When Zainab Salbi launches Nida'a on TLC in October – the broadcaster's first locally produced programme since it came to the region in March – it's fair to say she won't have taken the most traditional route to hosting her own chat show.
Not for Salbi the usual western routes of Mickey Mouse Club-member child stardom, or graduating from the comedy or news circuit to hosting.
Instead, her journey has taken her from a privileged position in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, through an unwelcome arranged marriage to setting up one of the world’s biggest women’s organisations – Women for Women International, which works in war zones – and writing a best-selling memoir detailing her experiences.
We caught up with her in Dubai, where she shared her amazing story.
“My father was Saddam Hussein’s personal pilot – I grew up knowing him personally,” she says. “I was put in an arranged marriage to get me out of Iraq at the age of 19, and that’s how I left the country.
“The month I left to be with this stranger, who I did not like, Iraq invaded Kuwait and I was cut off from my family for nine years.”
Salbi had escaped Hussein’s Iraq, but her new life was not one to celebrate.
“The marriage was so abusive that I knew after three months I should not be here,” she says. “My family were liberal and had always taught me that I should be an independent, strong woman – but then they launched this kind of coup d'état on me.
“It was quite a journey from leaving the arranged marriage with US$400 [Dh1,469] in my pocket to rebuilding myself. I always knew that one day I would return to the region, but right then I needed to focus on building myself.
“A couple of years later, I fell in love with a Palestinian man, started Women for Women International, and that became one of the largest women’s organisations in the world.
“Eventually, the time to return came. It’s almost as if I had to go all the way around the world to liberate myself from the baggage and the concepts that I grew up with.”
Salbi had the idea for Nida'a when she was still working as the chief executive of Women for Women in 2011, and was realising it was time for a new chapter of her life.
"It was just something I needed to do," she says. "I went to interview a woman in Afghanistan, and I caught myself being bored. I realised I was betraying both of us and I had to let go of my creation [Women for Women] and start on a new journey. I've been working on Nida'a ever since, to get to the stage we are at now."
Salbi's return to the Middle East comes at a time of great upheaval, and she is convinced that the time is right for a show such as Nida'a, which promises to look at women's issues with an honesty and clarity never seen before.
“I think the region is very ready for this,” she says. “I was so scared when I wrote my book. It was a big leap of faith to tell people that I knew Saddam and I was in an abusive marriage and all of these things. It was safer to do that outside the region. I experimented with it in a foreign land and I landed well and people accepted me. Now I’m ready to do that work for my own region having already done it for myself.
“When I ask women here what they want, they say: ‘We have crossed the line of fear and we can’t come back now. Help us show our voice so the pressure is lifted. I want to choose what I study, when I marry and who I marry, what kind of job I want.’
“There is a hunger for ... a safe space to talk about these things. These are smart women who are talking about all sorts of issues, but currently behind closed doors in a private space. I was really surprised by some of the topics they were asking me about.”
Women in the Middle East might be ready for such a show, but Salbi concedes that she must walk a fine line.
“The question is how do we present these issues in a way that is digestible,” she says. “If you’re too aggressive, it will be rejected, in my opinion. Like when you’re sick and you throw up your medicine. So my job is to address the issues and present them gently, with love and grace, so it is accepted.
“For you and I, these topics may not be controversial, but for this society they are. So my team’s job is to present it in a palatable way so we can have the courageous conversation we need.
"There's a strange dichotomy of views of women in the region. It's either the victimised woman or the woman dancing in revealing clothes. Nida'a is for the women in the middle, which is most of us – and we're not currently reflected on TV. The average woman, dealing with average things on a day-to-day basis, is not reflected, and that's what Nida'a hopes to do."
Her show certainly sounds ambitious, and promises to feature high-calibre, high-profile international guests such as Bill Clinton, as well as regional figures such as the Palestinian Arab Idol winner Mohammed Assaf.
Although such an Arabic show is clearly needed in the region, it seems like a concept that could also educate the rest of the world about life in the Middle East if it were broadcast in English. This is a dichotomy Salbi acknowledges.
“It’s true, but for me that is a parallel journey that should be taken separately,” she says.
"I write for The New York Times on a weekly basis about my experiences in the region. I'm on western news on a weekly basis talking about what's happening in the region.
“I was with Meryl Streep a couple of months ago and she said: ‘You need to have your own talk show in English. We don’t understand what’s happening in that part of the world.’
"I'm definitely exploring possibilities, but Nida'a needs to be for the region, from within the region. The only way we'll get out of the current time of crisis is to find our solutions from within our narratives, to feature the role models from within, to hold up a mirror to our beauty and our not-so-beautiful side. I hope Nida'a can contribute to that."
• Nida’a is filming in the region and at Discovery’s studios in Istanbul. It will be broadcast on TLC from October. Zainab Salbi’s autobiography, Between Two Worlds, is in stores now, published by Gotham Books
cnewbould@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20Boy%20and%20the%20Heron
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
if you go
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
