Carolina Herrera: The Middle East is an inspiration

From my observations, Saudi women are a lot like Latin Americans; they love makeup and colors,” said the Venezuelan fashion designer, Carolina Herrera, after her visit to Jeddah to support breast cancer awareness with Zahra Breast Cancer Association.
Herrera and her daughter Carolina Adriana held a press conference in Jeddah last October to announce that a charity dinner event would be held at the Park Hyatt Jeddah under the patronage of Princess Haifa Bint Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, chairman of Zahra Breast Cancer Association. Guests were invited to contribute to the cause and entered into a draw to win an item from the Carolina Herrera New York boutique.
“We are extremely pleased to be widening our appeal to raise money for breast cancer awareness. We are now raising funds across Latin America, the US, Spain and the Middle East. Our efforts will hopefully enable us to support breast cancer patients and their families around the world,” she said at the press conference.
Carolina Herrera's eponymous fashion label has been in demand ever since her first line was released in 1981. She has designed everything from casual to evening, formal dresses and bridal gowns and has found success in every approach thanks to her elegance, style and simplicity that knows no boundaries.
During her visit, she met with a number of Saudi women at a gala dinner where she said abayas and kaftans have been around for a while and many international designers and brands were inspired by them.
“I believe Saudi women are very elegant. Their abayas are very beautiful and they have flawless skin, beautiful eyes and incredible hair. I saw Princess Haifa Al-Faisal and her sister Princess Ola and they were stunning and they looked very elegant and chic,” she said. “In every summer collection, you get to see beautiful, colorful kaftans that women wear at the beach, from Yves Saint Laurent and other designers, and I believe it’s an easy wear and elegant. This would definitely be an inspirational source especially after my visit to Jeddah and Dubai,” she added.

According to Herrera, fashion is a mystery that has to be fun, elegant and a part of your everyday life. Growing up, the designer wasn't dressing dolls or playing with fabrics. Instead, she used to ride her horse every day, take care of her dogs and play tennis — activities that had very little to do with fashion. However, at the age of 16, fashion became her passion.
“Fashion is made for the eyes and not for the intellect; fashion changes with time and you always have to be updated and educated with what’s in and what’s out. The only thing I know is that I love fashion,” said Herrera.
Herrera does not follow international trends out of fear that her designs will end up looking like uniforms. She likes to come up with her style and says it's important in fashion to be original, unique and different.
"I have my own view and my aim in fashion is that I want to see women look elegant, sophisticated and feminine,” she said.
Herrera’s biggest fear when designing is that she has to come up with a new concept for every collection. “The biggest question in the fashion world is ‘What’s new?’ and you always have the right answer that satisfies me and everyone around you,” she said. “I’m blessed with a team that has my eyes, so whenever I run out of ideas, they help me. It’s like a collaboration and we all help each other.”
When asked who she would choose to play her role in a movie, Hererra said she would choose French actress Catherine Deneuve. “I have always admired Catherine Deneuve and I think she is a fantastic actress. She is beautiful, elegant and sharp and this is why I see her playing me in a movie."
Hererra has dressed everyone from Renee Zellweger, Blake Lively to Christina Hendricks and Oprah Winfrey. But in her three-decade career, Herrera’s most devoted client was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who wore her designs in the last 12 years of her life.
“All my clients are women who look for elegant, simple yet chic clothing. I would so much love to dress the Qatari prince’s wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned. I admire her and I love the way she looks. I believe that she is very elegant and a fashion icon. She is very beautiful and sophisticated and this is what attracted me to her style,” she said.
There are six Carolina Herrera flagship boutiques in the world. They are in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Bal Harbor, Las Vegas and Caracas. Herrera also established a diffusion line under the name CH that is currently sold all over the world.

“I opened CH Carolina Herrera, my lifestyle line, to introduce people to my designs. I want them to know my name and my designs before I open another flagship. I’m studying the Middle East market to see their approach to my clothing stores in CH and once I’m sure that the people are familiar with the brand, I will open a Carolina Herrera for evening dresses and bridal boutique,” she said.

Herrera has been involved in many social responsibility and volunteering projects around the world, including God's Love We Deliver, a charity that provides around 4,000 meals a day to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Starting next year, Herrera will develop a perfume for charity.

