US embassy cable - 04MUSCAT1993

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 001993 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA, NEA/ARP, INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, MU, Domestic Politics 
SUBJECT: BIO: DR. SHARIFA AL-YAHYAI, MINISTER OF SOCIAL 
DEVELOPMENT 
 
REF: MUSCAT 01991 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III. 
Reason: 1.4 (b, d). 
 
1.  (SBU)  Reftel reported on the Ambassador's November 7 
meeting with Dr. Sharifa bint Khalfan bin Nasser al-Yahyai, 
the newly appointed Minister of Social Development.  This 
cable provides additional biographic information. 
 
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WHY HER? 
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2.  (U) Dr. Sharifa al-Yahyai, a former Arabic literature 
professor at Sultan Qaboos University, was appointed Minister 
of Social Development October 20, 2004.  She described her 
keen interest in women's issues and the progressive vision of 
Sultan Qaboos as the most probable factors contributing to 
her surprise appointment.  While in her new post, she 
admitted having to ask a lot of questions and spending many 
late nights in the office just getting to understand the 
basics. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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3.  (SBU) Dr. Sharifa hails from Barka, about 70 km. west of 
Muscat on the Batinah coast.  At 34 (she was born in 1970, 
the year Qaboos came to power), Dr. Sharifa is one of the 
youngest ministers in the cabinet.  She is married to 
Abdullah al-Kindi, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs at Sultan 
Qaboos University (SQU) and has two children, Azzan (four) 
and Shareem (two and a half).  Her brother Mohammed (a press 
freedom activist) currently lives in Alexandria, VA and works 
for the USG-funded "Al-Hurra" Arabic satellite TV channel. 
Dr. Sharifa has never been to the United States but has had 
at one trip to Washington and Florida postponed within the 
past year. She spoke fondly of her time at Leeds University 
in the U.K. and her visit there last summer with her 
children. 
 
5.  (SBU) Prior to her appointment, Dr. Sharifa worked for 
two years at SQU teaching Arabic poetry.  In addition to her 
successful academic career, Dr. Sharifa has also been 
published.  Her works include articles on women in Omani folk 
tales (published in Saudi Arabia), women in poetry, and 
images of Omani women in Arabic literature. 
 
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HIGHLIGHTS 
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--    2004 Appointed Minister of Social Development 
--    2004 Led a 32 female student delegation from SQU to 
Malaysia & Singapore 
--    2002 Associate Professor of Arabic at SQU 
--    2001 Ph.D. from Leeds University in the United Kingdom 
            "The early beginnings of the prose poem in the 
Gulf States" 
Ph.D. dissertation project 
--    1995 Master of Arts from SQU 
--    1992 Bachelor of Arts from SQU 
 
6.  (C) In conversations with friends, colleagues, and former 
students of Dr. Sharifa, she has been described as 
hard-working and very bright.  While even her friends were 
surprised at her appointment, all agree that Dr. Sharifa is 
quite intelligent.  She appears to lack the conventional 
practical skills of Ministry work, but she is highly educated 
and boasts a passion for women's issues and their development 
in Omani society.  Dr. Sharifa spoke often of women's role as 
mother and wife, and stressed the importance of further 
research and writing to foster understanding of the important 
roles women play in society's development. 
 
7.  (C)  Dr. Sharifa met the Ambassador alone, with no 
assistant present.  She outwardly appears quite modest, 
donning the traditional abaya and headcovering, with an 
apparent affinity for pink lace.  Dr. Sharifa's English was 
impeccable as she spoke nostalgically of her time at Leeds 
and even at SQU before her surprise appointment at the 
Ministry.  While she admitted to finding it difficult 
adjusting to the rigorous demands of the Ministry as opposed 
to those of academia, she did appear confident that she will 
rise to the challenge to "serve the people." 
BALTIMORE