Mariam al-Mansuri

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Mariam al-Mansuri ( Arabic مريم المنصوري, DMG Maryam al-Manṣūrī ; * 1979 in Abu Dhabi ) is the first female fighter pilot in the air force of the United Arab Emirates .

Life

Mariam al-Mansouri has seven siblings and originally studied English literature. Since women in the Emirates were not allowed to work as fighter pilots , al-Mansouri served in the General Command of the Emirates Armed Forces until she was accepted into the Air Force Academy (Khalifa bin Zayed Air College) . In 2007 she completed her training as one of three women as the first female fighter pilot in the history of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“It has always been my ambition to learn to fly.
The emblem on my shoulder is not a small thing, but a great responsibility. "

She is the first woman from the United Arab Emirates to fly a fighter jet in action. Mariam al-Mansouri is single, holds the rank of major and is a recipient of the “Pride of the Emirates Medal”. They commanded a squadron of F-16 Block 60 of the Air Force of the United Arab Emirates and flies since 23 September 2014 within the international coalition against Islamic State airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Yousef Al Otaiba, the Emirates' ambassador to the United States, said on a television broadcast on September 25, 2014 that al-Mansouri was a highly skilled pilot who was ready to fight. At the same time he confirmed their commitment.

Media coverage

Mariam al-Mansouri is celebrated as "Lady Liberty" on social networks and she is said to have received numerous marriage proposals. Islamist supporters called the fighter pilot a criminal because they believe that if they are killed by a woman they will not “go to heaven”.

Regardless of her commitment, she was already a victim of sexism in the print media and television when Greg Gutfield, host of Fox News , said that al-Mansouri could fly her jet but probably not park it afterwards. His colleague Eric Bolling asked, “Does she mean boobs on the ground?” Al-Mansouri's involvement in the air missions may have brought positive media coverage to the UAE, but the real reference to women's rights remains mixed and the United Arab Emirates are only number 10 on a list of 22 Arab states in their attitudes towards women.

Since September 27, 2014 various media reports that, according to a Palestinian news agency, her family condemned al-Mansourie's efforts and turned away from her. Assumptions that this “communication” might come from the ranks of the IS were mostly initial reactions to this statement by the Al Mansouri family in the media.

Role as a woman

Mariam al-Mansuri has been a celebrity in the United Arab Emirates since June 2014. The Abu Dhabi-based daily The National described her as the "Emirati woman who reaches for heaven". As a teenager, al-Mansouri decided to become a fighter pilot. Al-Mansouri told The National : “There was no difference between men and women in terms of training or missions (…) I have always focused on myself to improve my skills and I have a lot of support from commanders, Instructors and colleagues experience. ”Al-Mansouri's experiences with male colleagues in the US Air Force are more revealing : When a USAF tanker aircraft refueled Mansouri's F-16 for the first time and she was contacted by radio from the tanker, he (the US-American Pilots) the language for 20 seconds when he heard a female voice from the cockpit .

The government officials use the history of al-Mansouri as a welcome example for the modern Islamic state. The statements of the Ambassador of the Emirates in Washington are seen by parts of the press as stylizing Mariam al-Mansouri as an icon in the fight against IS terrorists .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Gianluca Wallisch: Mariam Al Mansouri: A pilot in the fight against the jihadists . The standard . September 26, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  2. Telegraph Video, video source CNN : Video: First woman fighter jet pilot from United Arab Emirates says she has to 'prove' herself in front of the men . The Daily Telegraph . September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved on September 29, 2014.
  3. a b c It is every IS terrorist's nightmare . 20min . September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  4. a b c d The National staff: UAE's female fighter pilot leads airstrikes against ISIL . The National (Abu Dhabi) . September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  5. a b c d e f Paul Nehf: Female miracle weapon against Stone Age Islamists . The world . September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  6. Errin McClam: ISIS Fight: Mariam Al Mansouri Is First Woman Fighter Pilot for UAE . NBC News . September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  7. a b Arab female fighter pilot flies against IS . Day indicator . September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  8. ^ Adam Schreck, by Associated Press : UAE's 1st female fighter pilot carried out strikes . Washington Post . September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  9. High-flying female fighter pilot sets inspiring example . The National (Abu Dhabi) . June 11, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  10. a b c Ishaan Tharoor: UAE's first female fighter pilot dropped bombs on the Islamic State . Washington Post . September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  11. "Lady Liberty" flies air strikes on jihadists . Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . September 26, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  12. a b Charlotte Zink: "Boobs on the ground" - Sexist jokes: First woman flies a fighter jet in Syria . Focus . September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  13. Felix Hütten: Sexism on TV Fox presenter smirks about bus troupe . Süddeutsche Zeitung . September 26, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  14. Itamar Sharon: Femme Fatale. Female Arab pilot sticks it to Jihadists , The Times of Israel, September 26, 2014
  15. Mariam Al Mansouri, a fighter pilot, expelled from her family . RTL Television . September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  16. Ted Thornhill and Chris Spargo: Arab woman pilot who is poster girl for Gulf states' blitz on ISIS is' disowned by her family 'for bombing' Sunni heroes of Iraq and the Levant ' . Daily Mail . September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  17. a b Cornelia Wegerhoff, ARD radio studio Cairo: Emirates use fighter pilot: "Lady Liberty" - nightmare for IS . Tagesschau (ARD) . September 27, 2014. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved on September 29, 2014.