“Carolina, my daughter, is in charge of designing and creating a new perfume for 2012 and all the income from this specific perfume will be donated to support charity organizations. The perfume is going to be called Carolina Herrera l'eau which means water and it will be sold all over the world,” she said.

Carolina Herrera just opened her new store in Abu Dhabi and released a limited edition elegant golden handbag for Abu Dhabi shoppers to celebrate the opening. The handbag has the word “Abu Dhabi” printed on it and a small palm tree decorated with Swarovski crystals as a symbol of the UAE.

Women of Saudi Arabia announce: My Name Is…

2011 was a year when women’s issues in Saudi Arabia took a good shaking. In June, the world witnessed the long awaited and exceptional move by women to take to the steering wheel and demand their right to drive. In September, King Abdullah announced women’s right to run and vote in the Shura Council. “We refuse to marginalize the role of women in every aspect of Saudi society,” he announced in a speech. But still, there is much fodder in the frustration of women’s positions in Saudi Arabia for artists to work with.

Manal Al Dowayan is one of them. Globally recognized, she is a prolific multi-media artist. Originally from the Eastern Province, Al Dowayan’s art, ranging from photography to installation and sculpture, has often touched on the crucial topic of gender-specific social obstacles in her home country. Her latest project, “My Name Is,” touches on a quieter cultural norm: the idea that uttering a woman’s name out loud is offensive.
“If I were to walk into any boys’ school in Saudi Arabia today and ask one of the students: ‘What is your name?’ He would answer the question with confidence. Should I ask: ‘What is your father’s name?’ He would again easily answer. However, should I ask: ‘What is your mother’s name?’ He would hesitate and become nervous and will decide not to give me an answer in an attempt to hide his mother’s name from his schoolmates.’”

This is the anecdote that is the basis of Al Dowayan’s project. Because of the communal contagion of this unspoken culture, Al Dowayan thought it important to base her new piece on a participatory practice. In that, the process of the work became just as valuable as the end result. Having run three workshops during December, in Alkhobar, Riyadh and Jeddah, Al Dowayan met with over 300 women who wrote their names on the large sized beads that ultimately make up the piece. The women included career women, award winning scientists, artists, mothers and grandmothers.

“The baby girls had their names written by their fathers,” Al Dowayan told Arab News. “There was a sense of euphoria and joy among the participating women to be able to have a voice on this subject and to have a gathering of this many women who are in total agreement. It was an experience many women in Saudi Arabia, including myself, have never had.”

In this sense of unity, the women created a statement: “Our names will be preserved and we will not allow the Saudi woman’s name to be erased, replaced, nor become a source of shame.”
The idea itself came about during her pilgrimage to Hajj where she discussed, with other women in the camp, topics relevant to gender issues in the Kingdom. “These discussions inspired me to work on the subject of women’s names becoming a social taboo.”

Having sprouted in a spiritual setting, Al Dowayan didn’t look past deeply traditional and religious elements as being the basis of this culture. But on the contrary, what Al Dowayan found was empowerment to a woman’s name. As noted in her artist statement: “A wonderful hadith illustrates this concept; Amr ibn Al A’as said: The Prophet (PBUH) was asked (“Oh Prophet of God, who is the most beloved to you?” He said: “Aisha”). The prophet pronounced his wife’s name with no shame. Historically, the “mothers of Islam” names were always known and quoted and spoken about. There are lessons to be learned from this hadith. Following in the Prophets example, Saudi Arabia’s founding father, King Abdul Aziz, would take great pride in his sister’s name, Princess Noura. Especially when caught in tense situations he would shout: “And I am the brother of Noura!” and he was a true tribal man.”

In bringing these 300 names to the public, Al Dowayan has presented a multi-layered project that brings women’s roles in society together. She has inadvertently surfaced the strong sense of community and work ethic of women in Saudi Arabia. And they range, from the city women who volunteered for the workshops, took part in discussions and put their names on the beads to the Bedouin women who Al Dowayan involved in the project to make the ‘Sadu’ that will act as the rope stringing the beads together. “I make a call for support and women donate their time and energy to help me. Its no wonder the women of Saudi Arabia are my source of inspiration,” she says.

