some people at least.”

6. Saffyh Tariq Al Khanji

School: Maria Al Gubttyh High School

Age: 16
Academic Average : 96.1%

“I love to write poetry in classical Arabic, short stories, and speeches. I gave some lectures
and I’ve taken some courses on how to give speeches and lectures. I love chemistry and
math, but writing and giving speeches are my hobbies and they suit my personality since
I am a very precise person. I strongly believe that those who love math are deep thinkers
and are always well organized. As Imam Al Shafi’i said: “Whoever learned math, he achieved
his wealth”.

I am interested in studying three different majors and am still confused which one to go
for: nuclear engineering, solar energy, or media. All three subjects are very interesting to
me and I can see myself studying one of those majors.”
 25

7. Aisha Jamal Ahmed

School: Al Waha High School

Age: 17
Academic Average : 95.8%

“My dream is to study psychology abroad as I love to help others. I grew up in the house of
my stepfather who was kind to me. This was in addition to my mother who gave me confidence
and encouraged me to achieve my goals. I would like to learn other languages and communicate
with others so I can change some of the foreigners perceptions about Arabs.”

8. Rabab Hassan Ahmed

School: Al Rayah High School

Age: 17
Academic Average : 95.4%

“I would really like to study nuclear engineering as there are not enough locals who specialize
in it. I don’t want to take a desk job. I love to walk and have something interesting to do as
I am a hard worker. I believe that my ambitions and encouragement from my parents are
the things that will drive me to be the best and will help me achieve my desires in life.”

9. Nadia Tayeb Taher

School: Al Thuraya Private School

Age: 19
Academic Average : 88.7%

“I lost my father and so could not concentrate at school. I failed and had to change my
school. I tried to do my best to socialize again with the new students at the new school.
I tried my best to be one of the top students at the school. My teachers and my school supervisor
helped me a lot to improve so that my family and my father would be proud of me and I could
keep my father’s desire to get more than 90% this year. I have artistic tendencies and I love
to design things such as abayas. I really want to study business at DWC and work at the
same time so I can get some experience and get ready to start my own business.”

10. Noura Mansoor Al Awadhi

School: Al Khaleej National School

Age: 17
Academic Average : 87%

“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going” - Jim Ryun.

“When I read this quotation, I always feel it speak to me. I love to draw and sing and since
I was a little girl, I used to participate in inter school concerts and competitions. I would
love to study something new because I like to learn new things. The major I want to study is
nutrition as we have a high percentage of diabetes and obesity in the UAE. I believe in living
a healthy life and would really like to help my family, friends, and country on this issue. I am
an independent person, helpful and have a strong ability to achieve and get what I want and
that’s what encourages me to study and get higher marks.”
26 SOCIETY
Bedoon are people without nationalities or countries to belong to. Amina Shahwari/DWC
Bedoon: no identity, no nation
AMINA SHAHWARI & AYESHA ALMADANI
During a visit to one of the super-
markets to buy groceries for the
house, a young man in his UAE
traditional costume conspicuously
caught my eye while placing some
products on the shelves. Later,
I saw another local looking man
busy cutting up onions in the fruit
and vegetable section. I could not
believe my eyes. I started to think
we are about to have our youth’s
view of negligible jobs finally
changed. Low paid jobs which
in the past were undertaken by
expatriates would now be occupied
by our youth. I found myself
approaching one of them to express
my happiness, it did not last long!
He interrupted me saying:“Do you
see all these guys in kandooras?
We are all Bedoon.”
His answer made me think about
the word ‘Bedoon’ since these
men wear our traditional clothes,
speak our language and have the
same Islamic and Arabic culture
and traditions as ours. Most
importantly, they were born and
have lived all their lives in the UAE
and have become neighbours and
friends. So what is the difference
between a UAE national and a
Bedoon? Why are they Bedoon?
What does it mean for them to be
Bedoon for many decades? Why
have they not been granted the
UAE citizenship?
I was misled by this Bedoon’s
look, language and culture which
convinced me he is a productive
young Emirati man. Now I wonder
how many people other than
myself have had a similar reaction
to mine?
The word ‘Bedoon’ in Arabic
means “without.” It is generally
used in the Gulf region to refer to
people with no official identities.
In other words, Bedoon are people
without nationalities and countries
to belong to. They are also called
non-citizens or stateless residents.
Most of the UAE Bedoon were
born, lived and settled in the UAE
before its establishment in 1971.
Several of them held the passports

of the Emirate in which they were
living before the UAE was united.
During the pre-unification period,
the seven Emirates used to grant
specially issued passports to their
citizens. The family book or the
National ID did not exist back
then. After the unification of the
UAE, the Government issued the
Nationality Law according to which
the renewal of the old passports
ceased, therefore, the passport
became invalid. Accordingly, the
passport holders became Bedoon.
The Bedoon are not only deprived
of the right to citizenship, but
also to education, medical care,
and documenting marriage and
divorce certificates. Many of
them struggle to obtain birth and
death certificates for their family
members and relatives.
Hassan Ibrahim, 44, is a Bedoon
who was born in Sharjah. “My
father left Iran, his original country,
seeking a job in the UAE before
its establishment. He lived here,
worked and got married until he
was granted Sharjah’s passport.”
This scenario is similar to many
cases which happened before the
UAE formed in 1971. The country
used to be a coastal area settled
by many people from neighboring
countries, especially Iran. Ibrahim
says his father was just 12 years
old when he moved to the UAE.
He has his father’s passport which
was issued from Sharjah in 1953.
He also has his father’s job card
of 1967. “I was born here in the
UAE and I am 44 years old now,
whereas my eldest brother is in
his fifties. Why are we treated
like strangers in the country that
where we were born?” he asks. “I
worked at Dubai Civil Defense for
12 years and I also served in the
Gulf War of 1990, but I feel sorry
to say that all I have done during
these years ended up with a dis-
missal from my job.” He adds, “I
am, however, willing to serve my
country at any time if needed.”
A.H., whose father is orignially
Iranian, tells his family’s story. His
father was granted citizenship in
1976 and passed away 12 years
later during medical treatment
in Iran where he was buried. A.H.
was just 8 years old back then.
“My three sisters are married
to Emirati men in spite of age
differences between them and
their husbands. One of my sisters
is a third wife to her husband,
The Bedoon are
not only
deprived of the
right to citizen-
ship, but also
to education,
medical care, and
documenting
marriage and
divorce
certificates.
while the other is the fourth wife
of another man,” A.H. says. He
believes his sisters got married
to Emirati men to build a better
future for themselves and their
kids. He also does not deny the
fact that this has helped him in
his daily business which requires
showing official documents. One
of these deals is the renewal of his
vehicle license, which is owned by
his married sister.
A.H. has to do this since the UAE
Government refuses the renewal
27
of vehicles owned by Bedoon.
Also, the Road Authority does not
grant driving licenses to Bedoon
and it refuses the renewal of
existing licenses. According to
sources in the Road Authority in
Dubai, ceasing to grant driving
licenses to Bedoons started
two years ago. A.H says he was
granted a driving license before
the implementation of this law.
A.H then moved on to talk about
another aspect of his life as a
Bedoon. A.H. admitted he is unable
to marry the girl he wants to spend
his life with as she is Emirati. He
is challenged by the government,
which considers Bedoon’s
marriage certificates invalid. So
even if A.H. proposes to a Bedoon
girl, his marriage is not going to
be documented in the court. This
has led many Bedoon to hold the
marriage procedures at home by
a marriage official. But it only gets
more complicated. These officials
have been recently notified by the
Ministry of Justice not to approve
or perform such a ceremony for
Bedoon.
As a Marriage Official in Dubai
Courts, Ali Ahmad Al Hmoodi says
the decision of not documenting
Bedoon’s marriage certificates
went through several phases
before becoming effective. “In the
past, courts used to witness many
cases of Emirati women marry-
ing Bedoon, but recently, the UAE
Government doesn’t approve this.
The Government cares about the
future of Emirati women as we
discovered that most Bedoon get
married to Emirati women only
for the purpose to get citizenship.”
A.A. tells of a similar story. She
feels frustrated and disappointed.
She was engaged to an Emirati
man and the marriage preparation
28
was going very well for the
wedding, planned to take place
at Eid. A.A. was sadly shocked on
the Eid day when she received a
phone call from her fiancée
informing her the wedding was
off. Yet, this was not A.A.’s fiancée’s
own decision, but a decision that
was actually made by his mother
who made up her mind about the
marriage of her son to a Bedoon
on the wedding day!
In this regard, the government
allows the marriage of Emirati
men to Bedoon women and
according to this marriage, the
Bedoon wife becomes eligible for
naturalization. But it seems the
mother was troubled about how
her son was going to be perceived
in the community.
Dam’at Al Bedoon (Bedoon Tears
in English) is the nickname of a
female Bedoon who refused to
talk about some of her stories
as a Bedoon “Why are we cruelly
attacked? Do we belong to another
planet and do we have no God?
Why are we perceived as people
who look like aliens? To all who
hurt us I say remember that one
day you will be confronted by
God to bring about justice for us.”
She is from Ras Al Khaimah and
is waiting for her turn to receive
citizenship as many other Bedoon.
“I can be considered as one of
this oppressed category of people
who are waiting for their turn
to obtain the National ID of the
UAE, but, unfortunately, I haven’t
received it yet despite the fact that
I hold all the old official documents
such as the old passport of Ras Al
Khaimah before the UAE’s estab-
lishment. I might have been born
to live as Bedoon until death, but
the UAE will remain my country,
because since birth I never knew
any country but the UAE,” she says
in response to one of the online
discussions related to Bedoon
issues. “I believe that the National
identity doesn’t merely mean
holding a passport, but the real
national identity means loyalty
and affiliation,” she concludes.
In response to many Bedoon
claims for their right for naturaliza
tion as they hold old passports
of the Emirates, the concerned
unofficial
figures indicate
that the number
of non-citizens
in the UAE is
approximately
10,000. the
Central
Committee of
Bedoon, however,
says the number
is much less.
authorities state: “Granting the
UAE citizenship is one of the
rights granted to the Federal
Government on the basis, as per
the National Law, that holding
the passport doesn’t necessarily
indicate holding citizenship.”
In an Oct 2006 issue, Al Bayan
newspaper announced that the
committee which was specially
formed to solve the Bedoon case
in the UAE has successfully studied
the first list of non-citizens’ record
to identify the individuals who
rightfully deserve the UAE citizen-
ship under several conditions.
According to Brigadier Abdul Aziz
Maktoum Al Shareefi, Director of
the Preventive Security Department
and the Committee Chief for the
Ministry of Interior Affairs and
the former Head of the Central
Committee for Resolving the
Bedoon Issue, there are four
conditions which should be
taken into consideration before
naturalizing the Bedoon. First, a
Bedoon must have been living in
the country before 2nd December
1971. Secondly, a Bedoon must
not conceal any identity papers
that indicate his country of origin.
Thirdly, a Bedoon should have a
good reputation in society. Finally,
a Bedoon should not have commit-
ted any moral or national security
crimes. “Bedoon who don’t meet
the conditions will be considered
as a threat to the residency laws
of the UAE,” Brigadier Al Shareefi
remarked.
While the UAE Government
is making efforts to solve the
problem, many Bedoon hide
their real identity documents as
some might not qualify to become
UAE citizens because of such
documents. This results in delays
solving the problem. According to
The Middle East newspaper, the
government-formed Bedoon Com-
mittee has discovered many cases
of identity forgery and giving false
information in a bid to get the
UAE citizenship. The newspaper
adds many Bedoon entered the
UAE illegally to claim later that
they were settled in the country
for many years and accordingly
become eligible for naturalization.
“The committee has taken into
consideration the importance
of resolving this problem as it

threatens the country’s national
security and social life,” notes H.E.
Major General Nasser Likhreibani
Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of
the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister, Minister of Interior, and
Head of the Central Committee
for Resolving the Bedoon Issue.
“Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
the Minister of Interior, has
stressed the importance of bringing
this issue to an end by introducing
more effective and practical
methods,” he adds.
Unofficial figures indicate that
the number of non-citizens in the
UAE is approximately 10,000.
The Central Committee of Bedoon,
however, says the number is
much less.
The non-citizens or Bedoon are
classified into three categories
according to certain historical
periods. The first category of
Bedoon lived in the UAE before
its establishment in 1971. The
second category came after the
UAE establishment, while the
third category came after the Gulf
War of 1990. The second and the
third categories of Bedoon are not
rightfully eligible for naturalization
as they did not live in the UAE prior
to its establishment. What is trou-
bling to the Government is that
there are certain doubts about
members of these two categories
as some hide their real identities
to benefit from the privileges given
by the Government to its citizens.
The Ministry of Interior also said
in a statement that the members
of the second and third categories
of Bedoon have applied for
Comorosian passports to modify
their legal status in the country,
and accordingly this enables them
to get UAE citizenship later. This
29
step has been taken in accordance
with an agreement signed by the
UAE Government and the Comoro-
sian Government. The agreement
requires granting Bedoon the
Comorosian citizenship in order
for them to at least adjust their
legal condition in the UAE.
The statement also said that
Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
has asked the authorities to give
Bedoon visas and cancel all fines
imposed on them to show his
appreciation for the respect
Bedoon showed towards the
country’s sovereignty and security.
The UAE Government is hoping
to put an end to this problem,
which has troubled the Govern-
ment for four decades. The UAE
Government started to handle the
problem more effectively when
it announced in October, 2006 it
has finally decided to grant UAE
citizenship to 1294 Bedoon from
296 families. This crucial step has
ended the human agony of many
Bedoon families.
All serious efforts made towards
resolving more Bedoon cases will
definitely contribute to the social
and security welfare of the UAE.
30
Getting ready: ‘Flick’ goes her blackberry. HamdaAl Bastaki/DWC
Children in heels
HAMDA AL BASTAKI
Pink, red, orange, black and many
more eye shadow palettes and
nail polishes are scattered all
over the dressing table. Mahra is
looking at herself in the mirror to
make sure that she looks perfect.
She adjusts her bangs and poses
in front of the mirror for a picture;
“flick” goes her Blackberry. She
is wearing a short cocktail dress
with an orange belt. She kneels
down to put on her neon orange
heels. Ready for the girls to come
to her birthday party, her 13th
birthday party.
Walking through malls, parties or
even schools, people might realize
that teenagers nowadays are be-
coming materialistic. When some
girls enter their teens, they feel
pressure to buy what their friends
have. At schools, some girls carry
Marc by Marc Jacobs school bags
and pencil cases; wearing Gucci
or Louis Vuitton shoes, or having
bangles of many brand names on
one arm and a watch on the other.
But wait a minute! Schools are
supposed to be a learning zone,
not a fashion runway.
Even though some girls are not
really interested in what their
friends have, they just force
themselves to look cool. For this
generation, teenagers feel thrilled
when getting compliments about
their fashionable look, not about

what people think of their behavior.
Girls act superficially and think
materialistically. This is becoming
a trend in society.
Some 13 year olds will want to
copy their 16 year old sisters,
cousins or maybe friends. Even
though it is only three years, this
is a huge age gap. This may lead
young teenagers to act older than
their age. Copying others will
make a teenager feel like she can
have things that are not suitable
for her age.
Shamma Ali, a 15 year old Emirati,
loves fashion and adores being
noticed. She sometimes ignores
her homework just to read celebrity
gossip online and flip through
fashion magazines. “I hope my
parents buy me a Classic Chanel
bag as a gift for my 16th birthday,”
she prays. Shamma says that
Victoria Beckham is her role model
and fashion icon. “I follow her on
Twitter just to know what she
wears to specific events.” Shamma
feels that if she had whatever
celebrities have she would be
happy for the rest of her life!
10 years ago, girls in their early
teenage years did not worry about
what others might think of their
choice of fashion. They liked
receiving accessories or clothes,
or maybe sometimes still asked
for games. Now, the more expensive
it is, the more they like it.
For a young teenager to demand
a bran d name bag as a gift is
shocking. A young teenager might
force her opinion on her mother
and she can act angry if she did
not like her mother’s decision.
Some mothers seem like they are
afraid to make their daughters
feel sad or angry, agreeing to what-
ever their daughters ask for. This
teaches the child to get used to
not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Dr. Layla Al Samarai - A Clinical
Physiologist at Dubai Health
Authority believes that a mother
should still tell her daughter ‘no’.
Mothers should always explain
their decisions to their daughters
and tell them why it is wrong.
“It’s normal for girls who just
entered their teenage years to
express discomfort to their parents’
decisions. This doesn’t mean that
the parents have to change their
minds,” Dr. Al Samarai says.
...if a person
enters a room
full of
teenagers, she
will see them
flipping through
celebrity
magazines
instead of comic
books...
Teenagers used to play hide-n-seek,
act and play traditional games. But
now, if a person enters a room full
of teenagers, s/he will see them
flipping through celebrity
magazines instead of comic books;
gossiping instead of talking about
how they spent their summer
vacation; or talking about the
hottest guy in the last movie they
saw. ‘Twilight’ as an example,
made them think that they love
Edward Cullen the ‘vampire’ It is
not the way he looks, but the way
he showed love to Belle, his girl-
31
friend. Dr. Asamarai clarifies that
girls nowadays think that they
must love somebody from the
other sex or else there is something
wrong with them.
Children TV stations nowadays
are interesting to both adults and
children. Most of them deliver
content on emotions, boyfriends,
cheating and love; concepts that
adults age 18 and above under-
stand more than young teenagers.
Cartoons used to be about
parenthood, helping the poor,
hope, friendship, or having faith
in a family member. Movies and
cartoons helped raise a child.
As years passed by, topics and
concepts of the stories started
to change. TV shows and series
that come from the West are
playing a big role in a teenager’s
life. Teenagers think and act like
the characters they watch. Dr. Al
Samarai believes it is the mother’s
role to teach the daughter about
the content of TV shows and how
to relate it to her own culture.
It is alarming for girls who just
entered their teenage years to
look up to Paris Hilton, Kim
Kardashian and Britney Spears
who are all very sexualized. If
mothers were not there to be role
models for their daughters, it is
not surprising that the daughters
would look up to someone else,
someone like a celebrity. None of
those celebrities have the same
background or culture of Emiratis
or even the Gulf region.
Dr. Al Samarai recommends that
mothers should take time to sit
with their daughters to ask them
about their days and answer any
questions their daughters might
have. If young girls can not get
answers from their mothers, they
32

will most probably seek another Young teenagers don’t realize

source of information which what they are missing from
might not be the best choice. their childhood, and parents are
not aware of how alarming this
Budoor Ahmed, a young mother phenomenon is becoming. Friends’
of 2, noticed something in young judgments and the society’s
teenagers that bothered her. mentality are making it hard for
“After going to Kidzania, I noticed some young teenagers to live
that many young teenagers liked their life as they are supposed to.
to hang out in the club section, Parental supervision is one of the
where they dance, sing and act most important things in raising
as if they are in a band or some- a child, especially daughters
thing”. She was standing behind in their teenage years.
her 2 daughters, 4 year old Asma
and 6 year old Reem. Budoor was
surprised on how excited they were
just by looking at the teenagers
as if they were watching a Disney
cartoon. She is worried for the
next generation and afraid how
her children will turn out when
they grow up.

