The field of cyber (electronic) security is one of the unpopular fields in our Arab world, as it is still ambiguous about what services can be provided that directly affect humans in the modern era, unlike the rest of the familiar fields, such as engineering, medicine, theoretical sciences and others.

The Middle East Women's Association in Cyber ​​Security is one of the institutions supporting Arab women in this field, which is working to raise awareness of it, as it recently announced the results of the Women's Leadership Competition, which is one of the projects the Foundation is working on.

5 Arab women

The women's list for the competition - which is held at the level of the Middle East region - witnessed the presence of 5 Arab women, they are: Marian Azer from Egypt, Iman Al-Awadi from the UAE, Nihal Bin Youssef from Tunisia, and Aisha Bushkar from Bahrain, in addition to the first Qatari woman to qualify for the final of that competition, Sarah. Al-Khelaifi.

The Monitoring and Verification Agency of Al Jazeera Network (Sanad) conducted an interview with Al-Khelaifi, during which she spoke in detail about the competition, the field of cybersecurity in the Arab region, and the opportunities for the presence of the Arab girl in it, during which she stressed that the Qatari and Arab girl must follow her dream, no matter how difficult it is, and not be afraid Participation in local and international competitions because the competition itself is a success.

Proud to be the first Qatari woman to reach the final of the women's leadership competition in #cybersecurity at the level of the Middle East 🤲🏻♥️ Prayers


for success 🙏🏼#WICSME2021 pic.twitter.com/YRyotDanIs

— 🇶🇦 Sarah Al-Khelaifi (@Alkhelaifis) December 4, 2021

  • Let's start directly from the competition.. What is the Women's Leadership in Cybersecurity Competition?

The Women’s Leadership in Cyber ​​Security Competition emerged from the Middle East Women’s Association in Cyber ​​Security to support and empower women working in this field, develop them, and enhance their role in combating cyber attacks by providing intensive training, exchanging experiences, and overcoming the difficulties and challenges they face;

With the aim of securing the infrastructure in the Gulf countries and the Middle East from cyber risks.

  • How do I participate in this competition?

A curriculum vitae file is submitted with the most important achievements and contributions made in the field of cybersecurity, and voluntary initiatives. A committee of 20 experts in the field evaluates the file, taking into account years of experience and scientific and training certificates.

  • In simple terms, what is meant by cyber security?

    And what is its importance?

Cyber ​​Security The process of protecting everything in cyberspace, such as: the Internet, local and global networks, from data and information against cyber attacks from piracy, changing information, sabotaging or encrypting it, and using it in financial extortion with the aim of seizing funds or destroying the reputation of companies and institutions.

  • From your experience, how do you see the field of cyber security in our Arab world?

Our Arab world is in the process of digital transformation and keeping pace with the global information revolution, and with the development process, great support is provided by operational and academic institutions to ensure keeping pace with the technological revolution.

We find the largest academic universities graduating specialized batches in computer engineering, networks and cybersecurity, which is a human resource for the protection of cybersecurity.

The infrastructure in the Arab world is also a strong and protected structure through the application of global policies and procedures related to cybersecurity;

This development attracts many young energies to join the ranks of workers in this very required field at the present time.

  • Do the Arabs have a chance to excel in this field that is somewhat obscure to us?

Many distinguished Arabs in the field of cybersecurity, and there are models to be followed in the Arab world, such as Muhammad Al-Doub and Abdullah Al-Ali.

Cybersecurity is a science like the rest of the sciences in which it is characterized by those who strive to gain knowledge and experience from the application and learn from the experiences of others.

I would like to stress that cyber security is a vital and rapidly changing science, and we must keep pace with these rapid and dynamic changes in order to meet the highest standards of protection.

  • Let's move on to your educational career.. How did you enter the field of cyber security?

I graduated from Qatar University with a major in computer engineering, and at the beginning of my work at the end of the first decade of the third millennium, the term cyber security was not widely known in the Gulf countries.

I, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications, developed cybersecurity policies, which were the first of their kind in the State of Qatar, but I noticed that institutions are not committed to applying them. Therefore, I established the Cyber ​​Security Supervision Department with the aim of following up on the extent of compliance with cybersecurity policies, and evaluating the indicators of risks surrounding them.

Part of the participation of graduates of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the College of Engineering Sarah Al-Khulaifi and Khaled Al-Kubaisi in the “Qatar Day” event that is taking place in London, organized by Qatar Central Bank in cooperation with the City of London and British bodies @CSE_at_QU https://t.co/P42QRjppOx

— College of Engineering (@QUCENG) April 27, 2019

  • As the first Qatari woman to qualify for this competition in the Middle East, what is your advice to Qatari and Arab girls?

My advice to the Qatari and Arab girl is to follow her dream, no matter how difficult it is. Diligence and perseverance always overcome difficulties, and not be afraid to participate in local and international competitions because competition in itself is a success.

I would also like to note that the field of cyber security is currently the most in demand, and has a promising future in the era of technological transformation to protect the data that is used and exchanged via digital platforms, where data and information in our time is the new oil.