In the past, Al Dowayan’s projects allowed her to express other concerns relating to her own role as a woman in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, she created a portrait series specifically addressing subjects like employment, driving and voting. The aim was to “highlight that Saudi women are not secondary citizens and can actively participate in building their society and make decisions,” she stresses. Last year, Al Dowayan experimented with her first participatory lead project entitled “Suspended Together,” which reflected on the issue of travel and movement for Saudi women. It was displayed at the 2011 Venice Biennale as part of the pan-Arab exhibition, “Future of a Promise.”

“My Name Is” will be displayed at Edge of Arabia’s first, grand, home-based exhibition. Entitled “We Need to Talk,” the exhibition will open at Jeddah’s Al Furusia Marina on Jan. 19. Al Dowayan’s project will then travel independently to various cities.

Carolina Herrera: The Middle East is an inspiration

From my observations, Saudi women are a lot like Latin Americans; they love makeup and colors,” said the Venezuelan fashion designer, Carolina Herrera, after her visit to Jeddah to support breast cancer awareness with Zahra Breast Cancer Association.

Herrera and her daughter Carolina Adriana held a press conference in Jeddah last October to announce that a charity dinner event would be held at the Park Hyatt Jeddah under the patronage of Princess Haifa Bint Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, chairman of Zahra Breast Cancer Association. Guests were invited to contribute to the cause and entered into a draw to win an item from the Carolina Herrera New York boutique.

“We are extremely pleased to be widening our appeal to raise money for breast cancer awareness. We are now raising funds across Latin America, the US, Spain and the Middle East. Our efforts will hopefully enable us to support breast cancer patients and their families around the world,” she said at the press conference.
Carolina Herrera's eponymous fashion label has been in demand ever since her first line was released in 1981. She has designed everything from casual to evening, formal dresses and bridal gowns and has found success in every approach thanks to her elegance, style and simplicity that knows no boundaries.

During her visit, she met with a number of Saudi women at a gala dinner where she said abayas and kaftans have been around for a while and many international designers and brands were inspired by them.
“I believe Saudi women are very elegant. Their abayas are very beautiful and they have flawless skin, beautiful eyes and incredible hair. I saw Princess Haifa Al-Faisal and her sister Princess Ola and they were stunning and they looked very elegant and chic,” she said. “In every summer collection, you get to see beautiful, colorful kaftans that women wear at the beach, from Yves Saint Laurent and other designers, and I believe it’s an easy wear and elegant. This would definitely be an inspirational source especially after my visit to Jeddah and Dubai,” she added.

According to Herrera, fashion is a mystery that has to be fun, elegant and a part of your everyday life. Growing up, the designer wasn't dressing dolls or playing with fabrics. Instead, she used to ride her horse every day, take care of her dogs and play tennis — activities that had very little to do with fashion. However, at the age of 16, fashion became her passion.

“Fashion is made for the eyes and not for the intellect; fashion changes with time and you always have to be updated and educated with what’s in and what’s out. The only thing I know is that I love fashion,” said Herrera.

Herrera does not follow international trends out of fear that her designs will end up looking like uniforms. She likes to come up with her style and says it's important in fashion to be original, unique and different.
"I have my own view and my aim in fashion is that I want to see women look elegant, sophisticated and feminine,” she said.

Herrera’s biggest fear when designing is that she has to come up with a new concept for every collection. “The biggest question in the fashion world is ‘What’s new?’ and you always have the right answer that satisfies me and everyone around you,” she said. “I’m blessed with a team that has my eyes, so whenever I run out of ideas, they help me. It’s like a collaboration and we all help each other.”

When asked who she would choose to play her role in a movie, Hererra said she would choose French actress Catherine Deneuve. “I have always admired Catherine Deneuve and I think she is a fantastic actress. She is beautiful, elegant and sharp and this is why I see her playing me in a movie."

Hererra has dressed everyone from Renee Zellweger, Blake Lively to Christina Hendricks and Oprah Winfrey. But in her three-decade career, Herrera’s most devoted client was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who wore her designs in the last 12 years of her life.

