Rarely discussed in the United States, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has become a leader in the fight for women's rights in the Arab world. In the spirit of these last few days of Women's History Month and of my recent return from a conference on women's leadership in the U.A.E., the time for discussion has arrived.
In February, the U.A.E. hosted the first international women's car rally race - the only such competition for women in the Arab world. According to an article published in the international edition of the Jerusalem Post on Mar. 11, one of the Emirate's own residents, Marwa Al Aifa, a 25-year-old business executive, won the first place race title. A Saudi citizen born and raised in the U.A.E., Al Aifa has never visited Saudi Arabia and does not plan to in the near future. Among other things, in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive.
Per the requests and demands of the late leader of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Nahyan, the U.A.E. promotes religious tolerance and equal rights for women. In the U.A.E., Al Aifa is allowed to drive (in her case, drive fast), attain high level professional positions, and dress as she wants outside her workplace (because she works for the government, Al Aifais must wear the traditional black abaya over her clothes and a scarf covering her hair at work).
In March, the U.A.E. hosted the first international conference on women's leadership to be held in the Middle East: "Women as Global Leaders: Educating the Next Generation." I was fortunate enough to attend this conference and witness this remarkable feat in the company of seven other Tufts women. Organized by the student councils of Zayed University and sponsored by U.A.E. Minister of Education Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, Microsoft, CNBC and First Gulf Bank, among others, the conference brought together nearly 1,000 women from all over the world. For three days, undergraduate, graduate and Ph. D. students, professors, professionals and government officials from around the globe were treated like royalty and given the opportunity to engage with each other and listen to the stories of women who have successfully achieved national and international leadership positions.
As a student of international relations with a focus on the Middle East, and as somebody who has a significant amount of travel experience in the region, I have studied regional politics and have been exposed to Arab culture, but I have never focused on anything related to the United Arab Emirates. After one week in the country and a few days with some of its women, I have learned more than I could have possibly gleaned from any number of books or classroom hours.
Upon my first visit to the Abu Dhabi campus of Zayed University one day before the conference began, I was incredibly impressed with the students, faculty and resources of the institution. Zayed University was founded in 1998 as a public university open only to women. From a comprehensive tour of the campus and only an abbreviated explanation of its student initiatives, one would think it has had more than seven years to come as far as it has. The women's leadership conference was conceived less than one year ago by students of the University and was designed as a forum to bring together an international cadre of women leaders in order to expose them to the different cultures and societies that they represent, as well as to the culture of the U.A.E.. In my opinion, the conference was a complete success in both regards.
During the conference I was able to listen to some of the country's leaders, interact with Zayed University students from different parts of the Emirates, and be dazzled by the extravagance of Dubai. I explored a famous Dubai resort, at which the conference was hosted, and I was entertained by traditional dancers and music, fireworks, laser shows and fantastic live sand animation during the conference evening events. Before and after the formal program, I was able to spend time in the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Sharjah and Al Ain, and experience the warm hospitality of the families of two Zayed University students we befriended during the conference.
I visited numerous souks in Dubai, Al Ain and Sharjah, spent some time on the gorgeous shores of the Arabian Gulf, stood face-to-face with camels at a camel souk in Al Ain, spent an evening at a hot springs park, and rode beautiful orange sand dunes outside the city. Individually and together, these experiences comprised an incredible, unforgettable week. If not for the numerous pictures I took in each place, I would have trouble believing that it was all real. (We will soon be sharing pictures and stories from the U.A.E. in an open forum on campus, if you want proof.)
I return from the U.A.E. with new friends, new knowledge, new interests and new sources of inspiration and motivation for learning and leading local and international initiatives. I was endlessly impressed and inspired by the conference participants, as well as the students who organized the tremendous event. The U.A.E. is a country unlike any other I have ever visited or studied. Although very young, it has benefited tremendously from strong leadership, and is still growing and determining how to continue to develop itself in the most productive ways.
It is a commendable achievement for an Arab and Muslim country in the Middle East to be able to boast hosting both the first international women's car rally race, and the first international conference on women's leadership in the Middle East, as well as enormous economic among other successes, all the while maintaining the welfare and traditional identity of its citizens. If the Zayed University women I met become the next generation of U.A.E. leadership, the country will be in good hands and its successes will surely continue.
Rachel Brandenburg is a senior majoring in international relations.