I smoked!
Huda Kazim
Year 1 Pharmacy Student
Two months ago, and on a day
that I won’t forget ever, one of
my cousins told me that she
had started smoking back in
her country. In those days, I was
broken emotionally, feeling empty
and extremely lonely, so I began
thinking that cigarettes may help
in reducing the “emptiness” thing
that filled my soul… “Maybe it will
pass “lonely” hours quickly… what
will I lose? Let me try and see”,
I thought. Later at night, I went
with her to a mall and bought a
packet of cigarettes.
When I returned home, I tried
to light the first cigarette, but I
couldn’t. I won’t deny the fact that
I was scared to death while trying
that, but in the end, I did it! And
began to smoke! “Ohh! I am smok-
ing! Yes!” I was extremely happy
and thought that I was capable
of doing anything I wanted. I was
really an important person now!
I nearly wanted to shout! My
cousin, who smokes, was beside
me and asked me to light her
cigarette too, so I thought, “She
needs me now, I’m important!” We
smoked together and I was very
happy and extremely hyperactive;
I even thought of jumping from
the balcony! After I finished, we
went to sleep.
Next day, I had a headache and my
throat was burning, but I couldn’t
tell anyone… what would they
think of me? My family thinks
of me as smart and wise, not a
crazy smoker! So, I felt angry and
not in the mood for anything;
when anyone wanted even to say
a word, my head felt as if it was
going to explode! I didn’t want
to hear anything; I just wasn’t in
the right mood. The following day
wasn’t any better, it was the same
and I made it worse by smoking
two cigarettes. On the third day,
my eye sight was diminishing and
I couldn’t smell or hear things as
perfectly as I used to before. To
add more, I began to sense that
my family members were avoiding
me; they knew I might start a fight.
That fact was like a stabbing knife
straight to the middle of my heart;
I was already lonely, I couldn’t be
more lonely than that, please God!
“I cannot live like this anymore!”
I cried after smoking the second
cigarette on the fifth day. I felt
lonely and helpless… it was like
I was drowning deeply in a dark
ocean. I felt emptiness was filling
my heart while my eyes were star-
ing at that cigarette between my
fingers. I tried to hide my anger,
my sadness, but forcefully, a tear
came out from my eye and more
followed. “What am I doing?” I
thought, feeling petty towards
myself. I knew that I had to do
something before my life got more
complicated. Hence, I thought of
a plan to save myself before it
was too late.
On the following day and after
I reached my college, I sat on one
of the wooden chairs on the
campus. The weather was calm
and the breeze was warm and
soft. I was staring at the sky… bird
sound seemed like a song… girls
were walking and gardeners were
fixing the soil. “I will start my new
33
life from this moment… every-
thing was created peacefully, why
do I have to ruin this principle?” I
was thinking. When you feel peace
within your soul, everything else
seems to be quietly calm. I stood
and went to those gardeners. They
were staring at me, astounded, as
if thinking,” What is she doing?”
I felt that they were a bit afraid
of me. However, I asked one of
them to give me the spade to help
and I did! Honestly, I felt so proud
of myself!
If I am able to be a good person
and to have a positive influence
on people, why should I not
continue doing that? Instead of
feeling lonely, and harming myself
by trying new and bad things, why
should I not be a useful person?
If people just begin discovering
their positive potentials, they
will be able to see this world
as a wonderful piece of painting;
a charming scene with a soft
breeze of positive influence.
It was hard for me in the beginning
to resist the desire of smoking.
However, human beings’ energies
are unpredictable; if they try their
best to reach their aims, they will.
A few days later, whenever I felt
the need to smoke, I took a walk
around the campus and tried to
think of how to help a friend or
try a new good thing in my life
or even to study until this feeling
went away. Now, a week later,
I have started learning how to
play some musical instruments
and it has made me forget about
smoking.
34

Shhhh… don’t tell!

ASMA AL ZAABI

Alia and Ali are a newly married

couple. They plan to have a nice
honeymoon in Malaysia, but they
did not tell anyone about their
destination. Shhh... Don’t tell!

Mariam got pregnant and she is

in her third month, but she asked
her husband not to tell anyone
from his family until the pregnancy
shows. Shhh... Don’t tell!

Salem is planning to pursue a

masters’ degree, but he decided
not to tell anyone until he gradu-
ates. Shhh... Don’t tell!

Mona, Mohammad and many

others are doing things without
telling even the closest person in
their lives. People are exaggerating
in hiding their matters and their
lives become full of secrets. Family
members are doing things wit out
telling each other. Some news is
great to know, but still they hide it.

Not telling is an age-old practice

in the UAE. Saleh Hassan, a 26
year old police officer, puts all the
blame on society. “I have noticed
our grandparents and the elderly
in the family hide many things
from us and they used to warn
us that they would punish us if
we reveal any family news. Conse-
quently, we inherited this habit.”

Human beings are born to be

socially connected. They need to
share and communicate especially
with the ones they love such as
Shhh, Don’t tell. Asma Al Zaabi/DWC

family members or closest friends.
If people hide things from each
other, what happiness are they
sharing? “I believe if I was close
enough to a person, she should
not hide things from me! Otherwise,
I am not that close,” notes Afra
Sultan, a college student.
Justifying the behavior based
on religion is yet another thing.
According to religious texts,
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:
“Do your things without telling.”
Mona Rashed, a housewife, argues
people use this as an excuse not
to tell. “People took this saying
and followed it without realizing
the fact that this saying was said
in a special occasion or meant
to be used in certain situations.”
People hide things as they believe
telling will lead others to know
more about them. Mansoor Al Ali,
a banker, argues that telling others
about his news makes him feel so
visible, which he does not like.
“I believe telling people about my
news makes them want to know
more about me which makes me
uncomfortable.”
Hanan Al Hamadi, a Department
of Economic Development em-
ployee, had some bad experiences
because, according to her, she used
to talk about her news to everyone.
“It really works sometimes! If you
tell, you might face lots of trouble
and you won’t reach your goal.
While sometimes if you do not
tell, your plans run smoothly.”
In a survey of 30 Emiratis designed
in an attempt to measure peoples’
beliefs about the “don’t tell”
practice, 50% of the younger age
group (18-25 years) agreed not
telling helps them to hide their
failure. To them, other people’s
opinion of them is an important
issue. Around 30% of the 25 year
age group agreed not telling will
avoid envy. However, 80% of all
participants believe it’s how they
were raised.
Dr. Ghada Al Shaikh, a Family
Specialist and Consultant, explains
people always try to find someone
else to blame for their own mis-
takes. “People always justify their
failure saying that people envy
them or use magic as a common
excuse to stop them from doing
what they want. As a result they
won’t tell their news to others.”
Dr. Al Shaikh advises people to
be open-minded and stop blaming
others for their failure. “It is true
that there is envy or magic in our
society, but we can’t use them
as an execuse for our faults or
failure. Like a baby when s/he
starts walking, falling might
happen because we didn’t give
him/her enough space to walk!
If a girl chooses the wrong man
in marriage, whose fault is this?
Is it the others’ or her fault? Not
telling will not fix her marriage.”
College student Dana Husain
explains that the majority of her
relatives and friends do not share
their news very often. She started
35
doing the same herself. Why?
“I made a hard decision not to
tell people about me especially
my brother and his wife. He told
us he is going to travel with his
wife only two days before the
travel date. The next day my
brother fell down and broke
his arm. His wife said someone
envied him!”
Dr. Al Shaikh commented that the
nature of relationships among
people is getting more complicated.
“People have changed a lot, there-
fore, they are not telling either
because they do not like each
other or they think they do not
have to share their news with
others. Both might cause compli-
cated relationships and misunder-
standing, especially in a culture
like the UAE where families and
people are closely connected and
used to sharing everything.”
Alia and Ali enjoyed their honey-
moon. When they came back to
the airport no one was there wait-
ing from their family to welcome
them. Mariam had a miscarriage
and she was forced to tell everyone
that she was pregnant! She start-
ed to think of excuses to defend
herself in front of her husband’s
family. Salem got his Masters, but
none of his friends attended his
graduation ceremony.
36
Bad driving manners is the real criminal. Aisha Bin Obood/DWC
Driving with attitude
AISHA BIN OBOOD
They do not use signals to reveal
their intentions. Red signals to
them mean progressing gradually
until reaching the crossing line.
By the time it turns green, the
only thing left of them is ‘dust’.
Intelligence to them is keeping
their eyes on the edge of the road
monitoring their number one
enemy, the ‘radar’. They do not
fear getting behind any moving
object as long as their fingers are
flashing the headlights. Amazingly,
they can always find a way to stand
out from the rest. They could turn
on their vehicles’ lights in the
daytime and turn them off when
it is dark.
They are neither warriors nor
any terrorist group. In fact, they
are aggressive drivers! Whether
or not it is a trend to drive with
such attitude or lack of manners,
their actions are road violence.In
accidents, speed gets the pointing
fingers of blame. ‘Bad driving
manners’ is the real criminal.
A driver can drive less than the
speed limit and yet cause a bad
accident. Major General Engineer
Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Direc-
tor of the General Department
of Traffic at Dubai Police, explains
that over the past two years in
Dubai irresponsible practices
have caused more than 90% of
car accidents. Recent numbers
released on the General Directorate
of Abu-Dhabi Police website indicate
that over the past three months,
69 accidents were caused by not
leaving enough space between
one car and another. This has led

to 104 people being injured and
two dead. Campaigns targeting
aggressive driving and road
violence were launched. Penalties
varied from fines and impounding
vehicles to rehabilitation sessions.
Aggressive driving can be com-
mitted in various ways. All actions
that encroach on road users’safety
and comfort, even gestures, are
illegal. The Dubai Police website
lists several examples: looking
at other drivers with discontent,
using the horn unnecessarily and
randomly, changing lanes aimlessly
and repeatedly, not giving way to
those who have right of passage
and much more. However, it is
noticeable that some of those
drivers are getting more creative
in ways of breaking the law. “I
always try to find shortcuts and
ways to get rid of traffic jams,” says
Ahmed Salem, a businessman.
Admitting, however, that patience
is sometimes better, he adds:
“Once I didn’t want to stop in a
long line of cars, waiting for the
traffic light. I decided to enter a
bystreet. Unfortunately, it was
full of speed bumps. Most of the
cars passed the traffic light and I
was still driving slowly over each
speed bump”.
Bad driving attitudes are wide-
spread among younger drivers
as a way of being ‘cool and trendy’.
An example is not keeping their
car signal on for too long, instead,
using one blink only while changing
lanes or turning. Another way of
being ‘cool’ is knowing how to
get rid of the car in front of them.
Of course flashing headlights are
the best, but some prefer sticking
right behind the car until its driver
changes the lane. Others do not
bother to wait, but they speed
up, change lanes and drive as an
ambulance in an emergency call.
Now the question is, why such
behavior is on the rise?
Digging into the issue, the reasons
mainly are justified as side effects
of the fast modern life, in which
traffic jams, stress and racing with
time are the main characteristics.
The Dubai Police attribute some of
the behaviors to lack of patience
and dearth of time. On the other
hand, psychologists argue that
any social issue including aggres-
sive driving can be a reflection
of suffering from family violence,
frustration and having no anger
control. Orabi Mohammad, Test
Authority Analyst at RTA, strongly
agrees that driving aggressively
on the road indicates a defect in
the personality of the driver. He
rejects the excuse of saving time
and avoiding traffic-jams and
believes “aggressive drivers tend
Bad driving
attitudes are
widespread
among younger
drivers as a way
of being ‘cool
and trendy’.
to drive with bad manners even
with the absence of traffic-jams
and external pressure.”
Mira Rashid Abdullah, Corporal
at Abu-Dhabi Police, believes
“certain driving manners indicate
the driver’s personality and good
manners come from within first.”
To her, bad driving practices are
methods of showing-off and blind
imitation coming from low self-
37
esteem. Blind imitation and
showing off are not limited to
men. Some women adopt similar
manners. Recently, a story was
all over the local newspapers and
forums about a car chase between
Major General Engineer Mohammed
Saif Al Zafeen and a white Lexus.
The car, which was speeding and
changing lanes randomly and ter-
rifying other drivers, appeared to
be driven by a young female after
he stopped the car. Would such
irresponsible driving behavior be
considered as a trend similar to us-
ing Blackberries and flashy outfits?
Alia Al Falasi, a private sector
employee, answers. “I don’t go
extreme and think of it as a trend.
To me, I drive similar to men to
drive home the point that women
are not bad drivers.” Arguing with
that, Khadija Abdulqader, a house-
wife, makes clear that there is no
excuse for driving in an uncivilized
way and putting others’ lives in
danger. Expressing her dissat-
isfaction, “I mean their intensions
of being cool could easily flyaway
and turn into embarrassment and
regret as soon as they cause an
accident.”
Drivers seem to exclude themselves
from the bigger image. They tend
to hide under all that metal and
behind shaded windows in an
almost disconnected world closer
to invisibility. They hardly associate
good driving practices to good
personal mannerism. They also
forget that a country’s image
could be tarnished by bad drivers.
The bottom line is that there is no
point in having spacious and fancy
streets if they are distorted by
irresponsible selfish behavior.
Unfortunately, bad driving still
stand against the UAE’s efforts
of being a major tourist attraction.
38
Gone with the debts
HAMDAH HASSAN
Taking car loans to buy luxurious cars. Wafa Al Marzouqi/DWC
All he cares about is the way he
looks. He would not feel self-con-
fident if he were not wearing one
of his Rolex luxurious collection,
carrying his Vertu mobile phone,
with expensive cufflinks, shoes
and driving his lavish 650,000
AED car. Ahmed H., a 21 year old
air steward, is one of many UAE
nationals falling into the trap of
debts for the sake of living a
high-class lifestyle.
Life has many temptations for
young UAE nationals as luxury
goods and services have become
the trend and not everyone worries
about their actual income. Some
are mature enough to accept the
simple life they have, while others
are materialistic and will always
ask for more. The latter are
easily drowned by debts.
Getting loans from banks is
becoming an easy process espe-
cially for UAE Nationals. National
banks offer UAE Nationals easy
loan approvals. There are certain
campaigns designed with a UAE
National photo telling customers
to “buy your dream car today and
pay next year.” Such banks claim
they are trying to make life easier
for people. Potential customers,
however, are tricked by these
offers as they are not aware that
paying next year means that the
loan will be doubled. Many loan
applicants do not bother to read
the terms and conditions of the
loans offered to them, but only see
the outside image of the campaign.
Unfortunately, if a person gets
into this lifestyle, they will find
that they do not own any assets
like a house, a car or even a small
business and all that they own is
mortgaged to banks and financing
companies.
S. Mohammed, a branch manager
at a national bank, explains the
reasons behind targeting UAE
Nationals in loans campaigns.
“There are two main reasons why
banks target UAE Nationals, they
have high incomes and job security.”
This applies to 85% of them,
he notes.
Abdulaziz H, 21 year old officer
at Dubai Airport, acknowledges
his mistake, although failing to
solve it. “I know it’s a headache to
live with loans, but it’s really hard
for me not to buy something that
interests me and I wouldn’t mind
to get a new credit card for it.
Right now half of my salary goes
to the loans I have. I think banks
are there to help us do what we
want. I like the high-class lifestyle
and I’m enjoying it.”
Some young Emiratis are con-
cerned about what people think
of them in terms of their look,
how they dress, what car they
drive and their personality and
behavior. Alia Salem, 26 year
old call center representative in
an Abu-Dhabi company, totally
agrees with Abdulaziz and thinks

that being in debt is not a big deal.
“I won’t feel comfortable going
out looking less stylish than my
friends, and I won’t accept it if
they look better than me, people
these days judge you by the way
you look.” Salem’s father knew
about the four credit cards she
has, but failed to stop her from
spending a lot of money on shop-
ping. “I don’t know why he was
so angry about it! I told my father
I know what I’m doing and I’m
responsible for my actions.”
Being educated and realistic about
how to respond to attractive loan
offers is a challenge nowadays.
On the other hand, Emiratis who
are passionate about investing
in their future are not easily
fooled into taking loans. Rashed
Ebrahim, 23 year old IT technician
in a Dubai real estate company,
believes loans are useful if there is
a proper payment plan, otherwise
it might turn out to be a disaster.
“There are some basics in life that
we need to get loans for, like a car,
a house or for an emergency case;
other than that I will never take
a loan to buy unnecessary things.
If I spend all the money I have on
useless goods, I’ll never be able
to continue my studies or get
married,” he adds.
Reasons for taking loans vary de-
pending on priorities, temptations,
and satisfaction. Maryam Abdulla,
a 25 year old employee at DEWA,
shares a story about her friends.
“My friends get loans for plastic
surgeries, Botox, fillers, nose jobs
and liposuction. They aim for
what they call ‘a perfect look’ and
it doesn’t matter to them what it
takes to do so.” Abdullah thinks
most of the girls in her age have
no future plans or goals; they care
about the outside rather than the
inside. “After the plastic surgery
comes shopping as a priority
as well. I wonder how they can
manage to do all of this with a
AED12,000 salary. I think they
are very shallow, they don’t realize
the burden of living with debts
and I feel very sorry for them.”
Fingers are mainly pointed at
parents for this problem. Dr. Suad
Al Marzouqi, Clinical Psychologist
and Assistant Professor of Physi-
ology at UAE University, believes
it all starts from home and how
parents bring up their children.
“The way parents raise their
children determines their attitudes
when they grow up. Parents should
not meet their child’s every need
whether it’s a game or a toy and
buy them everything they desire.”
Dr. Al Marzouqi explains parents
have to teach their children to be
a ‘self-made’ person and independ-
ent, rather than being spoiled
and materialistic. “Children
should be taught from an early
age how to work hard for what
they wish to have.”
Unstable relationship or divorce
can also impact children’s behavior.
39
“If parents don’t give care and
love to their children, this affects
their personality negatively; they
will always feel insecure and
will lack self-esteem.” When this
child grows up, s/he might want
to buy everything s/he likes as it
will make them feel secure. Many
parents experience this problem.
Samya Ahmed, a mother of two
boys and a girl, has lived a life
of debt with her husband and
always wanted a better life for her
children. “I was shocked when I
knew my son Mohamed had an
AED 250,000 personal loan plus
a credit card. He spends money
on shopping, traveling and hanging
out with friends and sadly he
doesn’t feel taking a loan is a mis-
take.” She is sure that one day her
son will realize his mistake, but
hopefully not when it is too late.
“They have lived in a society
where everything is available,”
says Khaleda Saleh, a teacher
and a mother of three boys. She
argues the new generation does
not know how to save money.
She also blames parents for their
lack of supervision on what their
children watch on TV. “They are
obsessed with celebrities and
movie stars; they spend a lot of
money imitating them,” she adds.
It is the parents’ responsibility to
teach their children to prioritize
their essentials in life because one
day the fake lavish life-style will
vanish, but debts will last forever.
40 ART
Pech-Merle Cave in France. URL: http://debcattoi.com/paleo/images/SPOTTED%20HORSE.gif
The revelation of cavewomen
REEM AHLI
In the dark and silent solitude
of a cave, flickering torchlight
reveals sleek fingers as they mold
and reshape the clay surface of the
wall. These deft fingers smear
different types of pigment together.
The pigments dissolve and produce
a new color that flows to fill the
engraved drawings on the wall,
leaking into each line and dot,
finally creating a non-portable
work of art.
Art is history. Human beings left
remarkable genuine pieces as
proof of their expressive creativity.
Last year, scientists discovered
“prehistoric cave paintings were
made by women as well as men.”
(The National Geographic News,
June 16, 2009; The Times, Septem-
ber 11, 2009; and Mail Online, July
6, 2009.
“prehistoric cave
paintings were
made by women
as well as men.”
Cave paintings have always been
acknowledged as the significant
work of the cavemen. But what
is cave painting? According to
the Encyclopedia of Irish & World
ART, it is “the drawing and paint-
ing on the walls and ceilings of
the caves, 30,000 years ago.”
Scientists presented different
factors to support the new exciting
discovery. The first one seems
pretty obvious since it screams
out that they have been done for
communication purposes. The
second one imagines cave people
trying hard to bring life to their
boring caves by simply decorating
them using these primitive draw-
ings inspired by the surrounding
environment. The third one sees
that they were doing it in order
to hunt the drawn animals as
a result of their beliefs passed
down by their ancestors. Another
reason is to tell the story of their
hunting voyages and adventures.
Last is the idea that they have been
used for their ancient religious

