US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI2403

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 002403 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL, NEA/PI, NEA/ARP, AND NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KWMN, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE WOMAN SCHOLAR SPEAKS UP 
 
 
1. THE MFA INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY HOSTED DR. FATEMA AL- 
SAYEGH, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND CHAIRMAN OF THE HISTORY 
DEPARTMENT IN THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL 
SCIENCES AT UAE UNIVERSITY, FOR A SESSION ON UAE 
HISTORY, CULTURE, TRADITION AND POLITICS, HELD FOR NEW 
DIPLOMATS TO THE UAE ON JULY 3-4.  SHE STARTED HER 
SESSION BY SAYING THAT HER VIEWS "DO NOT NECESSARILY 
REPRESENT THE INSTITUTE'S," AN INFREQUENTLY USED 
OPENING REMARK IN A SESSION THAT TURNED OUT TO BE FRANK 
AND REFRESHING. 
 
2. AL-SAYEGH HAS WRITTEN SEVEN BOOKS ON THE UAE AND THE 
GULF AREA, AND FREQUENTLY WRITES OPINION ARTICLES FOR 
THE SHARJAH-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ".  SHE HAS 
TRAVELED TO THE U.S. ON A FULBRIGHT PROGRAM AND HAS 
DONE ACADEMIC STUDIES AND RESEARCH AT THE CENTER FOR 
MUSLIM/CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING AT GEORGETOWN 
UNIVERSITY.  DURING HER SESSION, AL-SAYEGH TALKED ABOUT 
THE ORIGIN OF UAE CITIZENS, THE INFLUENCE AND POWER OF 
THE TRIBAL SYSTEM, THE UAE FEDERATION, ISLAM, 
LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION, WOMEN'S ISSUES, AND CULTURE AND 
TRADITIONS. 
 
3. AL SAYEGH, WHO IS FROM DUBAI, DESCRIBED THE UAE AS A 
"LOOSE FEDERATION" WITH EACH EMIRATE HAVING ITS OWN 
LAWS, ECONOMY AND FLAG (EXCEPT SHARJAH WHICH USES THE 
UAE FLAG).  SHE CRITICIZED DUBAI FOR ITS LAX 
IMMIGRATION LAWS AND CALLED FOR A FEDERAL IMMIGRATION 
LAW.  DUBAI HAS DEVIATED FROM ITS CULTURE AND ROOTS, 
AND HAS BECOME "A SIN CITY LIKE BEIRUT BEFORE THE CIVIL 
WAR," SHE SAID.  SHE DISCUSSED THE PROBLEMS THAT DUBAI 
AND ABU DHABI FACED DURING THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THE 
FEDERATION AND HOW DUBAI HAD THREATENED TO LEAVE THE 
FEDERATION. 
 
4. AL-SAYEGH SPOKE ABOUT HOW EACH EMIRATE OBSERVES 
ISLAM AND HOW SHARJAH AND RAS AL KHAIMAH OBSERVE STRICT 
ISLAMIC REGULATIONS BECAUSE OF THEIR PAST RELATIONS 
WITH THE SAUDI WAHHABIS. SHE DISCUSSED POST-9/11 
OUTCOMES SUCH AS THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION'S REVISION 
OF ITS CURRICULUM WITH THE AIM OF ELIMINATING ANYTHING 
THAT ENCOURAGES INTOLERANCE AGAINST OTHER RELIGIONS. 
WHILE SPEAKING ABOUT RELIGION, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS, 
AL-SAYEGH TRIED TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN WHAT IS 
CULTURAL AND WHAT IS ISLAMIC, AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT 
EACH. 
 
5.  AL-SAYEGH DESCRIBED SHEIKH ZAYED AS BEING THE 
STABILIZING FACTOR OF THE FEDERATION AND NOTED THAT 
LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION REMAINS A CONCERN. 
 
6. AL-SAYEGH SAID THAT UAE WOMEN ARE GRANTED EQUAL 
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS UNDER THE UAE 
CONSTITUTION, BUT THEY LACK POLITICAL RIGHTS.  THIS 
WILL START TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE WHEN WOMEN BECOME 
MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL NATIONAL COUNCIL, SHE SAID.  SHE 
ADDED THAT UAE WOMEN ARE VIEWED BY OUTSIDERS AS "BMO'S 
- BLACK MOVING OBJECTS", BUT IN REALITY THEY HAVE THE 
POWER WITHIN THE NUCLEAR FAMILY TO RAISE THE CHILDREN, 
AND DISCIPLINE THE HUSBAND. 
 
7. COMMENT: AL-SAYEGH, WHO SPEAKS AND WRITES ABOUT 
DEMOCRACY AND REFORM IN THE ARAB WORLD, IS ONE OF THE 
UAE WOMEN WITH THE HIGHEST PUBLIC PROFILE.  HER LECTURE 
WAS ONE INDICATION OF A SOCIETY MOVING TOWARD MORE 
FLEXIBILITY AND LESS CENSORSHIP OF SPEECH. HOWEVER, THE 
THREE NEWSPAPERS THAT COVERED THE EVENT, ENGLISH 
DAILIES KHALEEJ TIMES AND GULF NEWS, AND ARABIC DAILY 
AL-BAYAN, EDITED OUT SEVERAL OF HER SHARPER COMMENTS, A 
COMMON PRACTICE IN THE UAE. 
 
ALBRIGHT