Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the wife of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, ruler of UAE’s Sharjah emirate, said Thursday that the appointment of women to the Sharjah Consultative Council was evidence that UAE women were ready to actively take part in public life
The first lady said women had accumulated the required experience in various walks of life, reported the Gulf News.
"We are very proud that the UAE's women have reached such an advanced level of preparedness to be able to serve their community and country. I hope that the new members will work under the umbrella of our traditions and habits that are based on our Islamic religion," she said.
Women have for the first time joined the consultative council of Sharjah, a conservative member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the official Emirati news agency WAM reported Wednesday.
The 40 new members of the council, named by Sheikh Sultan, include five women, the agency said.
Sharjah's consultative council, set up in 1999, becomes the first such body in the UAE - and the third in the conservative Arab Gulf states after Bahrain and Oman - to include women.
The council debates public affairs without having legislative powers.
The emirate of Sharjah last week introduced what local authorities called a moral code for "a better conservative society," clamping down on tight clothing, partial dress and unmarried couples meeting in public, according to an AFP report – Albawaba.com.
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