practice. Ana Tolvai, an artist at
the Dubai Community Theater
& Arts Centre (DUCTAC) explains
“we don’t really know the role of
women and men back then, we
are just making stories about it.
If the caveman was the hunter
and the cavewoman was waiting
for him to come back, maybe the
cavewoman painted the hunting
scenes in order to help her partner
in catching the prey, if indeed the
magic theory was proven right.”
Scientists are puzzled by the
discovery. The perspective of
women’s roles back then will
dramatically change as a result.
If the cavewoman painted side
by side with the caveman, then
her role was much bigger in the
society than their initial idea and
this discovery changes so many
theories about women in the
prehistoric era. Professor Dean
Snow from Pennsylvania State
University noted “we don’t know
the general role of artists in the
society (roughly 20,000 to 40,000
years ago) but it is a step forward
to be able to say that a strong
majority of them were women.”
(Mail Online, July 6,2009)
Art is the ultimate way of express-
ing one’s feelings. It is a way to
turn an idea in one’s mind into a
living reality that touches billions
of people around the world. The
most common themes and patterns
our ancestors drew were pictures
of wild animals, tracing of human
hands and stories that illustrated
dangerous hunting scenes. These
popular paintings are mostly
found in caves located in Europe.
Some of these outstanding paint-
ings were done over generations
of time. Each generation continue
the work of the previous one
by enhancing their methods of
painting and developing new
techniques. This shows how much
art meant to our ancestors and
how far they were willing to go
in order to express their visions.
The artists did not witness the
finishing touches of their work.
The tools that they used were
extremely primitive and basic. They
used their fingers, feathers, twigs,
horsehair and hollow bones to
accomplish spraying techniques.
this discovery
changes so many
theories about
women in the
prehistoric era.
Color raises another question.
Where did the colors come from?
As basic as the tools sound, the
colors were too. Creativity is
necessary when trying to color
a brown solid wall. How could
it stand out? Basically, they used
red ocher, yellow ocher, charcoal,
black manganese oxide, animal
blood, fruit juices, pigment mixes,
clay, and soot. We can tell how
sincere people were by the tremen-
dous efforts to make and give life
to the art they were trying to make.
Indeed, knowing how basic their
techniques were, it became crucial
to say that this is the ground base
of the way scientists discovered
that women contributed to
creating some of the artwork
back then. Usually when one
paints or draws, one leaves
behind the imprints of one’s own
hand. It sounds simple, but this
was considered the beginning
of the breakthrough, or in other
words, the enlightenment.
41
According to the National Geo-
graphic News, scientists measured,
analyzed and studied the hand
stencils that were found in the
Pech Merie and Gargas caves
in France. After finishing the
examination, the result assured
and confirmed women’s contribu-
tions in these paintings. Afnan
Saeed, interior designer, is excited
by the new discovery. “This
discovery is huge for women.
We started as cavewomen equal
to cavemen, but later on through
the centuries men become superior
to women. Nowadays, it is really
interesting to know that the cave-
men and women practiced rituals
together side by side.”
The above statement illustrates
the importance of this discovery
to all women around the world.
It is a grand celebration of women’s
creativity that goes back thousands
of years . It proves how unique
women are when applying their
vision through art and leaving
their fingerprints as historical
identification of what they have
created. After all, it was not just
about the cavemen!
42 PERSONALITY
Learning is life
HESSA AL HAMADI
Tarifa with the UAE Ambassador in Italy. Tarifa Al Zaabi/DWC
Tarifa Ajaif Al Zaabi believes in the
lifelong learning cycle. Pursuing
further education must never stop,
she believes. “My journey in educa
tion will never end thanks to the
Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)
and Dubai Women’s College (DWC).”
Childhood
Al Zaabi had a peaceful childhood
in a supportive and loving family.
She is the youngest among her
two brothers and two sisters. She
was inspired by their enthusiasm
and hard work. “They are my
role models professionally and
personally,” she affirms. “Tarifa
was a happy child, but could be
annoying if she did not get what
she wanted, you could say she was
persistent about what she wanted,”
her mother recalled.
School Life
“I still remember the first day in
kindergarden. I was an active kid,
but ironically I had two names,
Tarifa and Fatima, which were
given by my father and my mother
respectively. It was a bit confusing
for me when attendance was taken
in the class because I would not
respond to someone calling me
Tarifa as I thought my name was
Fatima! Well, eventually, I overcame
this in 3rd grade!”
Al Zaabi loved her school life as
she was one of the outstanding
students who participated in differ-
ent school activities. She had all the
support from her teachers and the
school administration. “I also had
many friends who I still keep in
touch with, although some of them
are no longer living in the UAE.”
Graduate Studies
Al Zaabi joined DWC in 1994, and
graduated in 1999 with a Higher
Diploma in Business Adminis-
tration, followed by a Bachelor
in Applied Business Sciences in
2000. In 2003 she graduated with
a Masters degree in Business
Administration Executive (MBA)
from the University of Sharjah.
By that time, she was employed
by the HCT at Sharjah Women’s
College. “Then I realized that there
are many things left for me to learn
and learning doesn’t necessarily
need to stop right here.” As a result,
she decided to join the Education
Doctorate Program (PhD) with the
British University in Dubai.
Steve Terney, Foundation English
teacher at DWC, taught Al Zaabi
in Foundations 17 years ago. She

left a very strong impression
because of her confidence, humor
and overall personality. “Tarifa is
a wonderful person to be around,
she is full of humor, but she also
knows how to be serious at the
same time. She never stopped her
education, and I really feel very
proud of her because she is the
kind of person that the UAE needs
in education. She is not just a good
role model, but also an extremely
bright, hard working and ambitious
person as well.”
Career
Her first job was in the Career
Department at Zayed University.
“I was passionate about supporting
students to select the right career
for themselves.” In 2001, she
joined Sharjah HCT, as Employer
Relations Coordinator to support
students and graduates in finding
meaningful internship programs
and suitable employment. In
2004, she was promoted to
Supervisor of the Student Services
Department. Currently, Al Zaabi is
in the second year of her Doctorate
in Education program specializing
in Policy and Management and
working at the same time as an
Acting Dean of Student Services
at Sharjah’s HCT. She started her
career focusing on Emirati youth
development and engagement
at different levels. “It started
with career development, then
employment and work experience,
ollowed by engagement and em-
powerment to develop soft skills
43
including leadership, teamwork,
time management, organizational
skills and community service
experience.”
Commenting on Al Zaabi’s career
growth, Terney notes that “Tarifa
and I have been friends for many
years and I always follow her career
path with great interest. I still Al Zaabi at a UN conference Italy. Tarifa Al
remember the first job she had at Zaabi/DWC
Zayed University. She continued in
Education as she went from Zayed
to Sharjah Women’s College, and
it has been really great for me to
witness the way her career has
moved up.”
Achievements
She enjoys spening quality time
with people especially those who
come from different cultures to
learn and exchange knowledge.
As she puts it, learning plays an
important role in her life and Al Zaabi in Denmark attending LEGO
despite being an employee, wife Serious Play Training - October 2010.
and mother of a 6 year old, she Tarifa Al Zaabi-DWC
also managed to graduate with
distinction in all levels of her
education. She won the Sheikh
Rashid Award for Academic Excel-
lence in 2003, and in the same
year she received The Chair Acad-
emy International Leadership
Program. “Learning is a very
important and critical word as
everyday we learn a new thing
in which we do not learn only,
but also get to enjoy what we are
learning, which is simply what
I call the beauty of life,” she
comments. Attending Women as Political leaders- US
Exchange Program. Tarifa Al Zaabi/DWC
44
Besides her educational achieve-
ments, she adds, “there are a
number of activities that I
participated in that added value
to my life experience.” In 2006,
she won the Sharjah HCT Director’s
Award for Best Employee of the
Year. Three years later, she was
part of the US Exchange Program
Alumnai of Women as Political
Leaders. Remarkably, she became
the first woman in the Middle
East and Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) Certified Facilitator from
Denmark in “LEGO Serious Play”
2010, which is a new training tool
used to unleash innovation and
creativity in individuals.
Learning is Life
Al Zaabi tries to turn every
experience in her life into a learn-
ing opportunity. “I learn how to
find a way to learn from people
without causing them discomfort
for sharing the information with
me,” she explains. To her, it is very
important to become a knowledge-
able person in order to be able to
defend one’s point of view
professionally and assertively,
which eventually comes with
experience.
Al Zaabi believes the foundational
skills she has built such as being
independent, persistent, com-
mitted, responsible and a lifelong
learner were actually gained from
DWC. “These skills were the key
skills I have implemented and
they have supported me during
my career. DWC provided me
with a development opportunity
through their curriculum and
extra activities. Constant encour-
agement by a group of teachers
helped me to enhance my
self-esteem and confidence.”
Learning is not only important
in her career life, but also in her
personal life. “I have the greatest
job in life, which is being a mother.
You need to learn how to deal and
respond positively to your chil-
dren’s questions, and understand
that their expectations and the With the Consul General of the United
experiences they will go through States of America. Tarifa Al Zaabi/DWC
will be totally different than yours.
This is the learning experience
that all of us will go through in life.”
Future Plans
It is always important to have a
plan, and it is important to have
positive thoughts towards the
future. Al Zaabi’s short-term plan
is to complete her Ph.D. and then
return back to the HCT in order
to contribute to the development
of the youth. In addition, she
wants to be actively involved in At her office. Tarifa Al Zaabi/DWC
community projects and work as
an inspiration for the youth. Her
long-term plan also includes her
interest in obtaining international
work experience.
“Learning is life. We live and we
learn at different stages of our
lives, as well as from different
kinds of experiences. Each day
that passes is a learning experience,
that’s why we learn from history.
The journey of learning starts
with us when we are children
and we continue to learn from
everything around us,” she closes.
DWC NEWS 45
SHAIKHA AL AYALI
High Expectations of Desert Dawn
The Applied Communications Department and Desert Dawn students
celebrated the success of the previous issue with Dr. Howard Reed,
DWC’s Director, and Dr. Bahjat Al Yousuf, Associate Director, on October
7, 2010. The previous issue raised the expectation as it introduced strong
and challenging content in a beautiful design. “It was a challenging task,
because we wanted to bring something that would get the attention of
our readers. We wrote about controversial yet interesting topics that no
one else dared to talk about in a public magazine before,” said Shamsa Al
Suwaidi, previous student editor of DD.

Environmental Student Workshop 2010

Sponsored by Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment and supported
by the British Council and DWC, the Tomorrow’s Environmentalists
workshop was held at DWC on October 21, 2010. University students
from different nationalities attended the workshop to learn more about
the issue. The event included a variety of discussions concerning the
causes and effects of climate change and its impacts, responsibilities,
solutions and how we will live in the future.

Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts

Samar Dahmash Jarrah, author of Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts,
and Professor at the University of South Florida, visited DWC on October
27, 2010 to speak about the use of social media to open dialogue between
Arabs and Americans after the 9/11 attacks. Jarrah shared her amazing
journey from being a regular news editor to reaching a point where she
stood in front of hundreds of Westerners explaining to them that Islam
is a peaceful religion. She spoke about the importance of communication
among people and its critical role in helping people all over the world
overcome misperceptions and stereotypes about each other. Sheencour-
aged DWC students to interact with Western students through social
media forums and share with them opinions about all kinds of issues.

Breast Cancer Day

DWC Wellness Center, in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority and
Al Marrai and Noviderm Companies, organized a series of health checkup
and educational displays in the college cafeteria on Sunday, October 10,
2010. Unlimited activities were included on that day such as free tobacco
testing, bone density checkup and osteoporosis health education, pregnancy
and awareness about breast-feeding.
46

DWC Celebrates the 20th Graduation

On November 3, 2010 DWC celebrated its 20th graduation ceremony.
The event was attended by Dr. Sheikha Alia Humaid Saqr Al Qasimi, Head
of Business Development Support Office, Medical Education from Dubai
Health Authority along with other dignitaries and parents. More than 260
students graduated from the programs of Bachelor’s degrees and Higher
Diplomas in Information Technology, Business, Applied Communications,
Health Sciences, Education, and Diploma programs in Technology Skills
and Business.

National Day
On November 30, 2010 DWC celebrated the 39th UAE National Day in the
presence of Dr. Howard Reed, DWC Director, Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Associate
Director, and Mr. Khalifa Buamain, Director of Government Communication.
The event included an exhibition that featured a collection of pictures
demonstrating the construction of the United Arab Emirates and its
development from the past to the present. Members of the DWC Student
Parliament and the Applied Communications Department organized the
exhibition to raise the DWC student body awareness about their country’s
development. The National Day celebration included several events such
as folk dances and showcase area on the UAE heritage that presented local
cuisine an exhibition of traditional accessories and embroideries.

8th National Teacher Education Conference

The 8th National Teacher Education Conference was held at DWC on
December 6, 2010 under the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mabarak
Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chan-
cellor of Higher Colleges of Technology. The Conference aimed at raising the
standards of teaching and learning in UAE classrooms. The conference was
opened by Dr. Marshall Drummond, HCT Provost and Dr. Howard Reed,
Director of DWC, and was attended by more than 400 teachers, educators,
school principles, teacher administrators, college and university students
and other instructors working within the UAE.

This year’s theme was ‘Focus on Learners: Effective Strategies for the
Student-Centred Classroom.’ The participants had the opportunity to
learn the latest ideas to promote active learning in classrooms and to
take away something to use in their own schools.
 47

UAE’s first Student PR Day at DWC

Organized by the Middle East Public Relations Association and in coop-
eration with DWC, the first Student PR Day was held on November 1,
2010 at DWC. More than 200 students attended mostly from the HCT
colleges, Zayed University in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, American University
in Sharjah and Middlesex University Dubai Campus. The Student PR Day
helped the students become familiar with the reality of working in the
communications sector. It gave a strong snapshot of the fast growing
industry of communications and public relations. Experienced professionals
shared and offered the students constructive feedback to their numerous
queries and questions.

2010 ILN Conference

DWC hosted the two day biannual 2010 Informational Literacy Network
Conference on October 30, 2010. This year, the conference offered the
participants eight paper presentations, six workshops and various poster
sessions centered on the theme of Information Literacy Assessment and
Competency Standards. It was attended by more than 100 librarians
and educators from around the Gulf region who came from different educa-
tional institutes and were passionate about information literacy. They came
together to share new ideas of projects, and new ways to attract students
to libraries.

Italian Cuisine Day 2010

DWC Italian Club invited the executive sous chef at JW Marriott, Andrea
Conte, to prepare one of his delicious Italian pasta dishes on campus.
Approximately 30 students and teachers attended the live show on how
to make fresh pasta, sauces and fresh salad with a healthy dressing.
Tagliatelle, a traditional type of pasta, is made from fresh eggs pasta dough,
fresh tomato and mozzarella sauce.

Flip Video Camera Session

Creators at Pure Digital Technologies, a San Francisco establishment led
by CEO Jonathan Kaplan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of
Cisco Consumer Products were invited by the IT Department at DWC on
October 28, 2010 to share their experiences of entrepreneurship with
the students. Kaplan discussed flip video camera technology, video and
social networking and innovation and entrepreneurship. Over 50 students
attended this presentation.
48 BUSINESS
The bright side of the economic crisis
SHATHA AL AMERI
Can you believe the economic
crisis is the best time to start
your own business?!
The economic crisis has been
tough on so many people around
the world. However, many Dubai
Women’s College (DWC) graduate
entrepreneurs have had a different
experience with the economic
crisis. It somehow helped them
improve their businesses, others
are trying to survive this crisis.
The influence of the economic
crisis on DWC entrepreneurs:
mini Delights logo.Aghnag Tshirt Design.
Shatha Al Ameri/DWC
Safa Almazrouie, a DWC graduate,
is a successful entrepreneur who
proves herself in every position
she takes on. She always believed
that whatever she was doing
was not enough. So she decided
to pursue her dream and work
on her passion for cooking. Mini
Delights is the name of her factory,
a small business she started in her
own kitchen. She started out
making healthy and organic
pastries and desserts. AlMazrouie to always be ready for a crisis and
started her business in the begin- I’ve been taught what we should
ning of the economic crisis. How- do about it.” Malik thinks she was
ever, she now owns many factories kind of lucky with the crisis
in Dubai and Sharjah and her because the prices went down
business gets better every month. at the factory she’s dealing with.
“I think my business got better “The crisis hit the big companies,
after the economic crisis. Food but, companies have started to
is a guaranteed business, people recover now.” she added.
will never stop eating!” she said
with a big smile. “The only differ- Fashionable abayas, bags, acces-
ence I noticed is that the suppliers sories, scarves, clothes and more
from Italy have increased their seem to be everywhere, but
prices since the crisis.” girls just can’t get enough. Many
entrepreneurs work in the fashion
Another DWC entrepreneur is industry as residents of the UAE
Ayesha Malik who works in the are majors spenders on fashion
diamond industry. She graduated even since the crisis.
from DWC in 2003 with a Higher
Diploma in Tourism and a Bachelor
degree in Business in 2008. Three
years ago she decided to try her
luck with business, a different way
from other entrepreneurs. “AU
Jewels” is the name of her little
shop at home, she sells diamonds
on silver and precious stone
that she brings from a factory in
India. “I didn’t feel the economic
crisis that much because I don’t
have stores. However, the prices
increased by around 30% when
the gold price went up,” she said.
“There was a time I had to
decrease my prices because the
Haleema Seemba, owner of Aghnag Tshirt
customers stopped buying and I
Design. Shatha Al Ameri/DWC
noticed people started to think
twice before spending their money Haleema Seemba is an Applied
after the crisis.” Malik thinks that Communications Bachelor graduate
College helped her a lot in dealing of DWC. She wanted to go for what
with the crisis. “College helped us she loves the most, clothes, casual

clothes with a unique cultural
identity for both men and women.
She now owns ‘Aghnag’.
As a small entrepreneur, she was
afraid to spend her money to
open her own store and then risk
losing everything especially after
the economic crisis. As a result,
Seemba chose different ways to
market and sell her designs such
as starting her own website,
marketing ‘Aghnag’ through Black-
berry messenger, and contracting
with individual stores and sports
club. “Although people don’t
spend money like before, still our
community spends lots of money
on fashion!”
Amal Saif, Cherry Berry’s owner. Shatha Al
Ameri/DWC
Amal Saif is a DWC Diploma
graduate in Business. Her story
is a bit different. “I started my
business because of the economic
crisis! I used to go to the office
and do nothing all day because
there was no work to do. So I had
to think of a second income before
I lost my job,” Amal said. Her busi-
ness idea came from her boredom
with famous name brand bags. “I
wanted something new, with a
different taste. I started to bring
new kinds of bags from Lebanon
with different prices and designs,
and not famous brands or copies!
Girls just loved the new bags,”
she said. ‘Cherry Berry’ is the
name of her new business that
started with her own budget last
Ramadan. Saif uses emails and
Blackberry messenger to market
the bags. She is satisfied with her
business and it was the best deci-
sion she made in the face of crisis!
How to make good business
during a crisis:
“Many small businesses started
after the great depression in the
30s, now those businesses are
the biggest and most successful
businesses in the world,” Safa
Almazrouie said. “And now it is
the time for your business”.
The prices are going down starting
with the store you will rent, the
employees you will bring and the
goods you will sell. You should
know it’s your chance to set up
your unique business.
The overall impression of the
economic crisis was that everybody
was losing their jobs, businesses
and money. You don’t have to be
smart to know that it’s dangerous
to put your money into a business
at this time, it’s true. But it is also
true that the crisis could improve
business. As many DWC entrepre-
neurs agreed, the economic crisis
not only has a dark side to it, but
a bright side as well.
49
The following advice from
successful DWC entrepreneurs
who have gone through the real
business world experience:
• Be special. Think of a unique
and different idea to what we
have in the UAE.
• Good quality, better prices.
After the economic crisis people
are looking for alternatives in
many products.
• Do your research. Think of what
people need during this crisis.
• Create a business plan.
• Never stop your search.
• Make sure your plan B is always
ready. Check your business after
five years, if you succeed, what’s
next and if you fail, what’s next?
• Be patient. Don’t use all of your
money, start small.
• Be ready. Rude customers are
everywhere, so don’t be sensitive.
• Use Facebook, Twitter and
Blackberry for your ads in the
beginning.
• Read a lot. The Secret is a
recommended book!
• Never be ashamed of what
you do! Society appreciates and
respects a successful woman.
• Approach a specific target
clientele and study their needs.
• Take a course in business and
marketing.
• Things are always difficult
at the beginning
50 ENVIRONMENT

Recycling is fun
MUNA ABDELKARIM

For some people, recycling is a mission to accomplish. For others it is just

a matter to discuss and for many it does not exist at all. It is an unfortunate

R
fact that many of us ignore this subject, while it is one of the most sensitive
issues that should concern us all.

Recycling in simple terms means: waste such as glass, plastic, metal textile,
electronics and paper is converted into reusable materials in order to
utilize the useful materials in these products and reduce the use of energy
and fresh raw materials. As a result it will reduce air and water pollution
caused in manufacturing different products.

Recycling facts in the UAE:
The UAE is one of the leading
countries taking initiatives in
so many fields and one of them
is the environment. In 1991 the
Emirates Environmental Group,
a non-government organization,
started recycling and emphasized
the importance of recycling for
the environment. Later in 2007,
Bee’ah, the Sharjah Environment
Company, was founded to help
Sharjah City reduce its environ-
mental footprint. However, the
mission was not as successful
as wasanticipated. Why?
According to Bee’ah, these are
the reasons:
• Lack of knowledge/awareness
about recycling (processes involved,
benefits, what happens to waste
when it gets recycled, etc.)
• Lack of willingness: people are
just not willing to put in the extra
effort to recycle
• Lack of access to proper
information about recycling,
e.g. source segregation, what is
recyclable, what is not recyclable
(36% of the people stated this as
their largest concern.)
• Lack of convenience – people
do not have access to most of
the 3 stream recyclers or they
are not located in the immediate
vicinity. (Over 67% of the people
responded to this being their
largest concern)
People who do not recycle might
claim they have reasons or execuses
to do so, but what about the people
who do recycle? Let’s focus on
what motivates them to recycle
and learn:
• Living in a clean and healthy
environment is their aim and
so they made recycling a daily
activity.
• Considering the social and moral
obligations are the main reasons
R
to recycle.
• Belief that segregation of waste
R
is easy and a small change in
someone’s behavior can result in
big differences in the amount of
recyclables generated.
Since we all want to live longer
and save Earth, our only planet,
we should all start recycling
before it is too late. Start from
in your own house. On the page
you can find some great tips to
start recycling.

