Taken from Khaleej Times Online, 9 June 2010

Young Emirati women with an interest in culture and innovation took centrestage last week at the 9th annual academic symposium at Zayed University.

A group of them showcased their new book on the country’s past in hopes of setting in stone their vision for the country.

The book, titled ‘The Secrets Behind the UAE Identity’, contains basic information of the country’s undiscovered culture and ways of living.

“We have researched, visited museums and spoken to the elderly to find out the truth behind certain cultural practices,” said Amal Al Mulla, a media student at the university.

She said the information in the book had never been discussed on the Internet before.

Marwa Al Tayer, also part of the project, said they had undertaken the project to answer questions related to Emirati culture.

“Some might ask things like why local men greet with their noses, why Emirati women wear a mask on their face (burqa), and a lot more. So we decided to find out and 
answer these in our book.

“We hope to have copies of our books in libraries in the near future,” she said

Young Hiba Hussain plans to conduct research on Japanese pop culture and anime’s (an abbreviated pronunciation in Japanese of animation) impact on the Emirati youth with aims set on discovering media-related ties between the UAE and Japan. She was the university winner of the innovation contest.

“I will conduct a 40-page research article about future ties between Japan and the UAE. As the Japanese have impacted us with their culture, similarly, I want to show Japanese audiences our Emirati culture through the media,” she said.

Hiba had discovered the anime trend among locals through various forums and online groups.

“I am a big fan myself, just like them, and I hope learning about the Japanese culture through these media channels will hopefully create future ties between both countries,” she said.

The participants started by explaining the ideas of their project, hoping to succeed and win the award, to create an opportunity by gaining support and leadership.

Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and president of Zayed University, said the university creates an atmosphere to help students generate ideas led by proper education.

“The girls are our future. By all the means and abilities of power and influence, we will support them to lead the future of the UAE and to solve any problems they might face,” he said.