A woman walks along an empty beach in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Photographer: Francois Nel / Getty Images
Photographer: Francois Nel / Getty Images
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The United Arab Emirates’ new plan to citizenship offered to a select group of foreigners has rarely caused public debate about rights, including that of the wife of a ruling sheikh.
In a Twitter Post On the same day as the announcement, Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi pointed out that women of Emirates do not have the same right to automatically pass on citizenship to their children as Emirates men have. ‘Naturalization of the children of female citizens. It’s a claim, ‘she wrote. ‘Employment for Emirati citizens. This is a claim. ‘
Her husband is the ruler of Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the UAE, and she heads the Supreme Family Council there. In a later tweet, she stressed that her comments on various topics on Twitter should not be seen as criticism of the government. Her office confirmed it was her personal Twitter account, but declined to comment further on the topic.
Family stability and social cohesion are of paramount importance to the UAE leadership, a UAE government official said in response. The government is always eager to integrate individuals born from Emirati mothers and foreign fathers and see that they contribute to the development and prosperity of the country.
In the UAE, children may be born to women from the Emirates and foreign men seeking citizenship, but it is not automatic. In contrast, children born among local men and foreign women acquire citizenship at birth. The situation is similar in many Middle Eastern countries, where efforts have been made to broaden civil rights. resistance.
The UAE government allows children born from Emirati mothers and foreign fathers to apply for 18-year citizenship of the UAE, while their mothers are entitled to apply for citizenship on their behalf if the child has lived in the country for at least six years. , official said. Thousands of people born in these circumstances have been granted citizenship by the UAE in recent years, the official added.
UAE opens citizenship to elect foreigners to boost economy
The renewal of the citizenship policy announced on Saturday is mainly aimed at attracting talent to boost the economic growth hit hard by Covid-19 last year and lower crude prices. The lack of a social safety net has forced many expatriates – who make up almost 90% of the population – to return to job losses record highs.
Analysts and other Emiratis commentators in local media and online view the change as a milestone that enables further economic and financial gains. But while the UAE wants to promote economic recovery with citizenship and other initiatives, Sheikha Jawaher was not the only person who cautiously noted that the changes could give foreigners a path to citizenship that is not automatically available to the children of Emirati women. .
Some have accused the government of selling the country’s birthright. Others have said that the granting of foreign rights, the same rights as locals, endangers the future of Emiratis. Public criticism of government policy is rare in the UAE.
Citizenship is a major problem in Gulf countries where foreigners from all societies make up a large part of the population and where citizens benefit from a generous welfare system. In neighboring Saudi Arabia, a recent decision to grant citizenship to children of unknown parents also caused a setback.
Even in Lebanon, which promotes itself as the most liberal country of the Arab world, citizenship is not matrilineal because some politicians are worried that it could upset the already fragile sectarian balance of the country.
– Assisted by Abbas Al Lawati, Donna Abu-Nasr, Dana Khraiche and Reema Al Othman