In your kitchen:
• Set up a recycling center in your
kitchen. How? Assign carton or
cardboard boxes for glass, plastic,
and aluminum. Choose solid
containers for glass because they
are heavier.
• Glass bottles and jars can be
reused as containers to store food
and spices or even temporary
vases but remember to clean
bottles properly before reusing
or recycling.
• Do not throw out the water
you use to boil your meat, fish,
vegetables and eggs. Instead let
the water cool and pour into your
garden plants as soon as possible
to help them grow.
• Post a note in your kitchen as
a reminder to recycle your waste.
In your house:
• Use your old clothes to make
other textile items such as cushion
covers and cleaning cloths.
• Re-melt burned candles in an
old pan and pour it into a simple
small pot to reuse the candle
instead of throwing it and
increasing waste.
• Advise children, other members
in the family and housemaids
about recycling.
• Clean empty nail polish bottle
with thinners and fill them with
paint to add touchups to your
paintings or fix furniture with
little dings.
• Carton or cardboard boxes we
get when we purchase electronics
can be used to store old stuff such
as books, magazines and toys.
Outside:
• Read the news online rather
than taking printed copies.
• Reuse carriers when you go
shopping instead of getting
new ones.
• Bring your own mug to get
coffee from your coffee shop
because paper cups waste
money and landfills.
In your garden:
• Old tires can be used outside
as plant pots - especially for
plants that like warm soil as they
trap the heat. Tires are also great
to create a swing for your garden.
51
• Create your own compost bin
out of recycled wood; it will help
your garden soil to stay fertile.
Let’s do it together:
Let’s create our own compost
bin. It’s a homemade bin that will
bio-degrade your waste like egg
shells, raw fruit and vegetable
trimmings, leaves, hair and fur,
and tea bags.
Step one:
Get enough wood from old
furniture or any recycled wood:
Step two:
Take some pieces of wood pallet
and level them to sit under the
garden soil.
Step three:
Connect the pallets with screws
and make sure it is fixed properly
to hold the trash.
Step four:
The compost bin is ready, just
waiting for you to toss the right
trash and after few weeks it will
degrade and benefit your garden
soil. Remember to break apart the
soil underneath the compost bin.
52

Public voice:

Public suggestions to be considered

by the Government:

• Build recycling banks in every

area to drop recycled materials.

• Educate people about the

importance of recycling and put
up posters near all the recycling
Useful sites:
bins to explain their use.

• Obligate shopkeepers and

http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/
company owners to recycle all
the materials and issue fines
A website where you can learn the importance of
when people disobey.
recycling and read and share so many tips for recycling.
http://www.recyclezone.org.uk/az_makepaper.aspx
• Assign a day every year and
arrange activities, competitions
Tips on how to recycle:
and events to encourage people
http://www.kidsrgreen.org/game.html
to recycle.
http://www.meetthegreens.org/games/light-it-right.html

Play fun games and learn how to preserve earth:

Recycle creatively:
http://www.beeah-uae.com/ar/corporate/home
It is not a slogan, it is a mission.
Bee’ah, the Sharjah Environment Company, provides
Just by tossing trash in the right
accurate information about recycling and offers
bin does not mean that we did the
many services.
job of recycling fully. However, we
can act smart and use creative
ways to recycle things in our
daily lives. The fun part about
recycling is hidden in these tips,
so be the first to implement them
and encourage others if you care
about the planet you live on.

Check out the links below which

contain useful information about
recycling. Read them, follow them
and share them with everyone.
Have fun while recycling.
 Dubai Women's College is proud to launch its 

Arabic Institute
‫ﻳﺴﺮ ﻛﻠﻴﺔ ﺩﺑﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻨﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﻄﺎﻟﺒﺎﺕ ﺃﻥ ﺗﻌﻠﻦ ﻋﻦ ﺇﻃﻼﻕ‬
‫ﺍﳌﻌﻬﺪ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻲ ﻟﻠﺘﻄﻮﻳﺮ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻨﻤﻴﺔ‬ 

  

Offering training by professional and certified experts

Non Arabic speakers: Arabic courses
Arabic speakers: Personal development

For more information contact:
Manager: Dr. Hanan Hairab
Applied Communications Program Chair
Dubai Women's College
arabicinstitute @hct.ac.ae, 04 2089530

‫ﻣﺪﺭﺑﲔ ﻣﺘﺨﺼﺼﲔ ﻣﻌﺘﻤﺪﻳﻦ‬ -‫ﺩﻭﺭﺍﺕ ﺗﺪﺭﻳﺒﻴﺔ‬

‫ﺩﻭﺭﺍﺕ ﻟﻐﻮﻳﺔ‬ :‫ﻟﻐﻴﺮ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﻃﻘﲔ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ‬
‫ﺗﻄﻮﻳﺮ ﺍﳌﻬﺎﺭﺍﺕ ﺍﻷﺩﺍﺋﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻮﻇﻴﻔﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻹﺩﺍﺭﻳﺔ‬ :‫ﻟﻠﻨﺎﻃﻘﲔ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ‬  
 
‫ﺣﻨﺎﻥ ﺃﻣﲔ ﺣﻴﺮﺏ‬ .‫ﺩ‬ :‫ﺇﺷﺮﺍﻑ‬
‫ﻣﺪﻳﺮﺓ ﻗﺴﻢ ﺍﻹﻋﻼﻡ ﻓﻲ ﻛﻠﻴﺔ ﺩﺑﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻨﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﻄﺎﻟﺒﺎﺕ‬
‫ﻟﻠﺘﺴﺠﻴﻞ ﻭﺍﻻﺳﺘﻔﺴﺎﺭ‬ 
 arabicinstitute @hct.ac.ae 04 2089530
54 EVENTS IN DUBAI
KHULOOD AL JASIMI

CALLIGRAPHY FOR Workshop leader: Majid Alyousef

4 sessions x 5 hrs/Total 20 hrs
Maximum participants: 10

DESIGN Saturday 22 and 29 January

5 and 12 February
Part one: 10.00 – 13.00
Part two: 14.00 – 16.00
Fees: Tashkeel members: 1475
DHS per course,
Non-members: 1640 DHS per
course

This workshop is composed of a

series of lectures and hands-on
tutorials that aim to develop the
basic skills of calligraphy and
explore the usage of calligraphy in
design context and applications.

http://tashkeel.org/En/Work-
shop_Detail.aspx?Type=C&ID=101

Abraaj capital ART EXHBTIONS

Art Prize
Curators’ applications accepted
from January 1 – 31, 2011
Artists’ applications accepted
from February 1 – April 30, 2011
www.abraajcapitalartprize.com
“Eat when you can,
Sleep when you can”
15th of January-8th of March 2011
Philip Mueller’s first international
solo exhibition.
Mobile 1: +971 50 464 43 92
Mobile 2 :+971 50 873 96 23
Email: info@carbon12dubai.com

http://www.carbon-
12dubai.com/exhibitions.
php?id=00001158237287704515
Book Reviews
‫عيناك يا حمده‬
‫ آمنة املنصوري‬:‫الكاتبة‬

‫عيناك يا حمده قصة تدور حول عادات وتقاليد‬

‫إماراتية عبر أحداث واقعية وقضايا اجتماعية‬
.‫مثل التفرقة بني املولود األنثى أو الذكر‬

‫حمده في القصة تطرح تساؤالت وتلتفت‬

‫حولها محاولة فهم ما يدور من تصرفات أو‬
‫ تدور القصة حول‬.‫من كالم غريب تسمعه‬
،‫ الزواج‬،‫ احلب‬،‫أمور عديدة منها احترام الوالدين‬
.‫التعايش مع احلياة‬

،‫وأخذت سبيلها في القراءة الكتشاف احلياة‬

‫كما أنها مرت مبراحل جتعلها تغير تفكيرها‬
.‫ونظرتها إلى نفسها و اآلخرين‬ The 7 Habits of Happy Kids
By Sean Covey
‫مزجت الكاتبة في “عيناك يا حمده” بني‬
Cleopatra the Great By .‫األسلوب الروائي وكتابة اخلواطر‬ The 7 Habits of Happy Kids is a
by Joann Fletcher family book of stories that carry
morals and will teach children to
Cleopatra the Great tells the
be responsible, respectful, work
story of a turbulent time and
in a team and solve their own
the extraordinary woman at its
problems. This book could be
centre. It describes what her life
used for both adults and kids; it
really was and how she became
has a fun way of learning values.
a Queen, her beauty, and her
The seven habits are listed: you
goddess outfits and hairstyles.
are in charge; have a plan; work
The author talks about the great
first, then play; everyone can win;
power the last Egyptian Pharaoh
listen before you talk; together
possessed and how she revived
is better; and balance feels best.
and ruled Egypt. The book
The stories are well-illustrated
is considered the first major
and can be used in schools
biography of Cleopatra’s real
life introducing details that are
based on history rather than
Hollywood’s versions of her life
and accomplishments.
56
Book
Reviews by Magrudy’s
Lyrics Alley
Aboulela
Set in 1950s Sudan, Lyrics Alley is
the story of the powerful Abuzied
dynasty. With Mahmood Bey at its
helm, the family can do no wrong.
But when Mahmood’s son,
Nur - the brilliant, charming heir
to his business empire - suffers a
near-fatal accident, his hopes of
university and a glittering future
are dashed. As British rule is com-
ing to an end, and the country is
torn between modernising influ-
ences and the call of traditions past,
the family is divided. Moving from
the villages of Sudan to cosmopoli-
tan Cairo and a decimated post-
colonial Britain, this is a sweeping
tale of loss, faith and reconciliation.
Married to a Bedouin
Maguerite Van Geldermalsen
New Zealand born nurse Marguerite
van Geldermalsen first visited the
lost city Petra in 1978. But little did
Maguerite know she was about to
meet the man she would marry, the
charismatic Mohammad Othman,
a Bedouin craftsman of the
Manajah tribe. A life with Moham-
mad meant moving into his ancient
cave and learning to love the
regular tasks of baking shrak bread
on an open fire and collecting
water from the spring. But as
Marguerite feels herself becoming
part of the Bedouin community, she
is thankful for the twist in fate that
has led her to this contented life.
Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson
In 1993, after a terrifying and
disastrous attempt to climb K2,
a mountaineer called Greg
Mortenson drifted, cold and
dehydrated, into an impoverished
Pakistan village in the Karakoram
Mountains. Moved by the inhabit-
ants’ kindness, he promised to
return and build a school. Three
Cups of Tea is the story of that
promise. Over the next decade
Mortenson built fifty-five schools
- especially for girls - in remote
villages of Pakistan and Afghani-
stan, just as the Taliban rose
to power. His story is at once
a testament to the power of
the humanitarian spirit
 57
48

Internet
KHULOOD AL JASIMI
Café
Mosaicglobe

A website where you can create

your own online portfolio. You
can create your own website that
includes multiple pages, galleries,
blogs, audio, email and great
website templates.

http://www.mosaicglobe.com/

En.wikibooks

The website is a collection of

books that you can read online,
write and edit. It also includes
about 2,397 books with 35,688
pages.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page

How to do things

A website that can help you learn,

improve and enjoy your favorite
hobbies in the different categories
and by links, articles, popular
content and popular searches.

http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies
58 BUQSHA
KHULOOD AL JASIMI
We chose to call this section ‘Buqsha’ (see below for meaning) as it will be

dedicated to exploring various elements of Emirati culture and traditions.

‫ هي الصرة من القماش وتكون قطعه مربعه‬:‫معنى بقشه‬

.‫توضع بها املالبس قدميا‬

Buqsha: an old word used to

describe a square shaped piece of cloth. It
was used to carry various items such as
groceries, clothes and other items.

Pearls
Pearls are hard shiny surfaced objects taken from living shelled molluscs.
Carbonate is the tiny crystalline form that the pearls are made of. There
are different types of pearls with different colors. The most expensive
pearl is the natural one. Pearls are popular in making jewelry.

Aljyon ‫اجليـون‬
ْ
Considered one of the best types of pearl known for its pure white color.
It has smooth sides and contains a proportion of water. It has a round
shape and is free from defects and fractures.

Yukka ‫اليكة‬ ّ
Ranks second in terms of quality and purity. In term of form, it has a
semicircular form that is compared to the moon on the 13th day of
its cycle, before forming into a perfect circle.

Alcoloy ‫القولوى‬
Different from other pearl types due to color purity that usually reflects
a shade of blue or red.

Albadlah ‫البدلة‬
Has a lower quality in comparison to the Alcoloy and it has two types, the
first degree and second degree. It varies in size; some are small and some
are large and irregular in shape. It also reflects a blue shade.

Sijnni ‫سجني‬
ْ
Looks like a dove egg in color and shape, some are long and others are
short, and sometimes it reflects a blue shade.

Ana’ema ‫الناّعمة‬
One of the rare types of pearls, it ranks very low in quality among other
pearls. It is usually used as a treatment for some diseases, by grinding
it as soft sand grains.

AlBuqah ‫االبوكة‬
ُ
Similar to sand grains, it is used as eyeliner (kohl) and as treatment
for the eyes as well. Some say it is edible.

AlKhashrah ْ ‫اخل ْْشرة‬

Ranks as the lowest in quality among other pearl types, due to its
imperfections. It is usually sold wholesale, at a relatively low price.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl dia/commons/a/af/White_pearl_neck-
http://www.zayedworld.ae/vb/showthread.php?t=8347 lace.jpg
 59

Emarati perfume. Khulood Al Jasimi/DWC

Emirati Proverbs
‫ ما يهمــك‬، ‫سيل ما يبلك‬
Selen ma yablik , ma yhmk
“Torrent that’s not in your way, doesn’t wet you”
When it’s raining in another country, you gain nothing. It means other peoples’ problems are
not your business, so you should not worry about them or interfere in other peoples’ business.

‫من طلع من داره قل مقداره‬

Min talaa’ min dara qal mqdara
“East or West .. Home is the Best.” Wherever you go, your home is the most comfortable place to you.

‫اللي ما يعرفك ما يثمنك‬

Ely mayaarfik ma ythmnik
“Those who don’t know you don’t give you value.” People, who don’t know you well, don’t appreciate you.

‫الفضول قتل العيوز‬

Al fthool qital AL Ayooz
“Curiosity kills the old lady.” Do not be too curious about other’s affairs.

‫إذا ما طاعك الزمان طيعه‬

Etha ma taek al zman teaa’
“If time doesn’t obey you, obey it.” Go with the flow and accept changes happening around you.
http://www.zayedworld.ae/vb/showthread.php?t=13723
‫‪60‬‬
‫ويرى خليفة مطر‪ ٣٠ ،‬عاما‪ ،‬موظف في بنك‬
‫اإلمارات‪ ،‬بأن العمل والتكافؤ اجلماعي من‬
‫الطرفني أفضل من العمل الفردي من ناحية اإلجناز‬
‫و السرعة‪ ،‬في حني أن سميرة محمد‪ ٢٤ ،‬عام ًا‪،‬‬
‫موظفة في إحدى الدوائر اخلاصة‪ ،‬تقول‪“:‬تخلي‬
‫الزوج عن أداء مسؤولياته جتعل نظرة أبنائه دونية له‬
‫في املستقبل"‪ ،‬و أوضحت بأن ال مانع من مشاركة‬
‫الزوجة العاملة مادي ًا قلي ًال‪.‬‬
‫إن األسرة واملؤسسات التعليمية واإلعالم واإلنترنت‬
‫فعاال حول تغيير هذه‬ ‫واملؤسسة الدينية تلعب دورا ّ‬
‫الظاهرة‪،‬عبر التنسيق الفعال لتغيير سلوك الفرد إلى‬
‫األفضل‪ .‬واجلدير بالذكر أن هذا ال يكفي‪ ،‬إذ يجب‬
‫على الفرد السعي وراء تغىير ذاته بنفسه أو ًال بإعادة‬
‫االعتبار لشرط الكفاءة كشرط أساسي من شروط‬
‫الزواج وسد باب االستغالل لبناء حياة زوجية مبنية‬
‫على أسس صحيحة من الناحية الدينية والثقافية‬
‫والسلوكية‪،‬‬
‫إن الفرد اإليجابي نواة في أسرة إيجابية وبالضرورة‬
‫فإن هذا يقود إلى مجتمع إيجابي يحقق شروط‬
‫العدالة ويعلي الفضيلة وميشي على منهج اإلحسان‬
‫وحسن املعاملة‬
‫يقول الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم‪ " :‬الدين املعاملة‪،‬‬
‫إن الله ال ينظر إلى صوركم وال إلى أجسامكم ولكن‬
‫ينظر إلى قلوبكم وأعمالكم‪".‬‬
‫و الشيكات وقد تدخل السجن إن لم يعد لديها‬ ‫والنسب‪ ،‬واإلخالل بهذه الشروط وعدم االهتمام‬
‫رصيد‪ ،‬ومن ثم يذهب للتعرف على أخريات‪ ،‬وأكد مما‬ ‫بها يضعف هذه الكفاءة‪ .‬ويؤكد نور أن مسألة‬
‫يؤدي إلى الطالق وكثرة املشاكل والصراعات النفسية‬ ‫الكفاءة هذه حصل فيها نوع اخللل وأن املتزوجني‬
‫وانعكاسها على نفسية أطفالها واخللل األسري في‬ ‫بدؤوا يغضون الطرف عن حقوقهم في مجتمعنا في‬
‫مسألة القوامة‪.‬‬ ‫هذه األيام‪ .‬ويضيف قائال "يعتبر الضمير غائبا في‬
‫مجتمعنا احلالي لعدم اخلوف من الله لقلة الوازع‬
‫بالنظر إلى االستفتاءات التي أجرتها صحفيات‬ ‫الديني والطمع واجلشع املسيطر‪،‬حيث تصلنا ستني‬
‫مجلة فجر الصحراء على فئة عشوائية من املجتمع‬ ‫إلى سبعني حالة شهر ًيا وذلك بسبب رفقاء السوء‬
‫املواطن ملعرفة رأي الناس حول موضوع اعتماد‬ ‫الذين يحرضون الزوج على زوجته العاملة ‪ ،‬وهم على‬
‫الزوج على الزوجة ودرجة تقبلهم لفكرة نشرالتوعية‬ ‫دراية بأن املرأة تريد الستر واألمان وتخاف العنوسة‬
‫املجتمعية حول هذا املوضوع‪ ،‬فقد تبني أن ‪ 50%‬من‬ ‫والطالق‪،‬لهذا تتنازل وتتغاضى عن حقوقها‪ ،‬ويزيد‬
‫الفئة العمرية ما بني ‪ 20‬و‪ 30‬تؤيد الزواج من امرأة‬ ‫هذا بعد مرور فترة من الزواج حيث متر الفترة األولى‬
‫أكثر تفوق ًا من الزوج من الناحية العلمية والثقافية‪،‬‬ ‫من الزواج بسالم غالبا‪.‬‬
‫ونسبة ‪ 20%‬من الفئة ذاتها تؤيد بأن املسؤول عن‬
‫االحتياجات املنزلية اليومية هو كال الزوج العامل‬ ‫ويؤكد نور أنه "يجب تربية أبنائنا وبناتنا على مفهوم‬
‫والزوجة العاملة‪ .‬في حني أن نسبة ‪ 20%‬من نفس‬ ‫الزواج الشرعي مبفهومه االجتماعي الراقي‪ ،‬فالله‬
‫الفئة العمرية يرفضون االعتماد على زوجاتهم‬ ‫خلقنا ملهام كثيرة وليس فقط للزواج‪ ،‬فالزواج سنة‬
‫العامالت‪.‬‬ ‫من سنن الكون وسنة من سنن اخللق‪ ،‬فينبغي تطوير‬
‫ثقافة مجتمعنا‪ ،‬حيث أن اإلنسان يجب أن يعيش‬
‫عذيجة عبدالله‪ ٣٤ ،‬عاما‪ ،‬موظفة في إحدى الدوائر‬ ‫حياة كرمية وليس بانتظار الزواج فقط‪ ".‬فإن اتباع‬
‫احلكومية‪ ،‬إحدى النساء الالتي يعشن هذه املعاناة‪،‬‬ ‫الشرع وتعاليم الشرع يحقق حماية لإلنسان سواء‬
‫حيث تقول " أعيش هذه املعاناة منذ ما يزيد على‬ ‫للرجل أو املرأة‪ ،‬وللمرأة خصوص ًا‪ .‬ويعقب نور بأن‬
‫السنتني‪ ،‬وأنا عاجزة عن تغيير هذه االتكالية ولكن‬ ‫أسباب اتكالية الزوج على زوجته واستغالله لها‬
‫ما باليد حيلة‪ ".‬و تشدد عذيجة على أهمية اختيار‬ ‫من الناحية املادية تعود غالبا إلى ارتفاع تكاليف‬
‫الفتاة الزوج غير االتكالي‪ .‬باملقابل سالمة عمر‪،‬‬
‫املعيشة وقد تكون املرأة أحيانا هي السبب‪ ،‬حيث‬
‫امرأة تبلغ من العمر ‪ ٢٩‬عاما‪ ،‬تعمل في جتارتها‬ ‫أنها تساعده أحيانا على استغالله لها بتصرفاتها‬
‫اخلاصة‪ ،‬تقول " أنا مجبرة على العمل بسب تكاسل‬ ‫وتشجيعها حتى يرى بأنه حق مكتسب‪ ،‬ومتتد عينه‬
‫زوجي في الدور االقتصادي‪ ،‬وإال فسوف أكون‬ ‫ألكثر‪،‬ويزداد طمعه ويتجاهل ويتناسى مسؤولياته‪،‬‬
‫معرضة للضرب بغير رحمة‪".‬‬ ‫فمنهن من تشتري له العقارات فيورطها في القروض‬
‫رسم بياني يوضح عدد حاالت الطالق‪( .‬تصميم ميرة الفالسي و شما املنصوري‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات)‬
 ‫التحقيقات الصحفية‬ ‫‪61‬‬

