Inspirational Arab women celebrated at London awards show

UAE Ambassador to the UK Sulaiman Hamad Al-Mazrouei with the award winners in London.

The Arab Women of the Year 2016 awards ceremony in London on Dec. 1 was testimony to the talent and spirit of some inspirational women from across the Middle East.
The winners each had their own special story but all had in common the remarkable dedication to excel in their chosen sphere — be it law, business, leadership, community awareness, science, education, art, media, sport or music.
Guests at the awards evening held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel in Knightsbridge included Gulf royalty, diplomats, British politicians, and prominent business leaders.
The evening was organized and hosted by Omar Bdour, chief executive of the Arab Women of the Year Awards, alongside awards chairman Prof. Aldwyn Cooper, vice chancellor and CEO of Regents University London.
Perhaps the most powerful moments in the evening came during the acceptance speeches by the respective winners. One such speech that made a strong impression on the guests was given by the winner of the Achievement in Social Leadership award, Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel. She is committed to inspiring positive changes in Saudi Arabia and supports women’s rights, community development and Saudi youth empowerment.
In her acceptance speech, Princess Ameerah paid a special tribute to her mother and recounted a personal story from her childhood. She said that when she was nine she had come home from school with a bad grade and her mother had been very upset. She tried to explain that just one bad grade would not mean that she would fail, but her mother sat her down and said to her: “It’s not just a matter of succeeding in terms of grades and passing. Your education is your shield. The stronger your knowledge is — the better your shield will be. When everything around you collapses it will be the only thing you hold above your head.”
As a young child, Princess Ameerah said, she could not understand her mother’s reaction but now looking back she could see that her mother had not had the opportunities that had been given to her. Her mother was married at 15 and divorced at 22, and dedicated her life to raising her children.
“When my mom said those words she had tears in her eyes and I never understood. Now, standing in front of you here today, I know that she felt that pain because she never had the chance to further her own education, to create her own shield.”
Princess Ameerah, who herself married and divorced young, thanked her mother for all her support and said that in her own life her education had indeed proved to be a shield in difficult times. Moreover, she said that she was determined to continue with her studies and complete her master’s degree in International Relations at King’s College, London.
Those who questioned the need for her to continue in education misunderstood her motivation, she explained.
“Even now people ask me — ‘Why are you pursuing your masters — you have everything?’ What they don’t know is that it is not just about a degree for me. It’s about knowledge — it is about making my shield bigger and better. When everything around me did collapse — my education was the only thing that pushed me forward. Well, Mother — I want to tell you today that I am going to finish my education and my brothers and sisters and everyone inspired by you has a great shield because of you, and who knows maybe this speech will be heard by one girl out there who will listen to this message.”
An especially moving part of the evening came when a Special Award was made to the late Ameera BinKaram, who tragically lost her life, along with her mother and sister, in a house fire in October this year. BinKaram, in her roles as vice chairwoman of the NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and chairwoman of the Sharjah Business Women’s Council, was a strong advocate for the economic, social and professional empowerment of Arab women.
Her award was accepted on her behalf by the UAE Ambassador to the UK Sulaiman Hamid Al-Mazrouei. He said that he was honored to do so and paid tribute to her many achievements and the inspiration and support she had given to so many during her lifetime.
“She deserves this award. She was a symbol of women’s empowerment in the UAE. She was creative, dedicated and loyal to her work and highly respected,” the ambassador said. “I thank the Arab Women Awards 2016 organizer for making this gesture to honor Ameera BinKaram.”
Given the conflict blighting many regions of the Middle East, it was especially meaningful to listen to the words given by the winner of the Achievement in International Law award, Taghreed Hikmat.
She commented: “I am from Jordan. We don’t have any natural resources; we believe that human beings are the most important resources in the world. We believe that all religions come from God and that all religions complement each other. In these critical days we need to elevate the religions — we have to think of the future of our children and believe that peace is the only solution to our problems, conflicts and wars. Without peace there is no justice and without justice there is no respect for human rights and the rule of law.”
Winner of the TV Presenter Award, Eman Ayad, widely recognized throughout the Arab world for her nearly two decades as Principal News and Program Presenter with the Al Jazeera Network based in Doha, Qatar, said she longed for the day when peace replaced conflict. “I look forward to the day when I can report on an Arab world filled with peace, unity and progress,” she said.
A young woman who has shown great spirit and determination in pursuing her educational goals, despite being forced to flee her war torn country, Syria, was the winner of the Young Education Activist award, Muzoon Almellehan. She was dismayed when her father told her that the family would have to leave their home in Daraa. The family sought asylum in Jordan. In the Zaatari refugee camp Almellehan not only enrolled herself into the camp school but also campaigned to encourage education for her fellow refugees in cooperation with Save the Children organization. UNICEF granted her a title of Ambassador of Education in the refugee camp. She now lives in the UK where she continues with her education and dreams of returning to her country to encourage education within the younger generation.
Lord Purvis of Tweed, a member of the International Relations Committee at the House of Lords, paid tribute in his keynote speech to a Syrian women’s peace group whose members he has met in London. “In the most difficult circumstances and with family members internally displaced they have shown total dedication to the higher aim of peace and reconciliation for their communities and their countries,” he said.
He will shortly visit Northern Iraq to meet with community leaders engaged in post-Daesh reconciliation work. He observed: “One of the strongest ways of reconciliation in areas of conflict is when women take leadership roles.”
Lady Victoria Borwick, member of Parliament for Kensington, a staunch supporter of the awards event from the outset, paid tribute to all those sponsors, organizations and individuals who came together to celebrate the achievements of great Arab women.
The winner of the Achievement in Art award, Jannat Aljumily, was not present at the awards ceremony but her video message made a powerful and emotional impact. This severely disabled young woman shone like a star with her inspirational message. She can only paint with her right foot but she remains resilient and is determined to become a successful fashion designer. She draws on a laptop and communicates through social media with a wide circle of fellow art and culture enthusiasts. She has recently participated in TEDxBaghdad.
The Lifetime Achievement award went to Sheikha Souad Al-Sabah. Her published work on oil is highly regarded by economists and the oil industry. She is also a famous and talented poet and one of the constant themes found in her wide body of work is a message about freedom. Freedom dominates her writing, whether for men, women, Arabs, foreigners, the old or young, poor or rich. Her recitals attract large audiences and press coverage.
The other remarkable women who received awards were: Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch (Achievement in Business); Latifa Al-Tunisa (Achievement in Music); Dr. Nashwa Al-Ruwaini (Achievement in Media); Sawsan Al-Sha’er (Achievement in Community Awareness); Dr. Ismahane Elouafi (Achievement in Science) and Hassiba Boulmerka (Achievement in Sport).
The sponsors for the event were the Arab British Business Association, Regent’s University London, London & Partners, Y Asset Management, Qatar Charity UK, Miller Harris, Bicester Village, Watches of Switzerland and JLL.
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