On International Women’s Day last week, Khalid Al Suwaidi, an Emirati writer and author of four books, wrote a column in an Arabic newspaper questioning the idea behind the celebratory day, warning men of the coming “feminine invasion”.
The article starts: "I don't know who was behind the idea of International Women's Day. If it was a woman, she probably did not live at this time, in which women (act) like men, and if it was a man, he was probably a toy in the hands of a group of women."
After a brief history of women’s day, he continues: “Gone are those days when women were thinking about marriage and stability, looking at the man as the column that the family depends on in everything and the guarantee to a happy life in the society. This notion has changed as the women consider themselves now in a race with men, to overtake them, and even get rid of them sometimes.”
“These days, men feel they have lost control over women and I personally do not rule that out,” he wrote. “The feminine invasion is being cooked slowly, and it’s a matter of time, no more, when men will find themselves losing all their rights, which they voluntarily handed over to women.”
Such an article, which the writer described as “satire”, revealed a worrying attitude.
The assumption that women are already empowered or that men have “voluntarily” giving up their rights reflects a clear lack of knowledge about the international struggle of women throughout history. That struggle continues today, with many women around the world suffering from forced marriage, sexual violence as a weapon in wars, domestic violence, discrimination in the workplace and female genital mutilation, among many others.
Waiting longer to get married – and self-dependence in that respect – is a natural result of women’s education and employment, which is an essential part of women’s progress here in the UAE and in other parts of the world.
However, this is no different from men. Nowadays, even men don’t think about marriage and stability as essential and many of them prefer to marry later in their lives. Why is it women who are selectively blamed by the writer?
Another point that should be stressed is that women’s empowerment is not about competition with men, as the article stated. Women’s empowerment is rather about giving women what is rightfully theirs.
Another question is what was the writer’s point when he used the word “control” when talking about women, or indeed any free human being?
This word should never be used to describe any desirable human to human relationship in a civilised society. This is something that should not be open to debate in any context.
Sexism – like racism – should never be used as a topic for “satire”. Because one can argue that joking about sexism is sexist in itself and the same goes for joking about racism. In addition, doing this would only help enforce stereotypes and offend or provoke a large group of people. It could even lead to serious harm in society.
Jokes about race, sex and ethnicity have been rejected by societies for many decades now and are never acceptable in any form.
The founder of this country, Sheikh Zayed, was vocal about women’s rights. He acknowledged the crucial role that women play in the development of the country and offered them his full support.
And for those who use a wrong interpretation of religion as an excuse to treat women as secondary, he once said: “Islam affords women their rightful status, and encourages them to work in all sectors, as long as they are afforded appropriate respect.”
Women in the UAE have been working hard to change perceptions and get recognition. They have made notable progress in many fields. But despite that, there is still a long way to go to close the gender gap. This gap cannot be closed until society is united against any disrespect towards women.
aalmazrouei@thenational.ae
@AyeshaAlmazroui
