SHARIA LAW VS WOMEN POWER IN THE PERSIAN GULF

Woman Power


15 October 2010

Emirati women entrepreneurs have taken different paths to create their businesses with passion and determination

MOVING FROM the palace to the marketplace is a metaphor for a change. All over the Middle East, women are continuing to cross boundaries, going from being heads of households to small business owners to CEOs. While women entrepreneurs are a minority in most parts of the world, their presence in the Middle East and North African region (MENA) has been much lower in comparison to not only other middle-income regions but also predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. As the cost of living steadily rises in the region though, and the need emerges for job creation for a growing labour force, women entrepreneurs are playing a role in creating new employment opportunities.

ASMA DARWISH

is the managing director and interior designer at A&D Interiors, she set up her own firm early on in her career and is a member of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Entrepreneurs (SME). A graduate of the American University of Sharjah with a Bachelors degree of Science in Interior Design, Darwish set up A&D Interiors in 2007 from concept and design to a fully operational business which included complete responsibility for strategy setting, management, marketing and design and project management.

“I wanted to be different and I loved designs. I used to freelance, but then I felt that I wanted security for myself and most importantly I wanted to please my clients so I ventured into design and learnt from other designers and colleagues. Slowly and steadily, that’s how my baby was born,” says Darwish.

If you are renovating or building — or just want a fresh new look — you will need to solve important space issues and choose the design, finishes and products that will work for you and look the way you want. “We give good planning and professional advice. My first design was of a shop for a wedding planner and the most delightful one was a residential place at Palm Island,” she says.

The designs she chooses are a blend of contemporary and classic, a blend of mashreq and maghrib (East and West).  

Darwish is inspired by UK-based designer Kelly Hoppen and hopes to meet her someday.

The day she got the keys to her office Darwish knew she had arrived. “I was considered a serious businesswoman and that was my doorway to the world,” she says, adding, “But my most valuable experience is from the on-the-job training that I am always doing: with each new project I’m always learning new things.”

Darwish mainly works on residential projects 
and works collaboratively with her clients to create spaces that reflect “my client’s individual taste, personality and lifestyle.” “There are always challenges with projects. Not all projects go smoothly. I call them expensive experiences because there are times I’ve had to put in things with my own pocket just to make sure the clients are happy.”

Bright and bold colours are her favourites and she describes herself as a very colourful person, but yes, she draws a balance when it comes to splashing them on the walls.

“I could hit upon an idea just by looking at things around me; it could be a bookcover, the colour of a shirt or top or even if I hear some nice jingle on TV; sometimes what the client wants can inspire 
me to think out of the box,” she says.

With a tight schedule, she still finds time to hang out with friends. “Sometimes the work pressure can be very challenging when everything does not go down too well. That’s when I vent it out through kick-boxing; I also love running. When I feel generous, I treat myself to a spa or a week-long vacation,” she says.  

When Darwish feels that there’s something missing in her work, she could forego the money and walk out. “My work has to reflect me in it. The moment I find it’s missing, I will move out. I would never be fake and am too independent to let it affect me.”

She tells other women entrepreneurs, “There will always be problems on the job. Think of them as a challenge and mistakes as expensive experiments. Be optimistic and move on.”

NAYLA AL KHAJA

is breaking new ground in the UAE. She’s the first female filmmaker/producer in the emirates. In 2002, Khaja founded D-Seven Motion Pictures, producing commercial material, independent documentaries and films.

Becoming the UAE’s own Oprah, she’s developing a proposal for a talk show tackling sensitive issues. 

Besides her television work, Khaja is currently working on a short film about a young Emirati couple on honeymoon and a documentary on Dubai’s ruling family. “I just got back from India after shooting in Kerala, during monsoons,” she says, adding, “People, cultures and stories fascinate me and I’d like to bring about a fusion of cultures through my work.”  

She’s also the first Emirati to shoot a feature film in India. The film Malal (boredom) portrays an Emirati girl who is married to an Indian man and on her honeymoon in India. “We had good fun shooting, except for the leeches. We had to wear gum boots, all of us except for the poor lead actor who wore slippers and jumped up and down as soon as the camera stopped rolling,” she laughs.   

In 2006, she made Arabana which deals with the disturbing issue of child abuse, a subject which is taboo in the Middle East. Although it was very difficult to fit such an intense subject into a span of only six minutes, Khaja managed to do so quite efficiently and not without effect. The movie is hard-hitting, and makes you sit up and take notice. It premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival and received special recognition for its content.

Khaja is always on the move. “Filmmaking makes you travel a lot. I just came back from India; now I’ll be going to Japan for a shoot. My parents weren’t too happy with my decisions earlier, but now they have accepted it,” she says.     

She has been watching Hindi films from the time she was a kid and wants to make her company just as huge as YashRaj Films.

Knowing that filmmaking is tough business, she hasn’t given up, “When I complain to my mother that I have problems, she asks me — compared to who? Look at the world. People are suffering. I know I can find money even under a stone. It’s all about wanting to survive and all of us will; there’s lots of space on Earth and the universe is made up of billions of solar systems. I look at it and feel so humbled.” No wonder she is fascinated with the universe, the planets, the solar system and keeps track of NASA news.

“I don’t just believe in reaching for the moon, I find myself amongst the stars,” she smiles. 

TALA BADRI

When Badri was a kid and her mother asked her what she wanted to be, she would say, “the queen of England.” Born and educated in Dubai, at the age of 17, Badri was awarded a full scholarship by the Government of Dubai to study music at Royal Holloway at the University of London and became the only female Emirati music graduate.

“I had performed in front of 500 people in the late 80s and the press got a whiff of it and came and listened to me and when I got rave reviews, I was sent to study music,” she says.

Badri worked for the next 10 years in the financial sector (Barclay’s Bank) and the consumer sector (Mars) gaining experience in finance, human resources and management. Whilst working in the corporate sector, Badri continued to teach flute and piano regularly and was heavily involved in the performing arts community in Dubai, including being instrumental in the development of the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre. “It was my daughter’s autism that actually inspired me to start this institute as music therapy helped her a lot.”

Music has helped heal many people she says. “Especially teens and youngsters who face daily dilemmas and it helps calm them.”

Badri then founded the Centre for Musical Arts, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing high quality and affordable music instruction for people of all ages and walks of life.

The Centre has people from various corners of the globe who have signed up for saxophone lessons. “Each of them has never picked up a saxophone in their life before, and now they are coming along for lessons every Tuesday,” she says. “My long-term goal is to have a purpose-built academy in the UAE,” she says.

Running your own business is challenging and exciting — but hearing real stories from the trenches is quite soothing.