‫مشاركة أم اتكالية؟!‬
‫هذا األمر غريب على مجتمعنا في األصل وما‬
‫يزال في حدود ضيقة‪ ،‬لكن هناك حاالت أخرى‬
‫يكون فيها الرجل مهمال اتكاليا لكن املرأة تضطر‬
‫للعيش معه حياة في مشقة و تعب و تبادل في‬
‫األدوار فتكون هي الرجل الذي يوفر مستلزمات‬
‫األسرة و يلبي طلبات األوالد و املنزل‪ .‬رجل كهذا‬ ‫ميرة الفالسي و شما املنصوري‬
‫إذا استسلمت له املرأة و رضخت حلياته واتكاليته‬
‫فإن احلال سيستمر‪ ،‬وبالتأكيد فإن هذا في النهاية‬
‫يعتمد على قوة شخصية املرأتة أو ضعفها‪ .‬أما‬
‫الرجل الشرقي احلقيقي فهو املعتدل الذي يحقق‬
‫أهدف الزواج الصحيح و بالتالي يتحمل مسؤوليات‬
‫البيت و األسرة و األوالد و تعيش معه املرأة معززة‬
‫مكرمة سعيدة بل ومن املمكن أن تتحمل معه بعض‬
‫املسؤوليات املادية وهي راضية النفس ملا تتلقاه من‬
‫زوجها من حب و تفاهم‪.‬‬

‫من املهم إدراك املرأة و الرجل ألهمية التكافؤ في‬

‫املستوى التعليمي‪ ،‬يقول جابر أحمد نور‪ ،‬مرشد‬
‫استشارات دينية أسرية في دائرة الشؤون اإلسالمية و‬
‫العمل اخليري في دبي‪“ :‬عندما يكون الرجل متزوجا‬
‫من امرأة متاثله شهادة وكفاءة أو رمبا تقل عنه فإنه‬
‫لن يحس بنقص أو الضغينة ألنها تساويه بالعلم‬
‫أو الفكر‪ ،‬في حني إذا تزوج من امرأة تفوقه كفاءة‬
‫وخبرة فسوف يتولد لديه إحساس باحلقد والضغينة‬
‫واحلساسية املفرطة‪ ،‬وقد تنظر إليه زوجته نظرة دونية‬
‫في بعض األحيان‪ ”.‬نوه جابر بأن هذا اإلحساس‬
‫بالنقص قد يتفاقم عند الرجل فيخفيه باستخدام‬
‫وسائل مختلفة "كالضرب أو الطرد؛ ألنه تعطيه‬
‫اإلحساس بالرجولة‪".‬‬

‫واجلدير بالذكر أن املرأة الواعية لدورها في احلياة‬

‫الزوجية عليها أن حتسن اختيار الزوج وأن تبتعد عن‬
‫الرجل االتكالي في األمور املادية في احلياة الزوجية‪،‬‬ ‫الزوج يجبر زوجته على إعطائه املال؟ (تصميم وفاء املرزوقي‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات)‬
‫حيث تقول د‪ .‬مرمي مطر‪ ،‬مؤسس ورئيس مجلس‬
‫إدارة جمعية اإلمارات لألمراض اجلينية‪" :‬هناك فرق‬
‫القيمة وفق راتبها ؟ هل أصبحت الزوجة العاملة‬ ‫راشد مواطن إماراتي ‪ ٣٣‬سنة وسيم‪ ،‬طويل القامة‪،‬‬
‫بني الذكر والرجل احلقيقي‪ ،‬وعلى املرأة اليوم أن‬
‫الصراف اآللي للزوج؟ ملاذا انعكست اآلية وأصبحت‬ ‫معروف بتأنقه املفرط‪ ،‬محبوب لدى الناس ومعروف‬
‫تكون امرأة حقيقية مثقفة قوية تثبت نفسها و تتقوى‬
‫املرأة هي املسؤولة عن احتياجات املنزل بدل الرجل؟‬ ‫بسمعته الطبية وكرمه الفائق‪ ،‬واقف في مكتب‬
‫بقوة الرجل املوجود إلى جانبها‪ ،‬عليها أن حتسن‬
‫عقارات يقع في شارع الشيخ زايد محاط بعدد كبير‬
‫االختيار‪ ".‬ويوافقها في الرأي جابر حيث يقول "من‬ ‫ليس بغريب أن جند فئات قليلة في املجتمع تنحرف‬ ‫من كبار الشخصيات الذين ميتلكون عددا من األبراج‬
‫املهم أن تكون املرأة ذات شخصية قوية تدرك أهمية‬ ‫في مفهومها عن الزواج مبفهومه االجتماعي الراقي‬ ‫الواقعة في نفس الشارع في إمارة دبي‪ .‬ينتهي عمله‬
‫دورها في احلياة الزوجية وما لها وما عليها‪ ،‬وإال‬ ‫الذي يقوم على املودة والرحمة‪ ،‬إلى مفهوم مادي‬ ‫الرسمي‪ ،‬يتوجه إلى خدمة صف السيارات الستالم‬
‫فسوف يستغلها الزوج االتكالي "‬ ‫ووسيلة للغنى واالتكالية‪ ،‬حيث يشبِع الرجل رغباته‬ ‫سيارته الروز رويز‪ .‬وهو في انتظار وصول سيارته‬
‫و يحقق أهدافه براحة ودون عناء وبعد أن يصل إلى‬ ‫يلقى القبض عليه من قبل رجل التحري الذي كان‬
‫وفي اجلانب اآلخر‪ ،‬نوه أحمد املهيري‪ ،‬املدير التنفيذي‬
‫االكتفاء وتتوسع دائرة أمالكه يكشف الوجه احلقيقي‬ ‫بانتظاره خاراج ًا منع ًا إلحراجه أمام زبائنه وموظفيه‬
‫في قطاع التطوير والتخطيط االجتماعي في دبي‪،‬‬
‫له فيتجاهل املرأة و يهملها حيث لم يعد بحاجة‬
‫أن استغالل املرأة مادي ًا ال يكون إال في حال قبول‬ ‫يأخذه إلى مركز الشرطة بسبب ته ّربه منهم منذ ستة‬
‫إليها‪ ،‬أكد السيد معاذ هاشم حسن‪ ،‬مندوب محام‬ ‫أشهر لتخلفه عن دفع معاشات موظفيه‪ ،‬قائال‪ “ :‬ال‬
‫الطرفني‪ ،‬حيث يؤكد "الرجال بشكل عام في مجتمعنا‬
‫واستشاري قانوني في إدارة األحوال الشخصية في‬ ‫أستطيع دفع رواتبهم الشهرية ألنني أفلست وأنتظر‬
‫ليس بنيتهم االعتماد على زوجاتهم العامالت و لكن‬
‫محاكم دبي بأن مثل هذه القضايا انتشرت وبكثرة‬ ‫راتب زوجتي‪”.‬‬
‫القصد على األغلب املشاركة واملناصفة على اعتبار‬
‫في اآلونة األخيرة حيث " يأتينا يومي ًا ما يعادل سبع‬
‫أن اليد الواحدة ال تصفق كما هو متعارف عليه‪".‬‬
‫وثالثون قضية حول استغالل الزوج لزوجته العاملة‬ ‫بدأت في مجتمعنا ظاهرة استغالل الزوج لزوجته‬
‫وقد وضع اإلسالم شروطا للزواج حتض على مبدأ‬ ‫مادي ًا‪”.‬‬ ‫العاملة مادي ًا‪ ،‬فهل أصبح مفهوم الزواج جتارة لدى‬
‫الكفاءة في احلياة الزوجية‪ ،‬ككفاءة املادة والعلم‬ ‫الرجال والنساء؟ هل أصبحت املرأة سلعة محددة‬
‫‪62‬‬
‫جامعي‪ "،‬لم أحضر قط أي حصص تربية بدنية‬ ‫اليوم" في مارس والذي أكدته املديرة التنفيذية‬
‫في مراحل دراستي‪ ،‬وغالب ًا ماكانت تستبدل من‬ ‫للشؤون التعليمية ومديرة إراة الترخيص واالعتماد‬
‫قبل مدرسي املواد األخرى "‪ .‬ويضيف على ذلك"‬ ‫األكادميي في وزارة التربية‪ ،‬شيخة راشد الشامسي‪،‬‬
‫أصبحت ممارسة الرياضة في الطابور الصباحي طريقة‬ ‫أنه مت إعداد دراسة إلعادة حصص التربية املوسيقية‬
‫ً‬
‫مجبورا مظهرا التسيب‬ ‫بدائية‪ ،‬حيث ميارسها الطالب‬ ‫إلى املدراس وذلك وفق ًا للخطة االستراتيجية للتعليم‬
‫واإلهمال والالمباالة"‪.‬‬ ‫‪ ،2010-2020‬الفتة إلى أن الدولة لديها اهتمام‬
‫بالفنون في شتى مجاالتها‪ ،‬حيث تتضمن اخلطة‬
‫وتعقيب ًا على ذلك يقول أستاذ التربية البدنية سامر‬ ‫تفعيل دور األنشطة الالصفية في تنمية ذاكرة‬
‫الهاللي " إن التربية البدنية تعمل على تهيئة مناخ‬ ‫الطالب ورفع احلس اإلبداعي لديه وضبط سلوكهم‬
‫صحي للطالب مما يبعده عن اللجوء إلى العنف اجتاه‬ ‫وانفعاالتهم"‪.‬‬
‫اآلخرين" ويضيف عاتب ًا" إن غياب األدوات يقلص‬
‫من اهتمام الطالب في االلتزام باحلضور وعزوفه عن‬ ‫‪ 15%‬من املعلمني متفائلني بهذه الدراسة ويعتقدون‬
‫حصص الرياضة"‪.‬‬ ‫بأن ذلك سوف يكون في صالح الطالب منن حيث‬
‫اإلبداع‪ ،‬ولكن نصطدم بآراء بعض اآلباء بني التأييد‬
‫اجتمع غالبية أولياء االمور والطلبة والتربويني في‬ ‫واملعارضة على وجود التربيه املوسيقية‪ ،‬نسبة ال‬
‫اقتراحاتهم وكانت نسبة تتعدى ‪ ،80%‬على أنهم‬ ‫تتجاوز ‪ 50%‬تعترض على وجود النشاط املوسيقي‬
‫يفضلون أن تكون مناهج التربية البدنية والفنية‬ ‫ضمن املنهاج ‪،‬حيث اختلفت األسباب ومنها أنها‬
‫ً‬
‫موادا اختيارية‪ ،‬وذلك‬ ‫واملوسيقية وغيرها من األنشطة‬ ‫تتعارض مع القيم الدينية وآخر أنه قد يحدث خلط‬
‫بوجود معايير تهدف إلى حتسني التنافس بني الطلبة‬ ‫بني املوسيقى املسموحة وغير مسموحة لدى ذهن‬
‫ً‬
‫قادرا على‬ ‫وحتديد ميولهم وقراراتهم‪ ،‬بحيث يصبح‬
‫الطالب‪ ،‬حيث ترى آمنه املطروشي‪،‬ربة بيت‪ " ،‬أن‬
‫فهم واستيعاب سوق العمل املستقبلية‪ ،‬مبا في ذلك‬ ‫تدني مستوى الطالب سببه توجهه ملثل هذه األنشطة‬
‫االلتزام للوصول إلى مستوى الدول املتقدمة‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬
‫معللة أنها قد تؤدي إلى‬ ‫التي قد ال تنفعه مستقبال"‬
‫ظهور سلوكيات سلبية على الصعيد املهني‪ ،‬وركزت‬
‫على أن التربية املوسيقية ال بد من أن تقدم بصورة‬
‫صحيحة حتافظ على التراث الشعبي لإلمارات"‪.‬‬
‫ومن جانب آخر يؤيدها الرأي محمد الراشدي‪40 ،‬‬
‫سنة‪ ،‬موظف‪ ،‬فيقول" البد وجود هذا املنهج ضمن‬
‫املقررخصوص ًا إذا كانت حتتوي على أناشيد إسالمية‬
‫وشعبية حتافظ على تهذيب سلوك الطالب وترسيخ‬
‫الهوية الوطنية في ذاته"‪.‬‬
‫لكن الواقع الذي يعيشه الطالب في املدارس مختلف‬
‫متام ًا‪ ،‬واحلقيقة التي ال ميكن جتاهلها أن اإلدارة‬
‫الصفية على محمل‬ ‫املدرسية ال تأخذ هذه األنشطة ّ‬
‫اجلد‪ ،‬تقول مرمي آل علي‪ ،‬طالبة في املرحلة الثانوية‪،‬‬
‫" على الرغم من وجود املنهج في اجلدول الدراسي‬
‫األسبوعي إال إنه غير منفذ من قبل اإلدراة أو‬
‫املعلم"‪ ،‬موضحة أن من السهولة دائما استبدال مواد‬
‫أخرى بفصل التربية الفنية!‬
‫في ذلك؟ وهل سيتم تأهيل الطالب ملثل هذه احملافل‬
‫التربية البدنية تهذب سلوك الطالب‪.‬‬ ‫وكذلك احلال بالنسبة للتربية البدنية‪ ،‬حيث أن نسبة‬
‫(تصوير نهى حسن‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات)‬ ‫كبيرة من الطالب ال يحبذون االلتزام بفصل التربية‬
‫البدنية‪ ،‬حيث يقول أحمد إبراهيم‪ 22 ،‬سنة‪،‬طالب‬
‫هي نتيجة اليوم الدراسي الطويل الذي يؤدي إلى‬
‫مخرجات أقل كفاءة من الطالب واملعلم على حد‬
‫سواء‪.‬‬
‫لألسف ال تتم تنمية مهارات الطالب بصورة صحيحة‬
‫في املرحلة من رياض األطفال وحتى الثانوية العامة‬
‫وهنا تكمن الفجوة بني املرحلتني وأحد أسبابها "أنه‬
‫ال يوجد تركيز على األنشطة الالصفية في املدراس‬
‫الثانوية احلكومية" كما ذكرت‪ ،‬نادية هادي‪ ،‬أستاذة‬
‫التربية الفنية‪ ،‬وأضافت "أنه نتيجة للروتني اململ‬
‫الذي يعيشة الطالب ضمن كثافة املواد العلمية"‪.‬‬
‫وهي ال تنكر وجود مناهج بالغة األهمية ضمن‬
‫املنهاج الدراسي الثانوي‪ ،‬ولكن من املهم ً‬
‫جدا أن‬
‫يحفز الطالب على تفريغ طاقاته من خالل أنشطة‬
‫مدرسية"‪ ،‬ووضحت أن الطالب ميكنه استغالل‬
‫ذلك في سلوك تربوي نافع في مرحلته األخيرة من‬
‫الدراسة‪.‬‬
‫من خالل االستبانات التي ُوزعت على عينة من‬
‫املدارس الثانوية احلكومية لوحظ بأن ‪ 40%‬من‬
‫الطلبة املتفوقني يعتبون على ضعف أداء املدارس‬
‫احلكومية في االهتمام مبناهج التريبة الفنية‬
‫واملوسيقية من ناحية عدم جاهزية احتياجات هذه‬
‫الفصول ملمارسات النشاط ‪ ،‬بينما ‪ 60%‬من‬
‫الطلية يعتقدون أن املدرسة هي املسؤول األول في‬
‫عدم تأهيلهم ملهارات مابعد التخرج في ظل غياب‬
‫األنشطة املدرسيه السابقة الذكر‪.‬‬
‫ً‬
‫وحتديدا في عام‬ ‫في مقال نشرته صحيفة البيان‬
‫‪ 2009‬أن دولة اإلمارات شهدت محافل ثقافية‬
‫عديدة‪ ،‬والتي تضمنت معارض ومسابقات‬
‫ومهرجانات وملتقيات في نفس السنة ‪ ،‬وذلك‬
‫يعكس اهتمام الدولة بكافة اإلبداعات في مجاالت‬
‫الفنون بأنواعها‪ ،‬ويقام على غرار ذلك مسابقات‬
‫محلية على مستوى الدولة كجائزة الشيخة منال‬
‫للفنون ومسابقات في املسرح والشعر واألفالم‬
‫السينمائية على املستوى اخلليجي والعاملي‪ ،‬باإلضافة‬
‫إلى تنمية التراث الشعبي من خالل احملافل التي‬
‫تقيمها الدولة لالرتقاء بالهوية الوطنية‪ .‬وهنا يكمن‬
‫السؤال هل سوف تسهم املدارس الثانوية "احلكومية"‬
‫التي تقام في الدولة من خالل املدرسة؟‬
‫من ذلك نأتي إلى التصريح الذي نشرته "اإلمارات‬
 ‫‪63‬‬

‫مناهج دراسية بني اجلمود واإلبداع‬

‫نهى حسن‬
‫تريد أن تصبح عندما تكبر؟‪ .‬وأضافت "إن املرحلة‬
‫األولى من عمر الطفل ال تقل أهمية عن املرحلة‬
‫األخيرة وهي الثانوية العامة"‪ ،‬حيث تفترض أنه يجب‬
‫أن يكون هناك ترابط بني املراحل الدراسية للطالب‬
‫من حيث املنهاج املدرسي لتهيئيته تدريجي ًا للتعلم‪.‬‬

‫وأكدت أن غياب مناهج التربية املوسيقية والفنية‬

‫والبدنية على حساب مناهج أخرى‪ ،‬أدى إلى حدوث‬
‫فجوة عند الطالب بني مرحلة الصف السابع حتى‬
‫الثاني عشر‪ً ،‬‬
‫قائلة‪ " :‬إن غياب هذه املناهج يؤثر‬
‫بشكل سلبي في تنمية قدرات الطالب وإبداعاته‬
‫وتهيئته للحياة املهنية في ظل تكدس املناهج‬
‫وكثافتها"‪ ،‬وتستنتج د‪ .‬علياء بأن ذلك أيض ًا‬
‫يؤثر على سلوك الطالب وعدم استقراره نفسي ًا‪.‬‬
‫وقد وأضافت بأن انتقال الطالب من االبتدائية إلى‬
‫اإلعدادية يحتاج إلى تهيئة تدريجية مدروسة من‬
‫خالل تواجد مناهج فعالة تسهم في صقل شخصية‬
‫الطالب وضبط سلوكه‪ ،‬وكذلك حني يصل إلى مجال‬
‫مفتوح كاجلامعة فيجد فيه شمولية املعلومات‬
‫وحتمل املسؤولية الذاتيه ومحاضرات وانضباط ذاتي‬
‫واستقاللية‪ ،‬إذ ال ينبغي أن يكون ذلك فجائي ًا بل‬
‫يفترض أن يتم بشكل تدريجي‪.‬‬

‫من جانبه يضيف املوجه التربوي إبراهيم صالح‬

‫جويعد‪" ،‬أن العوامل املساعدة في حتديد ميول‬
‫الطالب مفقودة في املدارس احلكومية ألنه ينتقل‬
‫بشكل فجائي إلى اجلامعة دون تهيئة من املدرسة"‪،‬‬
‫وكخطوة لتهيئته ينبغي اإلبقا على هذه املناهج ضمن‬
‫مقرر الدراسة في جميع املراحل‪ ،‬ودعم بكالمه بأنه"‬
‫البد من وجود مهارات تساعد الطالب في هذه اخلطوة‬
‫االنتقالية والتي تكمن في األساليب اإلبداعية التي‬
‫يقدمها التربويون في تقدمي مواد النشاط"‪ .‬موضح ًا‬
‫ً‬
‫قادرا على حتديد أهدافه‬ ‫بذلك أن الطالب سيصبح‬
‫في اختيار تخصصه في دراسته العليا والتعرف على‬
‫حقول العمل بعد التخرج‪.‬‬
‫وتستمر السنة الدراسية في املدراس الثانوية‬
‫احلكومية على هذا النمط متمثلة بأيام دراسية‬
‫طويلة علمية وأدبية‪ ،‬تشكل عبئ ًا ثقي ًال على‬
‫الطالب واملعلم‪ ،‬في الوقت الذي يفترض فيه أن‬
‫تكون املدرسة بيئة توفر العلم واالستمتاع في الوقت‬
‫نفسه‪ ،‬حيث إن تزاحم املواد وكثافتها يفقد الطالب‬
‫حيويته وجاهزيته ملمارسة األنشطة الص ّفية‪ ،‬نعم هذه‬
‫عازفة صغيرة خالل فصل التربية املوسيقية‪( .‬تصوير نهى حسن‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات)‬
‫التربية املوسيقية والفنية والبدنية واملهارات احلياتية‬
‫األخرى‪ ،‬وحني يجتاز الطالب املراحل األولى ينتقل‬
‫إلى مراحل تعليمية أعلى تبدأ فيها هذه املناهج‬
‫ملصلحة ما يعد منهجا أكثر أهمية‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫احليوية بالتالشي‬
‫وصو ًال للمرحلة الثانوية في املدراس احلكومية‪ ،‬حيث‬
‫احملطة األهم واألخيرة للطالب حيث تختفي املناهج‬
‫الفنية تقريبا‪.‬‬
‫عبر برنامج األثير الصباحي على إذاعة الشارقة‬
‫وفي موضوع يناقش حب العلم والتعلم استضيفت‪،‬‬
‫د‪.‬علياء إبراهيم‪ ،‬االستشارية األسرية والشخصية‪،‬‬
‫والتي أكدت بدورها أن شخصية الطفل تبدأ‬
‫بالتشكل ً‬
‫بدءا من املرحلة االبتدائية وفي مرحلة‬
‫السؤال وعندما يبحث الطفل عن إجابة سؤال ماذا‬
‫بابتسامة بريئة قالت" أريد أن أصبح رسامة‬
‫مشهورة!" هكذا كان رد الطفلة عائشة‪ -‬ذات‬
‫اخلمس سنوات‪ -‬على والدتها مباتريد أن تصبح عليه‬
‫في املستقبل‪ .،‬وكما هو معروف أن كل فرد في‬
‫مجتمعه يحمل أهدافا وطموحات تبدأ على مقاعد‬
‫الدراسة للوصول إلى احللم‪ ،‬هنالك يأمل الطالب أن‬
‫يحقق مايصبو إليه ضمن مناهج تسهم في تطوير‬
‫ذاته‪ ،‬وخصوص ًا في املراحل الدراسية األولى أو‬
‫ما يسمى بـ"احللقة األولى" وحتى الصف السادس‬
‫حيث يتمركز اإلبداع في تلك املراحل‪ ،‬وينطلق فيها‬
‫الطفل والطالب بطاقاته اإلبداعية ببراعة‪ ،‬ويتميز‬
‫بسلوكيات إيجابية‪ ،‬فيتعرف على األلوان واآلالت‬
‫املوسيقية وغيرها من املناهج التي تلعب دورا أساسي ًا‬
‫في تنميته وتكسر الروتني الدراسي‪ ،‬من خالل مناهج‬
Be Creative
Providing Media Production, Photography,
Graphic Design, PR, and Technical Workshops
services.

