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 new UAE plan for offering citizenship to a select group of foreigners has generated some rare public discussions about rights, including by the wife of a governing sheik.
On a Twitter post on the same day of the announcement, Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi alluded to the fact that Emirati women do not have the same right to automatically pass on citizenship to their children as Emirati men do. “Naturalization of women’s children. It is a requirement, ”she wrote. “Employment for Emirati citizens. This is a requirement. “
Her husband is the ruler of Sharjah, one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates, and she heads the Supreme Council for Family Affairs there. In a later tweet, she emphasized that her comments on various topics on Twitter should not be considered a criticism of the government. His office confirmed it was his personal Twitter account, but declined to comment further.
Family stability and social cohesion are of the utmost importance for UAE leadership, an UAE government official said in response. The government is always committed to integrating individuals born to mothers in the Emirates and foreign fathers and seeing them contribute to the country’s development and prosperity, the official added.
In the United Arab Emirates, children born to emirate women and foreign men can seek citizenship, but it is not automatic. In contrast, children born to local men and foreign women are given citizenship at birth. The situation is similar in many nations in the Middle East, where efforts to expand citizenship rights have been met resistance.
The UAE government allows children born to Emirati mothers and foreign parents to apply for UAE citizenship when they turn 18, while their mothers have the right to apply for citizenship on their behalf if the child lives in the country for at least at least six years, the official government said. Thousands of people born in these circumstances have received UAE citizenship in recent years, the official added.
United Arab Emirates opens citizenship to select foreigners to boost the economy
The review of the citizenship policy announced on Saturday mainly aims to attract talent to boost the economic growth that was hit hard last year by Covid-19 and to reduce oil prices. The lack of a social safety net forced many expatriates – who represent almost 90% of the population – return home after losing jobs high records.
Analysts and other emiratis commenting on local and online media saw the change as a milestone that will allow for greater economic and financial gains. But while the UAE seeks to boost its economic recovery with citizenship and other initiatives, Sheikha Jawaher was not the only person to observe with caution that the changes could give expatriates a path to citizenship that is not automatically available to the children of women from the Emirates.
Some accused the government of selling the country’s birthright. Others said that granting foreigners the same rights as locals puts the future of the Emirates at risk. Open criticism of government policy is rare in the United Arab Emirates.
Citizenship is a matter of concern in Gulf nations, where foreigners from all walks of life make up a large segment of the population and where nationals benefit from a generous welfare system. In neighboring Saudi Arabia, a recent decision to grant citizenship to children of unknown parents has also generated resistance.
Even in Lebanon, which calls itself the most liberal country in the Arab world, citizenship is not matrilineal because some politicians fear that this may disturb the country’s already fragile sectarian balance.
– With the help of Abbas Al Lawati, Donna Abu-Nasr, Dana Khraiche and Reema Al Othman