Sharjah 24: The Cultural Office of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) in Sharjah organised an event, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

This came in the presence of Dr. Fatima Al Mughni, Dr. Shatha Allay, writer Sawsan Al Dahnaim, journalist Mounia Burnat, and poet Sajida Al Moussawi. The discussion was moderated by Aisha Al Ruwaimah, in Al Hira Council in Sharjah.

The guests spoke about their own experiences, and the challenges and difficulties they faced and overcame to achieve their ambitions. The beginning was with Al Mughni, who said: “We were only three students who graduated from high school, and the dream of university haunted me, so I decided to achieve it without opposing my family and traditions, so I stipulated that my dowry be the completion of my university studies, and I agreed to marry my husband and the father of my children when he sent me after learning of my condition, he said I will support you.”

Al Mughni continued, saying: “Indeed, I succeeded in completing my university studies, even though I was a mother of three children at that time. I subsequently succeeded in obtaining a master’s degree, and currently I am studying for a doctorate, and all my children and their wives also hold master’s and doctorate degrees. Our house, praise be to God, is a house of knowledge and culture.”

Al Mughni stressed that her work in the field of heritage and her volunteer work was the first and most important goal of serving the country and giving back to it, and that is why she was not deterred by any effort or fatigue.

The Iraqi poet Sajida Al Moussawi confirmed that she defied many harsh circumstances, including her eagerness to take care of her five daughters after the death of her husband, and they are successful and distinguished today. 

She also overcame the conditions of war and asylum and did not surrender to any of them. On the contrary, this was a motivation for her to continue, saying that the poetry remained always alive in her heart, until she found stability, security, and appreciation on the land of the UAE.

Journalist Mounia Burnat spoke about her media experience, saying: “I loved my work in the field of news editing on the MBC channel, but I was forced to leave work when I gave birth to my son Omar, especially when I learned that he was autistic, so I decided to devote myself to caring for him, and indeed I succeeded, as he is now a student at the University of Sharjah. However, my love for the media remained present, so when I was offered to work with Sharjah TV, I did not hesitate to agree, and I found myself in family programmes, and today I am working on specialising in family guidance as a new step in my professional career, and I see, from my experience, that the UAE is a true home for women’s talents in various fields and is able to provide all forms of support for them to excel.”

She added: “Many women today are at the forefront of the media, but not everyone is capable of excellence and true contribution in the media. If there are female media makers who are skilled in their work and keen on creativity, the women’s media community will be fine.”

Shatha Allay spoke about her experience, saying: “I believe that I have achieved success as a businesswoman and as a parliamentarian, thanks to my family’s support and encouragement for me, my ambition, and my desire for success and distinction. From my experience, I confirm that the real weapon for success is Knowledge. Knowledge is what opens up to us all areas of excellence and creativity, and having become a wife and a mother, this does not hinder me from excelling. I traveled with my daughter when she was only twenty days old, searching for new sources to support my university thesis. Motherhood has given me more strength and determination to continue, and parliamentary work has given me a lot of flexibility, skill in making decisions, and wisdom.”

Sawsan Al Dahnaim spoke about her experience, saying: “My father died when I was a child, and this had a great impact on me. I found comfort in expressing my sadness in writing, and since then I discovered my literary talent, but I went through a new turning point in my life when my husband died and left me with two small children, and I drowned in sadness, but my son said to me during a difficult moment that I was going through and I challenged it: Mom, you are super Mom. It was an important turning point in my life that gave me work energy and creativity and opened up ways for me to start a new life. Family was and still is my greatest motivation to challenge circumstances and continue giving and creating.”

She spoke about the experience of her marriage to the Emirati poet Ibrahim Al Hashemi, where she said: “I never imagined that I would leave my homeland, Bahrain, one day, but I moved to live in the UAE after my marriage, which I never regretted. On the contrary, I found all the support and encouragement with him, and praise be to God. Women and men complement each other in society and in all areas of life.”