A woman walks on an empty beach in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Photographer: Francois Nel / Getty Images
Photographer: Francois Nel / Getty Images
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The new United Arab Emirates plan for offering citizenship to a select group of foreigners has generated some rare public discussions about rights, including from the wife of a ruling sheikh.
In a Twitter post On the same day as the announcement, Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi hinted that emirate women do not have the same right to automatically transfer their children’s citizenship as emirates. “Naturalizing the children of female citizens. This is a request, “she wrote. “Employment for emirates. This is a request. ”
Her husband is the leader of Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, and she leads the leadership of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. In a later tweet, she highlighted her comments on various topics on Twitter that should not be taken as a criticism of the government. Her office confirmed it was her personal Twitter account, but declined to comment further.
Family stability and social cohesion are of the utmost importance to the UAE leadership, said a response from the UAE government official. The government is always eager to integrate people born to emirates and foreign fathers and see them contributing to the country’s development and prosperity, the official added.
In the United Arab Emirates, children born to emirates and foreign men are allowed to do so seek citizenship, but it is not automatic. Instead, children born to local men and foreign women receive citizenship at birth. The situation is similar in many Middle Eastern nations, where efforts to extend citizenship rights have met. resistance.
The UAE government allows children born to emirate mothers and foreign fathers to apply for citizenship of the United Arab Emirates on reaching the age of 18, while their mothers have the right to apply for citizenship on their behalf if the child has lived in the country for at least six years, the government said the official. Thousands of people born in these conditions have received UAE citizenship in recent years, the official added.
The UAE opens citizenship to select foreigners to stimulate the economy
The revision of the citizenship policy announced on Saturday is mainly aimed at attracting talent to stimulate economic growth, which was severely affected last year by Covid-19 and falling oil prices. The lack of a social safety net forced many expatriates – representing almost 90% of the population – return home after losing their jobs maximum records.
Analysts and other emirates commenting in local and online media saw the change as a milestone that will allow for additional economic and financial gains. But while the UAE is trying to boost its economic recovery through citizenship and other initiatives, Sheikha Jawaher was not the only person to cautiously note that the changes could give expats a path to citizenship that is not automatically available to children of emirates.
Some have accused the government of selling the country’s birthright. Others said that granting foreigners the same rights as locals endangers the future of Emiratis. Open criticism of government policy is rare in the UAE.
Citizenship is a difficult issue 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 the citizenship of children of unknown parents has also triggered a push.
Even in Lebanon, which promotes itself as the most liberal country in the Arab world, citizenship is not matrilineal, as some politicians worry that it could already upset the country’s fragile sectarian balance.
– With the assistance of Abbas Al Lawati, Donna Abu-Nasr, Dana Khraiche and Reema Al Othman