April 12, 2016
By Joby Warrick
Two years after proclaiming a new “caliphate” (click here) for Muslims in the Middle East, the Islamic State is seeing a steep slide in support among the young Arab men and women it most wants to attract, a new poll shows.
Overwhelming majorities of Arab teens and young adults now strongly oppose the terrorist group, the survey suggests, with nearly 80 percent ruling out any possibility of supporting the Islamic State, even if it were to renounce its brutal tactics.
A year ago, about 60 percent expressed that view, according to the 16-country survey released Tuesday.
...leaders have failed to deliver the goods for their citizens, especially young people. Of these ‘goods’ the one most prized by young Arabs is simply opportunity: the opportunity to reach their potential in a secure, safe environment, free of corruption, and open to innovation and creativity. This opportunity offers the dignity of succeeding or failing on your terms, not because of wasta (connections) or lack thereof, or any other factor.
When the Tunisian vegetable vendor Mohammad Bouazizi set himself on fire in December 2010 to protest a predatory government that had taken away his means of making a living – his opportunity – he likely had no idea that he would ignite uprisings across the Arab world; uprising driven by a “burned generation” of Arab youth fed up with corruption, dictatorship, and lack of opportunity....
Ms. Woodcraft sees a world that still doesn't appreciate women and opportunity.
Clare Woodcraft (click here)
It is shocking that in the 21st century we still need to justify why women should be given equal opportunities in the workforce and public sphere, given they comprise 50 per cent of the world’s population. While we see progress around women in senior governance and decision-making roles through, for example, legislation in the UAE and quotas in countries such as Norway, the targets are still modest. A campaign in the UK to get women on FTSE boards targets just 33 per cent rather than 50 per cent. Meanwhile, feminism has gone out of fashion even though it just means equal rights for men and women.
Women in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), however, are leading the charge and becoming as vocal and active as their international counterparts in calling for more empowerment, equal opportunities, pay and voice. They are also increasingly taking up senior leadership roles and providing the much needed role models that can be game changing for young women across the Arab world....
Emma Watson, the actress, has begun the identification of feminism. She has recognition and is popular. She should continue to be that voice so many women still need to hear.
...Research shows that young Arab women can be inspired by just one person – one person who is able to demonstrate that women can break down barriers and taboos....
That is wonderful news and I am not sure that is true of women and not just Arab women. I was to a gathering yesterday evening where film clips were used to illustrate the relationship of women leaders to those they lead. It was simple to the point with a panel of about six women and a man. After each film clip the panel members commented on their responsibilities to their employers or their own business. It only took once and the audience 'got it.' Women leaders can be nurturers if it works, but, when it doesn't they have to be firm and expect respect. Nurturing environments have a lot respect within them, but, there is a limit and holding softer leadership values beyond that limit is a folly for both the leader and the employee.
I am glad to hear a women leader state Arab women listen to peers and can be elevated by one other person. I wish them all the wholesome success they desire.
By Joby Warrick
Two years after proclaiming a new “caliphate” (click here) for Muslims in the Middle East, the Islamic State is seeing a steep slide in support among the young Arab men and women it most wants to attract, a new poll shows.
Overwhelming majorities of Arab teens and young adults now strongly oppose the terrorist group, the survey suggests, with nearly 80 percent ruling out any possibility of supporting the Islamic State, even if it were to renounce its brutal tactics.
A year ago, about 60 percent expressed that view, according to the 16-country survey released Tuesday.
“Tacit support for the militant group is declining,” concludes a summary report by the poll’s sponsor, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm that has tracked young Arabs’ views in annual surveys for the past eight years. Other recent surveys have found similarly high disapproval rates for the Islamic State among general populations in Muslim-majority countries....
...The 2016 ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey offers a cleaner example of Paar’s flattery because it simply asked young Arabs
an aspirational question: “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?” For the fifth consecutive year, young Arabs gave the same answer – the United Arab Emirates. The United States and Germany are a distant second and third, and only two other Arab countries cracked the top ten....
an aspirational question: “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?” For the fifth consecutive year, young Arabs gave the same answer – the United Arab Emirates. The United States and Germany are a distant second and third, and only two other Arab countries cracked the top ten....
Is that what all young men want? Opportunity?
When the Tunisian vegetable vendor Mohammad Bouazizi set himself on fire in December 2010 to protest a predatory government that had taken away his means of making a living – his opportunity – he likely had no idea that he would ignite uprisings across the Arab world; uprising driven by a “burned generation” of Arab youth fed up with corruption, dictatorship, and lack of opportunity....
Ms. Woodcraft sees a world that still doesn't appreciate women and opportunity.
Clare Woodcraft (click here)
It is shocking that in the 21st century we still need to justify why women should be given equal opportunities in the workforce and public sphere, given they comprise 50 per cent of the world’s population. While we see progress around women in senior governance and decision-making roles through, for example, legislation in the UAE and quotas in countries such as Norway, the targets are still modest. A campaign in the UK to get women on FTSE boards targets just 33 per cent rather than 50 per cent. Meanwhile, feminism has gone out of fashion even though it just means equal rights for men and women.
Women in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), however, are leading the charge and becoming as vocal and active as their international counterparts in calling for more empowerment, equal opportunities, pay and voice. They are also increasingly taking up senior leadership roles and providing the much needed role models that can be game changing for young women across the Arab world....
Emma Watson, the actress, has begun the identification of feminism. She has recognition and is popular. She should continue to be that voice so many women still need to hear.
...Research shows that young Arab women can be inspired by just one person – one person who is able to demonstrate that women can break down barriers and taboos....
That is wonderful news and I am not sure that is true of women and not just Arab women. I was to a gathering yesterday evening where film clips were used to illustrate the relationship of women leaders to those they lead. It was simple to the point with a panel of about six women and a man. After each film clip the panel members commented on their responsibilities to their employers or their own business. It only took once and the audience 'got it.' Women leaders can be nurturers if it works, but, when it doesn't they have to be firm and expect respect. Nurturing environments have a lot respect within them, but, there is a limit and holding softer leadership values beyond that limit is a folly for both the leader and the employee.
I am glad to hear a women leader state Arab women listen to peers and can be elevated by one other person. I wish them all the wholesome success they desire.
