A member of the Qatari Shura Council and academic Hind Al-Muftah holds great hopes for a more effective participation of women in the first parliamentary elections expected in Qatar, in order to enhance the contributions of Qatari women in legislative life, which will inaugurate her new era with dynamics better able to express the will of the voters.
Al-Muftah stated - in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that many Qatari women have begun preparing to run the electoral process, search and investigate past experiences regionally, and benefit from their lessons to hone their future experiences.
Al-Muftah is currently the Vice President of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and she holds a BA in Management from Qatar University, a Masters in Development Studies from the University of London, and a PhD from the University of Exeter in Britain, but she is one of the most vocal advocates of the Arabic language, and the approach taken by the Institute by adopting Arabic A major teaching language in education and scientific research.
The following is the text of the interview:
How does Dr. Hend Al Moftah know herself in words?
A Muslim, praise be to God, an Arab who is proud of her Arabism, a Qatari to the core, and very proud of my country and proud of belonging to him, a mother and a wife, who accumulated professional, leadership and academic experience of more than 20 years, during which I strive to serve my country in all that I was entrusted with, and I thank everyone who supported me and trusted me.
Hind Al Muftah, Vice President of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and a member of the Qatari Shura Council (Al Jazeera)
You held the position of Vice President of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies for Administrative and Financial Affairs for 6 years. What did the presence of a female administrator add to the administration of the institute?
My occupation of this position at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies came by virtue of my long and accumulated experience and my academic, professional and leadership career, so I used my experience alongside the rest of the members of the institute’s family in establishing it administratively, financially and academically, so that, thanks to God, he was able to reap its fruits, and perhaps because I was the only woman in leading the institute for 6 years. For years, this has enabled me to add a "different opinion" to the Institute's decision-making and policy.
And a word of truth I say, the institute added a lot to me, as it is a project that promotes a Qatari industry, an Arab identity and a global vision, and creates a diverse academic educational environment, as it contributed to enriching my management and leadership experience.
Has the institute been able to establish itself as an academic destination capable of producing thinkers and elites capable of participating in building their societies effectively?
Despite the existence of a diverse and strong base in the higher education sector in Qatar and the region, and despite the very old age of the institute and the difficulty of evaluating its outputs, I believe that the institute has managed to establish itself as a distinguished academic body specialized in postgraduate studies, especially in the social sciences, with a noble development message.
By virtue of my direct relationship with students, I saw the fruits of the Institute's investment in their work and ideas, through their research production and their influence in decision-making and policy-making.
That is why I assure you that the institute succeeded in achieving its goals, despite its newness.
You are known for your great attachment to the Arabic language, as evidenced by making it a major language of instruction within the programs of the Doha Institute .. Is the Arabic language able to keep pace with the science and research movement in light of its reality today?
I do not hide you, one of the points that attracted me to the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies is its eagerness to restore dignity to the Arabic language and revive it, and if we went back to previous civilizations, we would find that they made their renaissance in their mother tongue and not in any foreign language. This is in support of it, reviving its wasted dignity, and enhancing confidence in it in the Arab and international academic and research circles.
Far from weeping over the ruins of the Renaissance and bemoaning the beautiful past and the glory and prosperity of the Arabic language, adhering to it as a language of knowledge and work never contradicts its ability to keep pace with all developments, as evidenced by the superiority of other nations in their language.
Hind Al Muftah (fourth from right) defends the mission of the Doha Institute and its vision in the field of education (Al Jazeera)
About 4 years ago, for the first time, Qatar took a big step towards activating the role of women in legislative work, and I was one of 4 appointed women in the Shura Council. How do you evaluate women's participation after this experience?
What distinguished the presence of women in the work of the committees?
Although we are nearing the end of the fourth year since Qatari women entered the Shura Council, the experience is still relatively recent, and it is not possible to measure our current participation, assess its impact and feasibility, or even define what we aspire to in general, and we may wait for the experience of the next elections, with more community awareness and maturity. A deeper and longer political, and then we define our aspirations to participate in the elected legislature.
However, as the actual practice of the electoral process approaches and the features of the voting system and upcoming elections begin to become clear, we hope that qualified Qatari women will exercise their right to run through fair elections that take into account merit and competence, far from any other considerations, especially social considerations such as the influence of tribes and patriarchal society.