“All my clients are women who look for elegant, simple yet chic clothing. I would so much love to dress the Qatari prince’s wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned. I admire her and I love the way she looks. I believe that she is very elegant and a fashion icon. She is very beautiful and sophisticated and this is what attracted me to her style,” she said.

There are six Carolina Herrera flagship boutiques in the world. They are in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Bal Harbor, Las Vegas and Caracas. Herrera also established a diffusion line under the name CH that is currently sold all over the world.

“I opened CH Carolina Herrera, my lifestyle line, to introduce people to my designs. I want them to know my name and my designs before I open another flagship. I’m studying the Middle East market to see their approach to my clothing stores in CH and once I’m sure that the people are familiar with the brand, I will open a Carolina Herrera for evening dresses and bridal boutique,” she said.

Herrera has been involved in many social responsibility and volunteering projects around the world, including God's Love We Deliver, a charity that provides around 4,000 meals a day to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Starting next year, Herrera will develop a perfume for charity.

“Carolina, my daughter, is in charge of designing and creating a new perfume for 2012 and all the income from this specific perfume will be donated to support charity organizations. The perfume is going to be called Carolina Herrera l'eau which means water and it will be sold all over the world,” she said.

Carolina Herrera just opened her new store in Abu Dhabi and released a limited edition elegant golden handbag for Abu Dhabi shoppers to celebrate the opening. The handbag has the word “Abu Dhabi” printed on it and a small palm tree decorated with Swarovski crystals as a symbol of the UAE.

A lady’s look is never complete without accessories

Sogol Zabihi is a Persian-American talented jewelry designer who has made a name for herself with a high end line that sells in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Egypt. Her designs have a strong statement and are best described as sassy, fearless and bold.

Zabihi moved to Dubai when she was just a year old where she grew up and learned about people’s different cultures and tastes. Once she graduated from high school, she continued her education in Management Information System in Los Angeles. She later moved back to Dubai and worked at her family business for few months before deciding to start her own line, Jewels by Sogol.

Zabihi started designing jewelry in 2006 after she traveled to the South of France where she got inspired by the beautiful jewelry designs. “The jewelry designs were so lavishly made that I had to share the inspiration with other women,” she said. “Over the past five years of designing jewelry, I have gained more experience in this field and have learned to identify the different preferences that women have.”

Jewels’ style is unique, strong, hip and girlie by all means, and her brand is trendy, chic and elegant. “My customers are usually young women who are, in one way or another, engaged in the fashion industry,” she said. “The Middle Eastern art incorporated into each of my jewelry provides a sense of royal luxury to women, and the wide range of colors brings uniqueness to each look. The creativity of the designs within each piece gives women an edge on fashion.”

According to Zabihi, adding a piece of jewelry can change one’s outfit drastically. “A lady’s look is never complete without accessories. You can be wearing jeans and a simple white top for a day look and just add on a chunky gold necklace to take that same look to a night look,” she said. “This is why I have always been so passionate about jewelry and thus share my passion with women everywhere.”

Another reason why Zabihi loves jewelry is that it fits everyone, regardless of their body size. As a result, earrings, necklaces and bracelets make great gifts.

Her Jewels items are made with Swarovski crystals and are gold plated and finely hand painted in Italy, which exquisitely enhances their beauty. “Jewels has a wide range of collections with different style preferences for women. I mostly use bright colors to give a sense of liveliness to each piece,” said Zabihi. “The bright colors are somehow a symbol which represents Jewels, making it stand out and give dynamic energy.” Her most recent collection has neutral colors for the winter such as pearls, white, black, green, blue and brown.

One of Jewels’ best sellers are the Cleopatra earrings, and customers want more and more of this design. “It has inspired me to make similar designs of these earrings. I have also made jewelry for events such as the Formula one in Abu Dhabi and World Horse Races in Dubai,” she explained. “Choosing the colors is super fun. I have always loved colors, especially bright colors because they are very fashionable now and never seem to be out of fashion.”

Zabihi feels grateful when she sees someone wearing her designs. “I feel grateful to know that my pieces are loved out there as much as I love each piece,” she said. “It makes me happy to know that my designs make other women feel special when they use them to finish off their looks.”