Located at Dubai Women’s College

For more information, please contact:

Ahlam Al Bannai - Comco Manager

comco@hct.ac.ae

Fraser MacDonald - Comco Coordinator

fraser.macdonald@hct.ac.ae
04-2089390
 ‫‪65‬‬

‫اجلنسية اإلماراتية لالستفادة من املزايا التي تقدمها‬ ‫ً‬

‫جهودا كبيرة‬ ‫ويبدو أ َّن حكومة دولة اإلمارات تبذل‬ ‫ب هؤالء‬
‫ب العزة واجلالل‪ ،‬وسيقولون يا ر ّ‬
‫أمام ر ّ‬
‫بيان‬
‫الدولة ملواطنيها‪ ،‬وذكرت وزارة الداخل ّية في ٍ‬ ‫صعبت‬ ‫ظل ظهور إشكال ّيات ّ‬ ‫ملعاجلة هذه القضية في ّ‬ ‫ظلمونا‪ ،‬وأكلوا حقوقنا فاحكم بيننا بالعدل‪.‬‬
‫خاص أن أفراد الفئتني الثانية والثالثة من عدميي‬‫ّ‬ ‫وتس ّببت في تأخير معاجلة القضية طوال السنوات‬
‫اجلنس ّية تقدّ موا بطلبات للحصول على جنسية دولة‬ ‫املاضية‪ ،‬وكنتيجة لذلك أصبح من الصعب حصر‬ ‫و« دمعة بدون » فتاة من مواليد إمارة رأس اخليمة‬
‫جزر القمر‪ ،‬متهيدً ا لتعديل أوضاعهم القانونية في‬ ‫مستح ّقي اجلنس ّية من « البدون »‪ ،‬فحسب جريدة‬ ‫تنتظر دورها في احلصول على جواز وجنس ّية الدولة‬
‫الدولة لتمكينهم فيما بعد من احلصول على اجلنسية‬ ‫الشرق األ ْوسط‪ ،‬فإنّ اللجنة املك ّلفة بدراسة مل ّ‬
‫ف‬ ‫كغيرها من أبناء «البدون »‪ ،‬تقول‪:‬أنا « بدون »‪،‬‬
‫اإلمارات ّية‪ ،‬وذلك مبوجب اتفاقية أبرمتها حكومة‬ ‫القضية كشفت ظهور عدة حاالت من التزوير‬ ‫وميكن اعتباري من الفئة املظلومة التى تنتظر دورها‬
‫الدولة مع حكومة جزر القمر‪ ،‬وتقتضي هذه االتفاق ّية‬ ‫والتالعب باألوراق الثبوتية إلى جانب إدالء البعض‬ ‫في احلصول على جنسية دولة اإلمارات‪ ،‬ولكن لم‬
‫مبنح « البدون » جنسية جزر القمر ليصبح وجودهم‬ ‫مبعلومات غير صحيحة بغرض احلصول على جنسية‬ ‫يحالفنا احلظ في احلصول عليها إلى اآلن‪ ،‬على‬
‫ّ‬
‫األقل‪ ،‬كما طلب الفريق‬ ‫في الدولة قانون ّي ًا على‬ ‫الدولة‪ ،‬وتضيف اجلريدة بالقول أنه تبني وجود حاالت‬ ‫الرغم من أ ّننا نحمل كل اإلثباتات والوثائق الرسم ّية‬
‫سمو الشيخ سيف بن زايد آل نهيان‪ ،‬وزير الداخلية‪،‬‬ ‫من املتسللني إلى اإلمارات بطرق غير مشروعة‬ ‫القدمية من جواز وجنسية إمارة رأس اخليمة قديمً ا قبل‬
‫منحهم إقامات‪ ،‬وإعفاءهم من جميع الغرامات‬ ‫وبالتالي االدّ عاء بوجودهم منذ سنوات‪ ،‬وفي هذا‬ ‫قيام االحتاد‪.‬‬
‫املترتبة عليهم‪ ،‬تقدي ًرا ملبادرتهم التي تؤكد حسن‬ ‫خاصة جلريدة أربيان بزنس‬ ‫الصدد وفي تصريحات ّ‬ ‫وتقول دمعة بدون ً‬
‫ردّا على إحدى املواضيع املتع ّلقة‬
‫النية اجتاه احترام سيادة القانون وإرادة املجتمع‪.‬‬ ‫يقول مديرعام مكتب وزير الداخلية‪ ،‬ورئيس اللجنة‬
‫بفئة « البدون »على شبكة اإلنترنت‪:‬لرمبا قدّرلي أن‬
‫املكلفة مبعاجلة قضية « البدون » اللواء ناصر‬
‫بحل نهائي لهذه املعضلة‬‫وتأمل احلكومة اإلماراتية ّ‬ ‫أعيش « بدون » حتّى مماتي أو حتى آخر حلظة في‬
‫خلريباني النعيمي‪ :‬لقد وضعت اللجنة في اعتبارها‬
‫التاريخية التي امتدّ ت ما يقارب أربعة عقود‬ ‫حياتي‪ ،‬ولكن تبقى اإلمارات موطني الذي لم أعرف‬
‫أولوية معاجلة مشكلة عدميي اجلنسية بوصفها‬
‫وأصبحت ملف ًا شائك ًا مبرور الزمن‪ ،‬ولكنّها بدأت‬ ‫سواه‪ ،‬فالهوية الوطنية ال تعني مج ّرد أوراق تتمثل‬
‫إحدى التحديات التي تؤرق واقع االستقرار األمني‬
‫فعل ّي ًا مبعاجلتها عندما أعلنت في أكتوبر ‪2007‬‬ ‫في اجلواز واجلنس ّية‪ ،‬ولكن الهو ّية الوطن ّية تتجاوز‬
‫خصوصا مع دخول أعداد متزايدة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫واالجتماعي العام‪،‬‬
‫رسمي‪ ،‬جتنيس ‪ً 1294‬‬
‫فردا ممّن ينتمون‬ ‫وبشكل‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫م‬ ‫مبعناها إلى الوالء واالنتماء‪ ،‬وأنا منٌذ ولدت إلى‬
‫ّ‬ ‫املسمى‪ ،‬مضيف ًا‬
‫ّ‬ ‫هذا‬ ‫حتت‬ ‫وانضوائهم‬ ‫من املتسللني‬
‫إلى ‪ 296‬أسرة‪ ،‬ممّا أنهى بالتالي معاناة الكثير من‬
‫ّ‬
‫وستظل اإلمارات‬ ‫اآلن لم أعرف غير اإلمارات وطن ًا‪،‬‬
‫سمو وزير الداخلية الشيخ سيف بن زايد آل نهيان‬ ‫أن ّ‬
‫هذه األسر‪ ،‬واستكمال دراسة حاالت البق ّية واتخاذ‬ ‫وطني ولن أتنازل عنها ولو أعطوني كنوز الدنيا‪.‬‬
‫شدّ د على ضرورة العمل على إنهاء هذه املشكلة‬
‫اإلجراءات والقرارات الالزمة بشأنهم سيعني املضي‬ ‫بطرق أكثر دقة وسرعة وفاعلية‪.‬‬ ‫وفي ردّ على مطالب الكثير من « البدون » في‬
‫ُقدُ م ًا في حتقيق املصالح األمنية واالجتماعية للدولة‪.‬‬ ‫احلصول على جنسية الدولة على اعتبار امتالكهم‬
‫“منح جوازات السفر‬ ‫جلوازات إمارات الدولة ما قبل االحتاد‪ ،‬تع ّلق اجلهات‬
‫املختصة مبعاجلة قضية « البدون » في اإلمارات عبر‬‫ّ‬
‫وخالصات القيد حق أصيل‬ ‫جريدة الشرق األوسط بالقول‪« :‬منح جوازات السفر‬
‫وخالصات القيد حق أصيل للحكومة االحتادية‪،‬‬
‫للحكومة االحتادية‪ ،‬والقاعدة‬ ‫والقاعدة في قانون اجلنسية أنّ جواز السفر ال يد َّل‬
‫في قانون اجلنسية أ ّن جواز‬ ‫على اجلنسية‪ ،‬وإمنا تثبت اجلنسية بخالصة القيد»‪.‬‬

‫السفر ال يدلَّ على اجلنسية‪،‬‬
‫وإمنا تثبت اجلنسية بخالصة‬
‫حصر األشخاص مستح ّقي اجلنس ّية الذين كانوا‬
‫القيد‪”.‬‬
‫عبدالعزيز مكتوم الشريفي‪ ،‬مدير إدارة األمن الوقائي‬
‫وتستكمل أربيان بزنس قائلة‪ :‬هناك أرقام غير‬
‫رسم ّية تشير إلى أنّ عدد عدميي اجلنسية في‬
‫توصلت‬ ‫اإلمارات ال يتجاوز عشرة آالف فرد‪ ،‬فيما ّ‬
‫اللجنة املختصة بحصر مستح ّقي اجلنسية إلى أنّ‬
‫العدد أقل من هذا بكثير‪ ،‬إذ أنّ مستح ّقي اجلنسية‬
‫ثبت وجودهم في اإلمارات قبل قيام االحتاد‪ ،‬أ ّما‬
‫الفئة الثانية فقد أتت بعد قيام االحتاد‪ ،‬بينما جاءت‬
‫الفئة الثالثة إلى اإلمارات بعد الغزو العراقي على‬
‫الكويت في ‪ ،1990‬ونتيجة لذلك فإنّ الفئتني‬
‫أهم شروط‬ ‫الثانية و الثالثة ال تنطبق عليهم إحدى ّ‬
‫احلصول على جنسية الدولة وهو إقامتهم بصورة‬
‫دائمة ومتواصلة في الدولة قبل قيام االحتاد‪ ،‬كما‬
‫أنّ هناك شكوكا حول قيام أفراد الفئتني األخيرتني‬
‫من « البدون » بإخفاء جنسياتهم احلقيقية في‬
‫محاولة للتحايل على حكومة الدولة واحلصول على‬
‫وفي عددها الصادر في اخلامس و العشرين من‬
‫أكتوبر ‪ ،2006‬أعلنت جريدة البيان احملل ّية عن‬
‫إجناز الدفعة األولى من كشوف عدميي اجلنس ّية عن‬
‫ث كشف العميد‬
‫طريق ْ‬
‫في الدولة قبل قيام االحتاد‪ ،‬ح ْي ُ‬
‫بوزارة الداخل ّية ورئيس اللجنة املك ّلفة بتو ّلي ملف‬
‫غير محد ّدي اجلنسية آنذاك‪ ،‬أنّ هناك معايير مع ّينة‬
‫قامت اللجنة باعتمادها عند إعداد كشوف مستح ّقي‬
‫اجلنس ّية‪ ،‬ومن هذه املعايير أن يكون املستح ّقني‬
‫جلنس ّية الدولة مقيمني بصورة دائمة ومتواصلة في‬
‫الدولة منذ ما قبل قيام االحتاد في الثاني من‬
‫ديسمبر ‪1971‬م‪ ،‬مع اشتراط عدم إخفائهم أ ّية‬
‫تدل على جنس ّياتهم‬ ‫معلومات أو وثائق من شأنها أن ّ‬
‫السابقة‪ ،‬وأن يكونوا من حسني السيرة والسلوك ولم‬
‫يرتكبوا أ ّية جرائم ُمخ ّلة بالشرف واألمانة‪ ،‬وحسب‬
‫املصدر ذاته‪ ،‬فإ َّن أي شخص ال تنطبق عليه الشروط‬
‫يتم اعتباره من عدميي اجلنس ّية وعليه‬ ‫املذكورة لن ّ‬
‫ستقوم وزارة الداخل ّية بالتعامل معه على أ ّنه شخص‬
‫مخالف لقوانني اإلقامة في الدولة‪.‬‬
‫‪66‬‬

‫من فئة « البدون » فإنه لن يتمكن من توثيق عقد‬
‫زواجه في احملكمة‪ ،‬األمر الذي أجبر الكثير من أبناء‬
‫هذه الفئة إلى أن تلجأ إلى عقد القران على الطريقة‬
‫القدمية بواسطة املأذون الشرعي في البيت‪ ،‬وحتّى هذا‬
‫كان ممكن ًا في السابق‪ ،‬إ ّال أنّ األمر ازداد صعوبة في‬
‫وخاصة بعد أن أوصت إدارة التوثيق‬ ‫وقتنا احلالي‪،‬‬
‫ث أنّ والده قد ُمنح اجلواز اإلماراتي في عام‬
‫ّ‬
‫بوزارة العدل املأذون الشرعي الذي لديه تفويض‬
‫بتوثيق عقود الزواج خارج أسوار الوزارة‪ ،‬بعدم توثيق‬
‫عقود زواج « البدون »‪.‬‬
‫وبصفته مأذون ًا شرع ّي ًا في محاكم دبي‪ ،‬يؤكد الس ّيد‬
‫علي أحمد احلمودي على أنّ قرار منع توثيق عقود‬
‫زواج « البدون » في محاكم الدولة م ّر مبراحل عدّ ة‬
‫خالل السنوات القليلة املاضية قبل أن يدخل ح ّيز‬
‫فعلي‪.‬‬
‫بشكل ّ‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫التنفيذ‬
‫ذلك‪ ،‬فإ ّنني أبدي استعدادي في تلبية نداء الوطن‬
‫متى احتاجني‪ ،‬فإن لم أخدم وطني فمن أخدم؟؟‬
‫قصته‬
‫ويحكي ع‪ .‬هـ الذي ينتمي إلى أصول إيران ّية ّ‬
‫وقصة أسرته التي من املفترض أن تكون أسرة مواطنة‬ ‫ّ‬
‫اآلن‪ ،‬حي ُ‬
‫‪1976‬م‪ ،‬ولكن بعد ‪ 12‬سنة‪ ،‬شاءت األقدار أن‬
‫يتو ّفاه الله خالل رحلة العالج التي قضاها في إيران‬
‫في ‪1988‬م‪ ،‬فدُ فن هناك‪ ،‬وكان ابنه ع‪ .‬هـ حينها‬
‫يبلغ من العمر ثماني سنوات‪.‬‬
‫ونظرا لعدم امتالك هذه الفئة الوثائق الرسم ّية‪ ،‬يواجه‬
‫يواجه « البدون » معاناة‬
‫وصعوبة شديدتني في‬
‫الدولة قبل قيام االحتاد‪ ،‬بل إنّ العديد منهم كان‬
‫يحمل جوازات سفر تابعة لإلمارة التي كان يقيم‬
‫فيها وينتمى إليها قبل قيام احتاد اإلمارات السبع‬
‫في ‪ 1971‬م‪ ،‬حيث كانت كل إمارة متنح مواطنيها‬
‫خاصة بها ولم يكن للجنسية وجود‬‫جوازات سفر ّ‬
‫آنذاك لتكون إلى جانب جواز السفر كوثيقة رسم ّية‬
‫ولكن بد قيام االحتاد في ‪1971‬م ُصد َر قانون‬
‫اجلنس ّية‪ ،‬وكنتيجة لهذا احلدث‪ ،‬ت ّوقف العمل بهذه‬
‫اجلوازات ورفضت الدولة جتديدها‪ ،‬وبالتالي أصبح‬
‫هؤالء من مواطنوي اإلمارات السبع « بدون »‪.‬‬
‫ً‬
‫«البدون » معاناة وصعوبة شديدتني في احلصول على‬
‫اخلدمات التعليمية والصح ّية واالجتماعية‪ ،‬كحقّ‬
‫التعلم والعالج وتوثيق عقود الزواج والطالق‪ ،‬وال‬