As for our role in the Shura Council, we continuously raise some general issues for discussion and study, and the resulting proposals and solutions that would address some of the issues that the citizen suffers from, and our role as members is similar to our fellow members. We participate in all council discussions, and we do not hesitate. In giving opinions.
Hind Al Muftah believes that her current experience in the Shura Council surrounded the national representation of the community (Al-Jazeera)
Can it be said that Qatari women, with their participation in political and legislative life, have completed the desired empowerment rings that began in many areas before?
Personally, I see that our current experience in the Shura Council has surrounded the national representation of society, not only in the local presence, but even the international, and is not limited to discussing legislation related to women and the family, but rather extended it to other aspects, and I believe that the role of women in the Legislative and Executive Council is equivalent to The role of men and nothing less than him.
Therefore, I can say that the empowerment rings - as I called them - have been completed formally and legally, but we still need more confidence in the capabilities of women and their potential in management and leadership, and their effective contributions in many areas.
The upcoming parliamentary elections in Qatar are different, with new organizational laws and legislative mechanisms. Will you run for them?
I do not know, until this moment I have not decided whether I will run the experience of the next elections, and I will leave the answer for the future, but I see many Qatari women have begun to prepare for this experience, and have begun to search and investigate past experiences regionally, to benefit from and through its lessons.
Is it expected that the tone of women will develop within the next parliament regarding the issues that will be discussed in the future?
A word of truth for the history of Qatari women and the history of the Shura Council. Our current voices as women in the Shura are no less powerful than any member of the brotherhood, but I will surprise you by saying that we consult women and men on some issues, whether raised personally or collectively.
Although we are currently appointed appointees and not teams, we represent the unelected people through their direct and indirect contact with us, and their request to us to discuss specific issues, and all that we put forward for discussion was a response to society.
Personally, I do not know how the situation will be with the elected council. The matter is related to several factors that cannot be mentioned here, but the elected votes will definitely have a stronger influence.
In the past, you worked as an advisor to the Minister of Commerce and Business, and you were close to the contributions of Qatari women in the field of business. What do you take about Qatari businesswomen and their role in the economic arena?
Apart from the achievements of Qatari women academically and professionally, which reflected positively on their effective and strong contributions to entrepreneurship and other areas that until recently were the preserve of males, my only take - perhaps - for business women is not to enhance professional communication between them, in order to make the best investment of their experiences. In all areas.
I very much aspire to see Qatari women in the fields of planning, scientific research, economics and entrepreneurship, and my ambition is greater for Qatari women to assume leadership positions more.
Al-Muftah places great hopes on women's effective participation in the political process and citizen representation (Al-Jazeera)
In 2013, you published the book "Concerns in Management", What is important to you in the field of management?
The book "Concerns in Management" was not an academic book that examines literary theories, but rather a documentation of a practical reality of the concept of management and leadership and their practice in the work environment. Their concerns were talking about real challenges in the work environment that touch the ordinary, leading and administrative employee, and wrong and correct administrative practices that should be talked about. And discuss it frankly and professionally.
You headed the Childhood Cultural Center previously, and you were a member of the Silatech Foundation, which is concerned with empowering young people to advance societies. In your opinion, what empowerment is required for the younger generation today and tomorrow?
The empowerment required for young people is preceded by a good preparation for them through better investment in their education and preparation for the labor market, development requirements and challenges, and although today's youth have proven themselves as usual every new generation of young people, making the change they want for themselves, especially in the fields of science, work and entrepreneurship, it still needs For more political and economic support, especially in conflict areas and unstable societies.
I believe that the correct non-formal empowerment of Arab youth - if I can speak about them - must start from political reform in their societies, achieving societal justice, stable and stable identity, away from political and sectarian partisanships, and the effective contribution of civil society institutions, a fair judiciary, and other components Actual empowerment.
Between work pressures and the tasks of the Shura Council?
Where is Dr. Hind's family duties?
And its community relations?
The balance between family and community life, the requirements and challenges of work and its manifold obligations is not an easy thing, and it requires some sacrifices from time to time, and I do not claim here that I am an ideal woman in achieving this balance, but rather I have suffered a lot to maintain its lower level during the past years.
However, praise be to God, thanks to the support of my family and my husband, we have crossed this challenge with all its ups and downs, and for this I appeal to society in all its spectrums and officials to attach bottles to work, and there must be flexibility in dealing with their changing family circumstances, and this may require adopting more flexible work systems in response to the challenges of working women. .