When asked who she would choose to wear her designs, Zabihi said Oprah. “She is such a talented and inspiring lady. Intellectual and motivated, she is the driving force of so many ladies in the world.”

According to Zabihi, upcoming trends in the jewelry industry are mostly focused on size and color. “Big, bold and chunky is what is to mainly expect and bright colors are the main focus. Skulls, Fatima hand and eyes are always in fashion, but creating something different is key,” she said.

To her, the most important aspect of success in jewelry designing is to listen to what customers want and need. “At the same time, a designer should take risks with creative designs that stand out from the rest of the jewelry out there,” she said. “Women always want to feel special, and they can do that by wearing unique jewelry.”

Jewels by Sogol can be found in:

Sak, Sauce boutique, Bloomingdales - UAE

Saks - Bahrain

Mosaic Boutique- Kuwait

Amuse Boutique- Egypt

Queenie Padilla shares her rebirth after performing Haj in Makkah

By all accounts, a young Filipino singer-actress dubbed "the future leading lady" was on her way to stardom before she had a spiritual rebirth.

Queenie Padilla was starring in primetime TV shows and would sing and dance in production numbers on popular variety shows in the Philippines. She was the other half of a romantic pairing ("love team" in local showbiz parlance) meant to set hearts aflutter. At 20, she was living her dream — or so she thought.

"It was a deceiving dream," Queenie told Arab News as she sat wearing an abaya and a veil on her head. Devoid of makeup, her face is just as angelic and even more beautiful than when she was all dolled up for guest appearances and shows.

The Saudi media had recently picked up on the story of the Filipino celebrity who went to Makkah and came back with Islam reignited in her. After performing Haj for the first time, she declared to all and sundry that show business was now behind her. The YouTube video in which she tearfully shares her life-changing Haj experience was going somewhat viral; it was garnering likes and getting shared and re-shared among Muslims, and not just in the Kingdom. "Inspiring" was the consensus.

What triggered a 180-degree turn for the young lady who was dead-set on pursuing a showbiz career a mere four years ago? How did the decision come about? And, how did she break it to her fans?

Queenie said she had been so worried what the producers, directors, managers, and especially, her fans would think. Everyone had expectations of her and she was feeling the pressure. She had to ask herself: “Am I going to live my life disobeying Allah or am I going to make the final decision in living my life as a good Muslim and really practice Islam the right way? There was a struggle but I had to make a choice. So I made that choice. I quit.”

Queenie calls herself a revert to Islam because it was only eight months ago that she embraced her faith wholeheartedly after visiting her mother in Australia, where she grew up nominally Muslim with her two sisters and their youngest brother.

Her father Robin, who comes from a big showbiz clan, famously married Queenie's mother in Muslim rites inside prison as he was serving a 21-year sentence for illegal possession of firearms in the early 90s. He was pardoned by the then president, and he left jail in 1998 no less famous than when he entered it. He remains one of the Philippines' most bankable action movie and TV stars to date.

The busy life of a celebrity didn't leave much time for Robin to educate his family about Islam as much as he would want, but Queenie credits him nonetheless, because if it weren't for him they would not be Muslim.

“When I went to the Philippines, my father told me to wear a hijab and pray. But I didn't know why I was praying. I was ignorant about Islam and about being Muslim. At that time I hadn't yet tasted the sweetness of faith. I think that's why I was misguided.”

Their mother started practicing Islam herself just two months before Queenie did, and she let her eldest daughter know her desire for her children to become good, practicing Muslims. Queenie says that when she first saw her mother after the latter rediscovered Islam, she was pleasantly “shocked.”

“I saw this glow in her that I've never seen growing up as a child. Everything that came out from her mouth was all about Islam and Allah. And she was reading the Qur'an constantly and listening to lectures and she wore the hijab. I asked her if she was afraid of wearing the hijab in this society. She said she wasn't because she has piety, and that's all that matters."

Over dinner, they would have conversations about the Hereafter and whether or not they obeyed Allah with their deeds and actions.