‫وفي تعليق على زواج « البدون » من مواطنات‬

‫الدولة‪ ،‬يقول احلمودي‪ :‬لقد كانت احملاكم في السابق‬
‫تشهد حاالت زواج « بدون » من مواطنات‪ ،‬ولكن‬
‫في الوقت احلالي‪ ،‬أصبحت الدولة ال تسمح بزواج‬
‫املواطنة من « بدون » حرص ًا منها على مصلحة‬
‫بناتها املواطنات‪ ،‬إذ أنّ العديد من أزواج املواطنات‬
‫والعالج وتوثيق عقود الزواج‬
‫بهن طمع ًا في احلصول على‬
‫من « البدون »‪ ،‬ارتبطوا ّ‬
‫جنس ّية الدولة؛ لذا فإنّ الدولة حريصة على احلفاظ‬
‫على مستقبل بناتها املواطنات من التع ّرض لهذه‬
‫احلاالت‪.‬‬
‫ً‬
‫كثيرا‪،‬‬ ‫قصة ع‪ .‬هـ‪.‬‬
‫قصة أ‪ .‬ع‪ .‬عن ّ‬ ‫وال تختلف ّ‬
‫فهي كذلك شعرت باإلحباط وخيبة األمل في دائرة‬
‫الزواج احملرم واملمنوع على « البدون » حسب قوانني‬
‫ب إماراتي‪ ،‬وكانت‬ ‫الدولة فـ أ‪ .‬ع‪ .‬كانت مخطوبة لشا ّ‬
‫قدم وساق خالل‬‫ٍ‬ ‫على‬ ‫جتهيزات حفل عقد قرانها تسير‬
‫شهر رمضان على أمل أن يشهد العيد فرحة عمرها‪،‬‬
‫بشكل دراماتيكي إلـى‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫إ ّال أنّ هذه الفرحة حتولت‬
‫وألم شديدين بعد أن ت ّلقت اتّصا ًال من خطيبها‬‫حزن ٍ‬
‫ٍ‬
‫صبيحة يوم عقد القران يقدّ م من خالله اعتذاره عن‬
‫االستمرار في رغبة االرتباط بها بأوامر من والدته‬
‫التي كانت موافقة على هذا الزواج في بادىء األمر‪،‬‬
‫ولكن يبدو أ ّنها لم تنتظر إ ّال يوم عقد القران كي‬
‫تراجع فيه حساباتها في زواج ابنها من « بدون »‪.‬‬
‫سيارات فئة « البدون »‪ ،‬كما أنّ وزارة الداخلية ممثّلة‬
‫وجتيز قوانني الدولة للمواطن االرتباط بفتاة من فئة‬
‫« البدون »‪ ،‬ونتيجة لزواجها من مواطن‪ ،‬تكون من‬
‫بشكل مباشر‪ّ ،‬‬
‫إآل أ ّنه‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫املستحقينّ جلواز وجنس ّية الدولة‬
‫بإمارة دبي فإنّ هذا القرار معمول به منذ نحو سنتني‪،‬‬
‫ب في قصتنا السابقة خشيت من‬ ‫يبدو بأنّ والدة الشا ّ‬
‫نظرات الناس وانتقاداتهم الرتباط ابنها « ببدون »‪.‬‬
‫احلصول على اخلدمات‬ ‫يقتصراألمر على هذا وحسب‪ ،‬بل إنّ البعض منهم‬
‫يواجه صعوبة في استخراج شهادات امليالد والوفاة‬
‫والصحية‬
‫ّ‬ ‫التعليمية‬ ‫ألفراد عائالتهم وأقربائهم‪ ،‬وعلى هذا فإنّ البدون‬
‫واالجتماعية‪ ،‬كحق ّالتعلم‬ ‫ليسوا بدون جنسية فقط‪ ،‬بل إنّ أغلبهم بدون تعليم‬
‫ودون عمل ودون عقود زواج موثقة رسم ّي ًا من اجلهات‬
‫املختصة‪.‬‬
‫ّ‬
‫‪،‬والطالق‬ ‫يقول حسن إبراهيم‪ 44 ،‬سنة‪ ،‬وهو أحد املواطنني «‬
‫البدون » املولودون في إمارة الشارقة‪ :‬غادر والدي‬
‫ويكمل ع‪ .‬هـ‪ .‬قائ ًال إنّ ثالثة من أخواته تز ّوجن من‬ ‫موطنه األصلي إيران بحث ًا عن العمل واالستقرار في‬
‫بينهن‬
‫ّ‬ ‫رجال مواطنني على الرغم من الفارق العمري‬ ‫اإلمارات قبل قيام االحتاد وتشكيل الدولة‪ ،‬وجاء‬
‫فإحداهن هي الزوجة الثالثة لزوجها‬
‫ّ‬ ‫وبني أزواجهن‪،‬‬ ‫للبحث عن رزقه كحال أي شخص ينشد سبل احلياة‬
‫بينما األخرى هي زوجة رابعة آلخر‪ ،‬ويقول ع‪ .‬هـ‪.‬‬ ‫الكرمية‪ ،‬وقد حت ّقق له ذلك‪ ،‬فقد أتى إلى اإلمارات‬
‫بأنّ ظروف احلياة الصعبة التي يعيشها « البدون‬ ‫واستق ّر بها وعمل بها حتّى تز ّوج وحصل على جواز‬
‫ت لالرتباط برجال مواطنني‬ ‫» جعلت أخواته مضطرا ّ‬ ‫إمارة الشارقة‪.‬‬
‫مستقبلهن‬
‫ّ‬ ‫لهن تأمني‬
‫على أساس أنّ ذلك يضمن ّ‬
‫أبنائهن وعيش حياة كرمية‪.‬‬
‫ّ‬ ‫ومستقبل‬ ‫وهذا السيناريو مشابه لسيناريوهات عدّ ة حدثت قبل‬
‫تشكيل دولة اإلمارات التي كانت آنذاك ساح ًال ينزل‬
‫وكشف ع‪.‬هـ‪ .‬بأنّ زواج شقيقاته من مواطنني لم‬ ‫فيه عدد من القادمني من الدول املجاورة وأبرزها‬
‫وحدهن فحسب‪ ،‬بل أنّ ذلك سهّ ل‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫مستقبلهن‬
‫ّ‬ ‫يؤ ّمن‬ ‫دولة إيران‪.‬‬
‫عدد من معامالته اليوم ّية التي تتط ّلب‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫إجناز‬ ‫عليه‬
‫منه إبراز وثائق رسم ّية معتمدة‪ ،‬ومن هذه املعامالت‬ ‫وأشار حسن إلى أنّ والده وفد إلى اإلمارات وهو‬
‫املسجلة أصال باسم إحدى‬
‫ّ‬ ‫جتديد ملك ّية س ّيارته‬ ‫يبلغ من العمر ‪ 12‬سنة فقط‪ ،‬ما يعني أنه أمضى‬
‫أخواته املواطنات‪ ،‬احلاصالت على جنس ّية الدولة بعد‬ ‫ُج ّل حياته على أ ْرض اإلمارات‪ ،‬كما أكد على أ ّن ُه‬
‫الزواج‪ ،‬إذ إنّ الدولة ترفض جتديد بطاقات ملك ّية‬ ‫يحتفظ بجواز سفر والده املتو ّفى والصادر من إمارة‬
‫الشارقة في عام ‪1953‬م‪ ،‬باإلضافة إلى بطاقة عمل‬
‫بإدارة املرور ال متنح ُرخص القيادة ألبناء هذه الفئة‬ ‫احتادية صادرة في عام ‪1967‬م‪ ،‬واستطرد قائ ًال‪ :‬لقد‬
‫ومتتنع عن جتديدها‪ ،‬فحسب مصادر في إدارة املرور‬ ‫ُولدت هنا في اإلمارات وأنا اآلن أبلغ من العمر ‪44‬‬
‫سنة‪ ،‬أ ّما أخي األكبر فهو في اخلمسينات من عمره‪،‬‬
‫كل هذا أن نكون غرباء في أرض‬ ‫فكيف لنا بعد ّ‬
‫وفي هذا الصدد‪ ،‬أشار ع ‪.‬هـ إلى أ ّنه حصل على‬
‫رخصة القيادة قبل تطبيق هذا القانون‪.‬‬ ‫ُولدنا فيها؟؟‬

‫وتتساءل « دمعة بدون »‪ ،‬االسم املستعار لصاحبته‬ ‫مهم من جوانب معاناته‬ ‫وبنبرة فيها الكثير من العتب و الشجن قال حسن‪:‬‬
‫ب ّ‬ ‫وع ّرج ع‪ .‬هـ‪ .‬على جان ٍ‬
‫التي رفضت أن حتكي لنا بعض قصص املعاناة‪ ،‬قائلة‬ ‫كونه من فئة « البدون »‪ ،‬حيث أ ّنه اعترف بعدم‬ ‫ت في الدفاع املدني في دبي مدّ ة ‪12‬سنة‪،‬‬‫لقدعمل ُ‬
‫كل هذا الهجوم الشرس على فئة « البدون »‬ ‫‪:‬ملاذا ّ‬ ‫ت في حرب اخلليج ‪1990‬م‪ ،‬و لكن‬ ‫كما أ ّنني خدم ُ‬
‫قدرته على الزواج من الفتاة التي يريدها على اعتبار‬
‫ب غير‬‫ٌّ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ولهم‬ ‫آخر‬ ‫كوكب‬ ‫من‬ ‫أتوا‬ ‫هم‬ ‫هل‬ ‫املظلومة؟‬ ‫أ ّنها مواطنة‪ ،‬وعدا عن هذا‪ ،‬فإنه في مواجهة قوانني‬ ‫من املؤسف جدّ ًا أن أقول بأنّ خدمتي العسكرية قد‬
‫الله‪ ،‬أم أ َّن أشكالهم تختلف عن أشكال بق ّية البشر‬ ‫الدولة التي أصدرت أوامرها برفض توثيق عقود زواج‬ ‫التعسفي في عام ‪ 1996‬م بعد‬
‫ّ‬ ‫قوبلت بالفصل‬
‫بأنهم سيقفون يوم احلساب‬
‫ّ‬ ‫في العالم؟؟ ال تنسوا‬ ‫« البدون »‪ ،‬ممّا يعني بأنه حتّى لو تقدّ م خلطبة فتاة‬ ‫سنوات من الكفاح و املعاناة‪ ،‬ولكن على الرغم من‬
 ‫‪67‬‬

‫البدون ‪ :‬دون هو ّية ‪ ..‬دون وطن‬

‫عائشة املدني و أمينة شهواري‬

‫جواز سفر والد السيد‪ /‬حسن إبراهيم‪ .‬الصادر من إمارة الشارقة في عام ‪1953‬م‪( .‬تصوير أمينة شهواري‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات)‬

‫ب مع املظهر‬ ‫َ‬
‫املواطنة جنب ًا إلى جن ْ‬ ‫لتكتمل منظومة‬ ‫مت حديثي‪ ،‬قاطعني قائ ًال‪:‬‬‫بهكذا مكان‪ ،‬لم ميهلني أل ّ‬ ‫في أثناء إحدى جوالتي للتسوق في أحد مراكز‬
‫العا ّم واللغة والدين‪ ،‬فهذا « البدون » الذي طالعني‬ ‫كل هؤالء الشباب الذين يرتدون الكندورة‬ ‫أت ْرين ّ‬ ‫ب في مقتبل العمر بز ّيه‬ ‫التسوق‪ ،‬لفت نظري شا ّ‬
‫مبظهر ه احمللي ولغته العربية وثقافته املنتمية حتّى‬ ‫ومعهم أنا ؟ إ ّننا « بدون » ‪.‬‬ ‫اإلماراتي (الكندورة و العصامة) وهو يلتقط‬
‫إماراتي كادح ٌمنتج‪ ،‬البد أن‬
‫ّ‬ ‫ت أ ّن ُه شا ٌّ‬
‫ب‬ ‫تصور ُّ‬ ‫املخصصة ويضعها على‬
‫ّ‬ ‫األغراض من صناديقها‬
‫املهم الوقوف عند‬
‫كثيرا‪ ،‬ولكن كان من ّ‬‫ً‬ ‫لم أتفاجأ‬
‫كثيرين صادفوا « بدون ًا » منتجا في هيئة شاب‬ ‫األرفف بترتيب تا ّم‪ ،‬ولم أكد أصدّ ق عيني حتّى وقع‬
‫ً‬
‫كلمة « البدون » والتأمل فيها طويال ‪ ،‬فهؤالء‬
‫مواطن‪ ،‬ولم يعرفوا أنه ليس مواطنا شرعيا ألنه ال‬ ‫ب آخر كان منشغ ًال في تقطيع البصل‬ ‫نظري على شا ّ‬
‫يحم هوية!‬ ‫الشباب يرتدون ثيابنا ويتحدّ ثون لغتنا ويعتزون‬ ‫في قسم اخلضراوات والفواكه‪ ،‬ولم يكن مصدر هذا‬
‫بثقافتنا وميارسون عاداتنا وتقاليدنا العربية‬ ‫ب اإلماراتي قد‬ ‫االندهاش غير تصوري بأنّ نظرة الشا ّ‬
‫بشكل عا ّم‪ ،‬فئة من املقيمني في الدولة‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫« البدون »‬ ‫واإلسالم ّية‪ ،‬وفوق هذا و ذاك‪ ،‬فإنّ أكثرهم قد ُولدوا‬ ‫تغ ّيرت إلى الوظائف املتواضعة ذات الدخل املتواضع‬
‫وهم غير محدّ دي اجلنس ّية أو عدميي اجلنس ّية ‪ ،‬ودرج‬ ‫وعاشوا بيننا حتّى صاروا جيران ًا وأصدقاء‪ً ،‬‬
‫إذا فما‬ ‫والتي ال يشغلها عاد ًة إ ّال الوافدون‪ ،‬وأسعدني ّ‬
‫توصل‬
‫الناس على تسمية هذه الفئة « بالبدون » وهو تعبير‬ ‫الفرق بيننا غير كلمة « البدون »؟ وملاذا هم بدون‬ ‫الشاب اإلماراتي أخيرا إلى هذا الوعي اجلديد الذي‬
‫خليجي؛ أل ّنهم دون أوراق ثبوتية تشير إلى هو ّيتهم‬ ‫من األساس؟ وماذا يعني أن يكونوا « بدون » طوال‬ ‫يثير الفخر واالعتزاز‪ ،‬األمر الذي دفعني إلى التق ّرب‬
‫األصل ّية‪ ،‬وقد ث ُبت وجود عدد كبير من هذه الفئة في‬ ‫هذه العقود الطويلة؟؟ وملاذا ال يمُ نَحون جنسية الدولة‬ ‫من أحدهم للتعبير عن مدى سعادتي لقبوله العمل‬
‫‪68‬‬

‫ً‬
‫وحتديدا اخلتان من النوع‬ ‫وتكمن أضرار ختان البنات‪،‬‬ ‫ومهما كان قول الشريعة اإلسالمية في مسألة ختان‬
‫الفرعوني ‪ -‬كما أردفت الدكتورة‪ ،‬بأنه "تكون هناك‬ ‫البنت‪ ،‬فيشدد الدكتور أحمد احلداد على أنه في‬
‫إمكانية كبيرة في حدوث نزيف دموي والتهابات‬ ‫حال مت اخلتان‪ ،‬فيجب أن يتم عند والدة البنت وليس‬
‫ومتزقات وجروح وقروح في املنطقة عند اجلماع‬ ‫بعد كبرها‪ ،‬فهذا عند ذلك ال يجوز شرع ًا‪" ،‬فكل ما‬
‫والوالدة‪ ،‬ناهيك عن األضرار النفسية اجلسيمة التي‬ ‫في األمر أنك تتبع السنة‪ ،‬فلماذا تفعل احلرام؟!"‬
‫تشعر بها املرأة إذا كانت مختنة‪ ".‬واجلدير بالذكر‬ ‫واحلرام في هذه املسألة أن ختان البنت عند كبرها كما‬
‫أن هناك الكثير من احلاالت التي انتهت ‪-‬نتيجة‬ ‫ذكر فضيلة الشيخ "يؤدي إلى أذ ّية الطفلة وكشف‬
‫اخلتان اخلاطئ‪ -‬في ُغرف العمليات أو بالوفاة في‬ ‫عورتها‪ ،‬فلذلك يتعينّ منع ختان البنت عند الكبر‪".‬‬
‫أسوأ احلاالت‪.‬‬ ‫على عكس الرجل‪ ،‬فالبد من ختانه حتى ولو كبر؛‬
‫ألن الرجل سيحمل معه جناسة بعد ذلك‪ ،‬وينبغي‬
‫ومما ال شك فيه أن الكثير من أفراد املجتمع‬ ‫ختانه لزوم ًا للطهارة‪ .‬أما املرأة وكما أردف الدكتور‬
‫اإلماراتي يشكك في دور اجلهات املختصة من حيث‬ ‫أحمد احلداد‪ ،‬فإنها "ال حتمل جناسة معها‪ ،‬وليس‬
‫توضيح مغزى ختان البنات وبيان ماهية املوضوع وما‬ ‫هناك ضرر من عدم اخلتان‪ ".‬كما يشدد الدكتور‬
‫له وما عليه‪ .‬وال عجب أن يختفي أو ُيغ ّيب دور هذه‬ ‫أحمد احلداد على أن اخلتان الفرعوني "جناية في حق‬
‫اجلهات في التوعية بشأن هذا املوضوع؛ فقد رفض‬ ‫املرأة وأن فاعله يستحق العقاب؛ ملا فيه من استنزاف‬
‫الكثير من مسؤولي اجلهات املختصة املشاركة أو‬ ‫في حق املرأة واإلضرار بها‪ ،‬وتكون عند ذلك غير‬
‫التعاون مع فريق العمل إلبداء وجهة النظر الطبية‬ ‫راغبة في زوجها؛ ممِ ا يقضي على حياتها ومستقبلها‪،‬‬
‫حول موضوع ختان البنات‪ .‬رمبا يكون االستسالم‬ ‫ولن تتط ّلع ُ‬
‫لرجلها ولن تقوم بواجباتها نحوه‪".‬‬
‫ورفع الرايات البيضاء واالنصياع لقيود العادات‬
‫فضل الكثير منهم‬ ‫والتقاليد ـزكثر راحة لهم؛ لذلك ّ‬
‫الته ّرب‪ ،‬معتقدين أنه ْأخ َير لهم من مواجهة زوبعة‬ ‫العفّ ة أمر يعود به على أخالق‬‫ِ‬
‫املتعصبني من الناس‪.‬‬
‫ّ‬ ‫الكالم وردود أفعال‬
‫املرأة؛ فهناك “كثير من بالد‬
‫املسلمني ال يخنت نساؤها‪،‬‬
‫ولم جند فيها آثارا ً سلبية‬
‫ظاهرة لدى الفتيات من‬
‫أجل ترك اخلتان‪ ،‬بينما توجد‬
‫انحرافات أخرى تشترك فيها‬
‫اخملتنات وغير اخملتنات‪”.‬‬
‫أما لبيان الناحية الطبية ملوضوع اخلتان‪ ،‬فقد ذكرت‬
‫فضلت عدم ذكر اسمها‬ ‫الدكتورة (مجهولة)‪ ،‬والتي ّ‬
‫ألسباب كثيرة احتفظت بها لنفسها‪ ،‬أن ختان الذكور‬
‫أمر البد منه؛ ألن عدم القيام بهذه العملية للذكور‬
‫يؤدي إلى اإلصابة بالكثير من االلتهابات التي قد‬
‫تؤدي إلى اإلصابة باألمراض اخلطيرة كالسرطان‪.‬‬
‫وتن ّوه الدكتورة (مجهولة) إلى أن "هذه األمراض‬
‫وااللتهابات قد تنتقل وبال شك إلى املرأة عند عملية‬
‫اجلماع‪ ".‬أما عن ختان البنات فهو أمر مرفوض‬
‫طبي ًا وال توجد هناك أية فائدة من عملية اخلتان إال‬
‫في تخفيض الرغبة اجلنسية عند املرأة‪ ،‬حيث تقول‬
‫الدكتورة "تقوم اخلاتنة في عملية اخلتان بإزالة جزء‬
‫من مركز اإلحساس عند املرأة‪ ،‬فيقلل من رغبتها‬
‫اجلنسية‪ ".‬أما في اخلتان الفرعوني‪ ،‬فتقوم اخلاتنة‬
‫بإزالة املنطقة بأكملها وتفقد عندها املرأة اإلحساس‬
‫ً‬
‫"جمادا خالي ًا‬ ‫كل ّيا بعملية اجلماع‪ ،‬وتكون املرأة بذلك‬
‫من اإلحساس‪ ،‬وظيفتها إجناب األطفال ليس إال!"‬

