A woman walks on an empty beach in Sharjah, UAE.
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 that of the wife of a ruling sheikh.
On a Twitter publish on the same day of the announcement, Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi alluded to the fact that emirate women do not have the same right to automatically transmit citizenship to their children as emirate men do. “Naturalization of the children of women citizens. This is a demand, “he wrote. “Employment for Emirati citizens. That is a demand. “
Her husband is the ruler of Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, and heads the Supreme Council on Family Affairs. In a subsequent tweet, he stressed that his statements on various issues on Twitter should not be considered as criticism of the government. His office confirmed it was his personal Twitter account, but declined to comment further on the matter.
A UAE government official responded in response to family stability and social cohesion. The government is always willing to integrate people born to emirate foreign mothers and fathers and see how they contribute to the country’s development and prosperity, the official added.
In the United Arab Emirates, children born to Emirati women and foreign men are allowed to do so seek citizenship, but it is not automatic. In contrast, children born to local men and foreign women receive citizenship at birth. The situation is similar in many Middle Eastern nations, where efforts to expand citizenship rights have met. resistance.
The UAE government allows children born to Emirati mothers and foreign fathers 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 six years, the government said the official. Thousands of people born in these circumstances have received UAE citizenship in recent years, the official added.
The United Arab Emirates is opening up citizenship to select foreigners to boost the economy
The revision of the citizenship policy announced on Saturday has as its main objective to attract talent to drive the economic growth that was hard hit last year by Covid-19 and the reduction of crude oil prices. The lack of a social safety net forced many expatriates, who make up almost 90% of the population, return home after losing their jobs record highs.
Analysts and other Emiratis who commented on local and online media saw the change as a milestone that will allow for more economic and financial gains. But while the UAE is trying to boost its economic recovery with citizenship and other initiatives, Sheikha Jawaher was not the only person to cautiously point out that the changes could give expats a route to citizenship that it is not automatically available for the children of emirate women.
Some accused the government of selling the country’s birthright. Others said granting foreigners the same rights as locals puts the future of Emiratis at risk. Open criticism of government policy is rare in the United Arab Emirates.
Citizenship is a full-fledged problem in the Gulf nations, where foreigners from all walks of life make up a large segment 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 led to a setback.
Even in Lebanon, which is touted as the most liberal country in the Arab world, citizenship is not matrilineal because some politicians worry that it could upset the country’s already fragile sectarian balance.
– With the assistance of Abbas Al Lawati, Donna Abu-Nasr, Dana Khraiche and Reema Al Othman