"It got me thinking," she said. "I started evaluating and asking myself if I was really happy with my job, and I realized that there was something missing in my life. There was emptiness inside. I wanted to feel what my mother was feeling because she was so happy and content — and peaceful. I told her, 'Oh please, I want to learn more about Islam.'"

And she did. As she learned more about Islam, she knew she had found what would fill the void she was feeling: renewed religious fervor.

“It was an amazing feeling. I think it was a calling from Allah. The more I learned about Islam, the more it became my passion. And every day, when I gained more and more knowledge, the missing parts of myself began to grow. The emptiness is gradually going away too,” she added.

Queenie went to the Kingdom solely as a pilgrim and not an actress, although she met the Filipino community just the same. She visited the International Philippine School in Jeddah and other Saudi private schools where the students' reception was uniformly warm.

Her most unforgettable experience in her brief two weeks here, however, took place in a hospital where she visited a 30-year-old Filipino woman with a rare form of cancer. Queenie prayed for the patient who dreamed of going to the Kaaba. Shortly after, the woman reverted to Islam and declared her formula of faith in Islam, making Queenie “the happiest person alive.”

“The patient awakened me in a way; she reminded me that sickness or death could hit us anytime. Every day as Muslims, we should prepare,” Queenie said.

Queenie’s parents, now married to different people, are very happy over her decision to fully practice her religion. Her next mission is to share more about Islam with her sister Kylie, who is an up-and-coming star in her own right back home. Queenie also plans to major in business, and at the same time, take up Islamic studies.

These days, Queenie speaks with a conviction not previously seen in some of her TV interviews, in which she appeared reserved and even a little nervous. She has transformed into a lady who conveys the message of Islam to people with courage and confidence, even if she admits her knowledge is still limited.

Queenie — or Khadija, the Muslim name she recently adopted — is sure to lose fans once she leaves the glare of klieg lights completely, but she looks to have gained new ones in her journey of proclaiming her faith.

More opportunities for disabled Emirati women

ABU DHABI // Nada Al Bustani saw her life reflected this week in a study that shows the hardships disabled Emirati women face in areas including education, employment and participating in their communities.

The study released by researchers at UAE University and the Ministry of Social Affairs found three quarters of disabled Emirati women struggle to find work, 64 per cent have difficulty finding marriage partners and 80 per cent encounter negative attitudes towards them.

"I've worked in places where people didn't know how to deal with me," said Ms Al Bustani, 41, an Emirati who was born with a bone disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair. "I've had to advocate for the fact that I need a bathroom that is accessible."

The report into life for disabled Emirati women was released on Wednesday and funded by the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy.

"They are easily ignored or neglected by all people," said Dr Abdelaziz Sartawi, the study's lead researcher and chairman of the special education department at UAE University. "It's not only a problem in the UAE but in all developing countries, and in the Arab region."

The researchers tackled the topic of disabled women because it is rarely discussed in the Arab world, Dr Sartawi said.

"There are no studies in this domain," he said. "We thought it was very important for us, and the country, to know what is going on and to deal with the issue appropriately."

The study was one of several grant-winning projects from the 2009 Emirati Family Research Competition.

Researchers surveyed 150 Emirati girls and women with disabilities, and 150 able-bodied women. They also interviewed 38 parents of disabled children.

The study found women with disabilities suffer from "double discrimination", because of their disability and because they are female.

"Women are usually protected in any society but here if you have special needs, especially if you have mental retardation, protection is a little bit extra," said Ms Al Bustani, a PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong in Dubai studying emergency management for vulnerable and special-needs populations.

She said Emirati families were sometimes scared to send daughters with disabilities into the world, and the effort to protect women could hold them back.

"You are stopping the person from living their life in a full manner," Ms Al Bustani said.

Other women might hold themselves back because they are ashamed or afraid, said Awatif Akbari, who is blind.

"Some of them, they don't want even to move from the house," Ms Akbari, 34, said.



The report also found disabled women face numerous obstacles in school, in vocational training and at work.

Parents of daughters with disabilities told the researchers their children had encountered a lack of acceptance from peers and teachers, inappropriate examination systems and difficulty finding transport.

"If you look at the curriculum, it's not designed at all for them," Dr Sartawi said.