‫اخلتان عادة وليست عبادة‪ ،‬يتم تطبيقها من ِقبل‬
‫الكثير من الناس في األمة اإلسالمية‪ ،‬دون وجود أي‬
‫دليل واضح من القرآن أوالسنة على وجوبه وإلزامه‪.‬‬
‫ويشيد فضيلة الشيخ بالذكر إلى البيان الذي مت‬
‫إصداره من ِقبل األمم املتحدة قبل سنتني والذي ينص‬
‫على منع ختان اإلناث ألضرار كثيرة أجمع عليها‬
‫األطباء املختصني والنفسيني‪ ،‬ويضيف قائ ًال "قد‬
‫يكون ِخفاض املرأة (ختانها دون إنهاك) في مصلحة‬
‫الرجل‪ ،‬ولكن علينا أن ال ننسى أن في ختان املرأة‬
‫أضرار نفسية وجسدية كثيرة؛ لذلك يتوجب علينا‬
‫أن ال نبدّ ي مصلحة أحد على اآلخر إذا كان املوضوع‬
‫ً‬
‫ضررا بأحد األطراف‪".‬‬ ‫يلحق‬
‫أسرى للوجه‪ ،‬وأحظى عند الزوج‪ ".‬وكذلك في صحيح‬
‫واجلدير بالذكر أن فضيلة الشيخ الع ّالمة الدكتور‬
‫يوسف القرضاوي قد ن ّوه في دراسة له عن احلكم‬
‫الشرعي في ختان اإلناث مت نشره على موقع‬
‫‬)‪ ،‪(www.qaradawi.net‬أن األحاديث الواردة‬
‫لبيان مسألة ختان البنت هي أحاديث شريفة قاصرة‬
‫لالستدالل بها على هذا احلكم‪ ،‬ولكنها جاءت في‬
‫سبيل اإلرشاد في ما يقوم به الناس من أمور دنيوية‪.‬‬
‫ويشير الدكتور القرضاوي في فتواه ذاتها إلى أن‬
‫بعض الناس ‪-‬من بينهم الفقهاء واألطباء‪ -‬يحبذون‬
‫ِخفاض اإلناث خشية أن يؤدي عدم ختانهن إلى‬
‫وقوعهن في احلرام أو اقترابهن منه‪ .‬في الوقت‬
‫الع ّفة أمر يتعلق‬
‫نفسه يشدد فضيلة الشيخ على أن ِ‬
‫بأخالق املرأة؛ فهناك "كثير من بالداملسلمني ال تخنت‬
‫فيها النساء‪ ،‬ولم جند فيها ً‬
‫آثارا سلبية ظاهرة لدى‬
‫الفتيات بسبب ترك اخلتان‪ ،‬بينما توجد انحرافات‬
‫أخرى تشترك فيها املختنات وغير املختنات‪".‬‬
‫ختان البنات‪ ،‬انتهاك حلق املرأه‪( .‬تصميم وفاء املرزوقي‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات(‬
‫"التربية ا َحل َسنة واألخالق احلميدة والتمسك بالدين‬
‫اإلسالمي يغلب أي اجنراف نحو اخلطأ وليس للختان‬
‫أي دخل باملوضوع‪".‬‬
‫مضيفة "يجب أن يكون للجهات املختصة‬‫ً‬
‫وبالرجوع إلى أصل موضوع ختان البنت وإسناده إلى‬
‫الشريعة اإلسالمية‪َ ،‬يذكر فضيلة الشيخ الدكتور‬
‫أحمد احلداد‪ ،‬كبير املفتني‪ ،‬ومدير إدارة اإلفتاء‬
‫في دائرة الشؤون اإلسالمية والعمل اخليري في‬
‫دولة اإلمارات‪ ،‬أن ختان اإلناث كان معروف ًا عند‬
‫العرب‪ ،‬وكانت هناك الكثير من اخلاتنات الالتي‬
‫يقمن بهذه الوظيفة‪ .‬وكان النبي ‪-‬صلى الله عليه‬
‫وسلم‪ -‬يوصيهن فيقول‪" :‬ش ّفي وال تَنهَكي‪ ،‬فإنه‬
‫البخاري‪ ،‬فقد ُذكر عن النبي ‪-‬صلى الله عليه وسلم‪-‬‬
‫الغسل‪".‬‬‫أنه قال‪" :‬إذا التقى اخلتانان فقد وجب ُ‬
‫ً‬
‫موجودا عند املرأة‬ ‫و ُيستدَ ل من ذلك أن اخلتان كان‬
‫والرجل على حد سواء‪ ،‬ولكن لم يتّضح من القرآن‬
‫أو من السنة النبوية أي إيجاب أو إلزام بخصوص‬
‫مسألة ختان البنت‪ .‬وين ّوه الدكتور أن اجتهاد العلماء‬
‫مؤكدا أن "الكثير ِمن َمن يقومون‬
‫في املذاهب اإلسالمية األربعة اختلف بدرجة بسيطة‪،‬‬
‫فمنهم من يرى وجوبه كالسادة الشافعية‪ ،‬حيث "يرون‬
‫أن اخلتان واجب للرجل واملرأة‪ ،‬ولكن املرأة نّ‬
‫تخت‬
‫جدا بحيث ال يكون هناك إنهاك‪ ".‬ومنهم‬ ‫بصفة قليلة ً‬
‫من يرى أن ختان البنات مستحب كالسادة احلنابلة‬
‫واحلنفية‪ ،‬بينما يرى السادة املالكية أن ختان البنت‬
‫أفضل لها ْ‬
‫وأخ َير (مكرمة)‪.‬‬
‫ويتفق معه فضيلة الشيخ الدكتور أحمد القبيسي‬
‫الرئيس السابق لقسم الدراسات اإلسالمية بجامعة‬
‫بغداد‪ ،‬وحال ّي ًا بجامعة اإلمارات‪ ،‬حيث يؤكد أن‬
‫‪69‬‬
‫عن شيء فإمنا هو ينم عن مدى اجلهل الذي يعيشون‬
‫فيه‪ ".‬وتؤيدها بالرأي ميثاء محمد‪ ٢٢ ،‬عام ًا طالبة‬
‫حيث تشدد على دور اجلهات املختصة للحد من هذا‬
‫املوضوع‪،‬‬
‫دور توعوي أفضل‪ ".‬وتؤكد ميثاء أن "ما نعانيه‬
‫شح في املصادر واملعلومات فيما يتعلق‬‫اليوم من ّ‬
‫بختان البنات َيحول دون توعية األفراد بخطورة مثل‬
‫هذه العمليات خصوص ًا ما إذا مت القيام بها على‬
‫أيدي من ليست لديهم أية دراية طبية أو خبرة مهنية‬
‫في عمليات ختان البنات‪".‬‬
‫ويتفق أغلب رجال املجتمع اإلماراتي على أن عملية‬
‫ختان البنات هي عملية ال جدوى منها‪ ،‬ويرفض‬
‫الكثير منهم مبدأ ختان البنت ملا فيه من مضار‬
‫كثيرة إذا متت عملية اخلتان بطريقة خاطئة‪ .‬حيث‬
‫يرفض محمد أحمد‪ ٢٨ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬موظف في أحد‬
‫البنوك‪ ،‬مبدأ ختان البنت رفض ًا قاطع ًا؛ ملا فيه من‬
‫مضار جسدية ونفسية تؤدي إلى الكثير من املشاكل‬
‫ً‬
‫التي ال تنتهي‪،‬‬
‫بختان بناتهم يعانون من مشكلة الفهم اخلاطىء‬
‫لإلسالم‪ ،‬وأن كثيرا منهم يطبق اخلتان ألسباب قبلية‬
‫بحتة يلصقها معظمهم في ظهر الدين!" ويوافقه‬
‫في الرأي ماجد أحمد‪ ١٩ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬طالب جامعي‪،‬‬
‫حيث ُيرجع السبب احلقيقي خلتان البنات بني أفراد‬
‫املجتمع اإلماراتي إلى "اجنراف الناس خلف العادات‬
‫والتقاليد دون الرجوع إلى آراء ومشورة أهل‬
‫االختصاص‪ ".‬ويرى أن ختان البنت ما هو إال ظلم‬
‫في حقها‪ ،‬ويضيف قائال "يخاف الكثير من الناس‬
‫أن تقع ابنتهم في اخلطأ قبل أو بعد زواجها؛ لذلك‬
‫يقومون بعملية اخلتان‪ ".‬ولكنه يشدد بالذكر أن‬
‫‪70‬‬
‫ت على عملية اخلتان وتزوجت منه‪ ".‬وتع ّلل‬
‫فوافق ُ‬
‫علياء شرط زوجها بتمسكه بعادات وتقاليد قبيلته‪.‬‬
‫سارة علي‪ ٢٣ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬طالبة جامعية‪ ،‬متت ختانتها‬
‫هي وأخواتها الستة في عمر التسع سنوات في إحدى‬
‫املستشفيات احلكومية بالدولة عندما كانت عملية‬
‫ختان البنات أمرا مسموحا به‪ .‬وتن ّوه سارة أن أختها‬
‫الصغرى أفلتت من عملية اخلتان بعد أن مت منعها‬
‫من قبل اجلهات املختصة‪ .‬وتردف سارة "كان والدي‬
‫دائم ًا من معارضي ختان البنات‪ ،‬ولكن ضغط نساء‬
‫ابتداء من جدتي وصو ًال إلى خاالتي وعماتي‬
‫ً‬ ‫العائلة‬
‫كان أكبر من ُسلطة والدي‪ ".‬وتشدد سارة على أن‬
‫اخلتان ظاهرة سلبية وتراها بال شك انتهاكا حلقوق‬
‫املرأة التي فطرها الله عليها‪.‬‬
‫ومن وجهة نظر معاكسة‪ ،‬فإن فاطمة عيسى‪٢٢ ،‬‬
‫عام ًا‪ ،‬موظفة في أحد البنوك‪ ،‬هي البنت الوحيدة‬
‫املختنة في عائلتها رغم أنها هي الصغرى‪ ،‬حيث‬
‫أرسلتها والدتها مع صديقتها وابنتها إلى املستشفى‬
‫لتتم ختانتهن‪ .‬وتعتقد فاطمة أن والدتها قد تكون‬
‫تأ ّثرت بأفكار وعادات صديقتها‪ ،‬حيث تقول "ال‬
‫أعرف األسباب احلقيقية لعملية اخلتان‪ ،‬وال أعرف‬
‫ت مع العملية أم ضدها! ولكن إذا‬ ‫حتى ما إذا كن ُ‬
‫قامت والدتي بأم ٍر ما‪ ،‬فأنا على يقني بأنه أمر جيد‬
‫ولن يضرني بشيء‪ ".‬وتع ّلل فاطمة كالمها بأن كل‬
‫أم تريد األفضل لبناتها‪ ،‬وإذا كانت عملية اخلتان‬
‫عندئذ بختانها‪.‬‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫تضرها فلن تقوم والدتها‬
‫أما منى محمد‪ ٢٣ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬طالبة وأم لولدين‪،‬‬
‫فسوف تقوم بعملية اخلتان في حال ُرزقت مبولودة‬
‫أنثى‪ ،‬مشدد ًة على أن ت َُط ّبق العملية كما مت تطبيقها‬
‫عليها‪ ،‬حيث كانت تبلغ من العمر يومني فقط عندما‬
‫قامت والدتها بختانها في املستشفى‪ .‬وتضيف "إذا‬
‫ما رفض زوجي ختان ابنتنا فلن أعترض؛ ألن السبب‬
‫و َق ّصة ِمش َرط!" وتشدد مرمي على أن ختان البنت أمر‬
‫الوحيد الذي أود من أجله ختان ابنتي هو اتباع سنة‬
‫الرسول ‪-‬عليه الصالة والسالم‪ " -‬مؤكد ًة أنها ستقوم‬
‫بختان ابنتها في األيام األولى من والدتها وليس‬
‫عندما تكبر‪ .‬من جانبها‪ ،‬لم تقم أم رمي‪ ،‬أم لبنتني‬
‫وهي من النساء املختنات‪ ،‬بختان بناتها إميان ًا منها‬
‫مرمي من مناصري اخلتان وسوف تقوم وبال شك بختان‬
‫بأن عملية ختان البنت هي عملية ال جدوى منها‪.‬‬
‫وتتساءل أم رمي حيث تقول "على حد علمي أن خلتان‬
‫البنت مضار كثيرة تطغى على املنافع‪ ،‬فما الفائدة‬
‫من تعريض حياة بناتنا للخطر إذا كان الدين ال‬
‫ُيوجب أو ُيلزم بذلك؟! "‬
‫وتخالف فاطمة املرزوقي‪ ٢٥ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬موظفة في‬
‫إحدى الدوائر احلكومية في أبوظبي‪ ،‬مبدأ ختان البنت‬
‫ملتزم وعلى ُخ ٍلق حسن‪ ،‬وطلب ختانها شرطا للزواج‬
‫وتعسف في حق‬
‫وال تؤيده البتة؛ ملا فيه من ظلم ّ‬
‫املرأة‪ .‬وتن ّوه فاطمة إلى أن "معظم من يقومون بختان‬
‫بناتهم هم أناس قبل ّيني متمسكني بعادات وتقاليد‬
‫ت للدين وال للطب بأية صلة‪ ،‬وهذا إن ّمن‬
‫بالية ال مت ّ‬
‫النوع من ختان البنات مازال شائع ًا حتى يومنا هذا‬ ‫"كان عمري ما يقارب ثماني سنوات عندما أخذتني‬
‫في بعض أرجاء الدول العربية‪ ،‬منها مصر والسودان‬ ‫والدتي مع أخواتي إلى املستشفى‪ .‬أدخلوني وحدي‬
‫على وجه اخلصوص ألسباب قد تكون معروفة عند‬ ‫مع املمرضة إلى غرفة بيضاء اللون‪ ،‬وكنت أشعر‬
‫البعض‪ ،‬مبهمة عند البعض اآلخر‪ .‬أما في دول‬ ‫عندها باخلوف الشديد ألنني لم أعرف ما الذي‬
‫ً‬
‫وحتديدا في دولة اإلمارات ‪-‬ومهما أنكرت‬ ‫اخلليج‬ ‫يجري من حولي‪ .‬طلبت مني املمرضة أن أستلقي‬
‫ً‬
‫هذه احلقيقة‪ -‬فإن ختان البنات مازال رسما من‬ ‫على السرير‪ ،‬ولم أحس عندها إال بآالم حادة ناجتة‬
‫العادات القبلية عند البعض‪ ،‬والدينية عند البعض‬ ‫عن وخزة اإلبرة‪ ،‬قامت بعدها املمرضة بأشياء أخرى‬
‫اآلخر‪ ،‬تلك العادات التي متارس غالبا في اخلفاء‬ ‫لم أحس بها‪ ،‬وانتهى عندها كل شيء‪ ".‬هكذا‬
‫على الرغم من أنها غير شرعية‪ ،‬واجلدير بالذكر أن‬ ‫استهلت أسماء عبيد‪ ٢١ ،‬عاما‪ ،‬طالبة‪ ،‬قصتها‬
‫نوع اخلتان الشائع في دولة اإلمارات هو اخلتان الذي‬ ‫مع عملية اخلتان التي مت إجراؤها لها هي وأخواتها‬
‫تقوم فيه اخلاتنة بإزالة جزء بسيط من املنطقة‪ ،‬وهو‬ ‫اخلمسة األخريات عندما أخذتهن الوالدة فيما تسميه‬
‫ما يسميه البعض بـ "اخلتان الشرعي"!‬ ‫"سايرين رحلة قصيرة وبنرجع!"‬
‫ومما ال شك فيه أن اآلراء تتباين حول هذه الظاهرة‬ ‫يعد موضوع ختان البنات من املواضيع بالغة‬
‫نظرا حلساسية املوضوع واختالف‬‫بني مؤيد ومعارض ً‬ ‫احلساسية واألهمية في املجتمع اإلماراتي مهما‬
‫مستوى التفكير واإلدراك بني أفراد املجتمع‪ .‬حيث‬ ‫سدلت عليها الستائر‪ .‬وما زال السـؤال اجلدلي‬‫ُأ ِ‬
‫تبينّ ُوفق ًا لالستبيانات واألبحاث التي مت إجراؤها من‬ ‫قائم ًا حول ما إذا كان ختان البنت ً‬
‫أمرا يستحبه‬
‫قبل فريق عمل املوضوع على شريحة عشوائية تألفت‬ ‫الدين أو تفرضه العادات والتقاليد‪ ،‬ومهما كان‬
‫من ما يقارب الـ ‪ ٢٠٠‬من مواطني املجتمع اإلماراتي‬ ‫السبب فإن كثيرين يفضلون االجنراف مع موجة‬
‫من كال اجلنسني حول موضوع ختان البنات‪ ،‬فقد تبني‬ ‫التقليد األعمى ملا فعله اآلباء واألجداد دون الرجوع‬
‫أن ‪ ٪٣٤‬من اإلناث في هذا االستبيان مختنات‬ ‫أو البحث في أصل املوضوع بكل حيثياته الدينية‬
‫ألسباب قد تكون متشابهة‪ ،‬يأتي على رأسها‬ ‫والطبية‪.‬‬
‫العادات والتقاليد‪ .‬كما تبني أن ‪ ٪٨٢‬يعارضن فكرة‬
‫ختان البنات‪ ،‬وأن ‪ ٪٤٠‬من النساء املختنات يؤيدن‬ ‫فأين يكمن اخللل في موضوع ختان البنات إذا‬
‫هذه الظاهرة ويشددن على تطبيقها على بناتهن في‬ ‫كان أمرا قد رفع عنه القلم من الناحية الدينية؟‬
‫املستقبل‪ .‬بينما ‪ ٪٩٩‬من الرجال في االستبيان ذاته‬ ‫وهل هناك قيود دينية وثقافية خلتان البنات يجب‬
‫يرفضون فكرة ختان البنت رفض ًا قاطع ًا وال يرون فيه‬ ‫على املعنيني الرجوع إليها؟ وما هي نظرة الطب‬
‫أي فائدة تُذكر‪.‬‬ ‫لهذا املوضوع؟ وهل هناك جوانب إيجابية وسلبية‬
‫للموضوع يطغى أحدهما على اآلخر؟ وهل حق ًا يعد‬
‫ترجع مرمي حميد‪ ٢١ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬طالبة في إحدى‬ ‫ختان البنت سلب ًا حلقوقها األنثوية التي فطرها الله‬
‫اجلامعات‪ ،‬في الذاكرة إلىالسابعة من عمرها‪ ،‬حيث‬ ‫عليها كما يدّ عي معارضو املوضوع؟ تساؤالت كثيرة‬
‫مت أخذها إلى منزل جدة والدها (اخلاتنة)‪ ،‬واملعروفة‬ ‫مبهمة حتتاج إلى إجابات شافية لن يجيب عليها إال‬
‫بالعلم والدراية الكبيرة بالطب الشعبي بني أفراد‬ ‫أهل االختصاص‪.‬‬
‫القبيلة‪ ،‬وتقول "متت ختانتي بال أية مسكنات وال أي‬
‫تخدير موضعي‪ ،‬وكنت أحس عندها بكل وخزة إبرة‬ ‫‪ ٪٤٠‬من النساء اخملتنات يؤيدن‬
‫البد منه بني أفراد قبيلتها؛ حيث ُينظر لغير املختنة‬ ‫هذه الظاهرة ويشددن على‬
‫نظرة دون ّية وتكون محط املس ّبة واملذ ّمة‪ ،‬على عكس‬
‫البنت املختنة والتي تُرفع قيمتها وتُع َزّز مكانتها‬
‫تطبيقها على بناتهن في‬
‫و ُينظر إليها بكل احترام وتقدير‪ .‬واجلدير بالذكر أن‬ ‫املستقبل‪ .‬بينما ‪ ٪٩٩‬من‬
‫بناتها في املستقبل‪ ،‬وتضيف "إذا لم يوافق زوجي‬ ‫الرجال في االستبيان ذاته‬
‫على ختان بناتي فسوف أصر وأحاول إقناعه بكل‬
‫السبل‪ ،‬ولن أستسلم مهما كلف األمر‪".‬‬
‫يرفضون فكرة ختان البنت‬
‫رفضا ًقاطعا ً‬
‫وتذكر مرمي قصة إحدى صديقاتها‪ ،‬وهي علياء‬
‫سعيد‪ ٢٢ ،‬عام ًا‪ ،‬فقد متت ختانتها في مرحلة‬
‫متأخرة ً‬
‫جدا ُرغم ًا عنها؛ حيث تَقدّ م خلطبتها شاب‬ ‫يرجع أصل ختان البنات إلى سنة ‪ ١٠٠‬قبل امليالد‬
‫ً‬
‫في مصر‪ ،‬حيث أنشأ الفراعنة مفهوم اخلتان الفرعوني‬
‫منها‪" .‬لقد قمت بالبحث والسؤال عن موضوع ختان‬ ‫والذي تقوم فيه اخلاتنة باستئصال وإزالة املنطقة‬
‫البنت واكتشفت أنه إذا متت عملية اخلتان بالطريقة‬ ‫بأكملها‪ ،‬وال يترك في املختنة سوى فتحة صغيرة ً‬
‫جدا‬
‫الصحيحة الشرعية فال حرج وال خطر في األمر‪،‬‬ ‫ملرور البول واحليض‪ .‬وال يخفى على الكثيرين أن هذا‬
 ‫‪71‬‬

‫ختان البنات‪ ،‬في دولة اإلمارات العربية املتحدة‪ ،‬من املالم؟ (تصميم وفاء املرزوقي‪/‬كلية دبي للطالبات(‬

‫عادات وتقاليد قد تؤدي إلى املوت!‬

‫وفاء املرزوقي‬
72 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The previous issue showed we
are interested in expressing our
opinions about different issues
happening in our society so we
can spread awareness among
members of the local community.
The new issue of Desert Dawn
(DD) continues to evolve and
deliver exceptional standards
of challenging stories.
We would like to thank the DD
team in general and the Applied
Communications Department
in particular for encouraging
us to express our opinions freely.
Your feedback is very important
to us, so if you have any comment
please feel free to contact us:
Email: desert.dawn@hct.ac.ae
Telephone: +97142089530
Please note that the DD team will
not make any effort to respond to
comments made by anonymous
individuals. DD encourages
professional and transparent
communication with all members
of society.
Enjoy the new issue...
Hessa Al Hamadi
Reem Ahli
DD Editors
I took 420 issues to the 2010 HCT’s annual conference- and we ran out!
H.E. Shaikh Nahayan stopped at the DWC booth and discussed the magazine
with his group. Students from the other HCT colleges were asking for DD in
the way people were collecting chocolates from the other booths!
Well done to all involved.
Fraser MacDonald -Audio Visual Technician-DWC
What an excellent issue! Both the content and the design, particularly
its cover story. It is this kind of debating level I wish to see among all
HCT students all over the country. This issue undoubtedly reflects the
advanced ability and courage of DWC students to intelligently and openly
debate challenging, meaningful and complicated issues. Well done and
I look forward to reading more challenging stories in future issues.
Mustapha Karkouti-Head Coporate Affairs-HCT
I got my hands on a copy of DD in the student services area and decided
to skim through it, and before I realized I was actually reading through
most of the articles word by word. It was definitely the most bold and
daring journal I’ve read about the society and the national community.
I couldn’t have expected anybody else to publish such detailed articles
on such subjects, but our own Emarati nationals. Take a bow DD team.
Bader Jafar Ali-Student-DMC
This is certainly the most interesting issue of DD ever published. Many
thanks to the team for the ground-breaking articles which broach significant
topics that were formerly taboo. I think the issue will generate a lot of
interest in classrooms around the college—and probably on local talk radio
as well. Well done, team, and ma’brouk on the excellent issue.
Steve Terney -English Faculty-DWC
I would like to congratulate the DD team on the new edition. The topics
will help in raising awareness among members of the local community
about important issues.
Mayada Essa-Marketing & Community Outreach Supervisor-DWC
Wonderful job! Nice to see such a wide range of topics covered.
Having the Emirati community perspective enhances this issue.
Robin Bishop -Library Supervisor-DWC
Just read your magazine and I must say I am truly impressed and
proud for the fact that FINALLY a magazine catered to Emiratis, although
I myself am not local but originally from Kenya and born and raised in
Abu Dhabi. I have always been curious about the issues that Emiratis face
especially when it comes to sexual identity, rape and women’s rights.
I look forward to more of your articles, and will be more than happy to
contribute in any way I can.
Faiza Hamisi - Administrative Assistant - New York University Abu Dhabi
The 2011 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. 8th – 12th March at The Cultural And Scientific Association
at Al Mamzar and the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City. Buy tickets at www.emirateslitfest.com and all Magrudy's shops.
Dubai Women’s College P.O. Box 16062, Dubai, United Arab Emirates TEL: 04 267 2929, www.dwc.hct.ac.ae