The visually impaired might need access to Braille materials or special computers, and the hearing impaired to sign language interpreters.

An even higher number of parents said their daughters faced work-related problems, with 74.7 per cent saying their daughter had trouble finding work, and 73.3 per cent reporting it was hard for their daughters to find a work environment adaptable to their needs.

"Usually the first thing I look at when I go to an interview is, are there ramps, is there a bathroom?" Ms Al Bustani said.

The parents also reported a lack of opportunities for marriage.

Researchers concluded policymakers and advocates must create more opportunities for disabled women. They also suggested increasing community outreach to families and recommended more clubs and programmes.

The UAE is already "stepping up" to create programmes, Dr Sartawi said.

Ms Akbari said the situation had improved in recent years.

"I think it's becoming better, you know, because of awareness," she said.

Ms Akbari and Ms Al Bustani found jobs they enjoy - Ms Al Bustani with the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority, and Ms Akbari with Tamkeen, a training centre in Dubai for the visually impaired.

"As to marriage, I don't think about this because now I feel that I have my freedom," Ms Akbari said. "I don't feel that I have lost something."

Kuwaiti women who studied abroad adjust to life at home

Fatimah al-Qattan, Director of Public Relations in an international company, said she was forced to study abroad because the University of Kuwait did not offer Business Administration as a scientific major. Despite her family's initial concern about her staying alone for a long period of time abroad, they eventually agreed she should go.

"And this was a great opportunity to rely on myself, especially since I studied in the United States and not in one of the Arab countries, which in the end maintains the same framework of Arab culture, customs and traditions," she said.

But her return to Kuwait was not as easy as she anticipated.

"When I came back to Kuwait, I thought I was going to work in the major I specialised in," she said. "Unfortunately, I did not find something that suits me and was in line with what I studied, which drove me to go back to school in Kuwait to complete my studies and reach the position and work that I want."

Al-Qattan is one of many young Kuwaiti women attempting to work in a field not normally open to women.

Al-Ma'rifah magazine published a study earlier this year prepared by global consulting firm Tony Blair Associates, Kuwait Vision 2030, that said the educational system is incapable of preparing the workforce to cope with the challenges of the future.

The Director of Public Relations and Information at the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait, Ali al-Halabi, told al-Shorfa the ministry makes opportunities available for young men and women to study abroad regardless of gender.

"The Ministry is providing the opportunity to both males and females to submit applications to complete their education abroad after finishing high school," al-Halabi said.

He said custom, however, including parents' fear of their daughters travelling abroad, keeps the ratio of men to women studying abroad unequal.

"The selection is not made according to sex at all, but according to ratios and school grades, given the fact that the proportion of males normally exceeds that of females, due to the customs and traditions that govern society and make some parents fearful of their daughters travelling abroad by themselves, which leads to the ratio of males reaching 65% and females 35%," he said.

Nonetheless, the decision to leave Kuwait to study constitutes a challenge, especially once young women return to Kuwait and reintegrate into society.

Dalal Ibrahim, an architect, said she has faced great difficulty since returning to Kuwait.

Ibrahim grew up in London, and then moved to live with her family in Kuwait when she was 10 years old. When she finished her high school education, she went to study at the American University in Sharjah.

"My mother objected due to concern that often haunts mothers with regards to their children, especially the girls, but my father was supporting me because he was aware of the extent of suffering that I had been through for the duration of my high school studies because I did not adapt to life and dealing with people in Kuwait," she said.

After finishing her university studies, Ibrahim strived to stay out of Kuwait as long as possible.

"I have already travelled to the United States for six months, which paved the way for me to work in a very prestigious company in Kuwait where I am treated like a foreigner," she said.

Ilham al-Qattan, Social and Psychological Development Advisor, said readjusting to life in Kuwait is more difficult for girls who grew up abroad than it is for girls who only left the country for their studies.

Although many girls are affected by the short years of life away from home, she said it "becomes easier for them to adapt when they return to their original society, with some exceptions".

But the situation of those who grew up abroad is very difficult, because many of the cases that she has dealt with show a clear rejection to adapting with the Kuwaiti society as a result of the customs they acquired in the West, al-Qattan said.