Mariam Mohamed is ready to make history. As the first Emirati to represent the UAE in the Miss Universe pageant, the moment isn’t lost on her. Next month, she will step on to one of the world’s most-watched stages as she heads to Thailand to take part in the competition.
“I felt really, really proud,” she recalls of the moment she learnt she had been chosen. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime – and a responsibility.”
For now, though, she is still a student juggling coursework, catwalk drills and a family WhatsApp chat on which her mother is, inevitably, her loudest cheerleader.
Beyond pageantry, Mohamed’s new-found love of camels and falcons reflects the heritage she hopes to showcase at Miss Universe.
Rooted in Sharjah
Mohamed was born and raised in Sharjah, calling her experience of the emirate "one of the best things" in her life. “It’s the capital of education, the capital of art, culture and architecture," she says. She enjoys the emirate's quiet intellectual rhythm, its museums and galleries, and how Arab art, especially works by Khaleeji artists, is a constant part of her surroundings. “They really celebrate art here and I’ve always been surrounded by creativity.”
Her family home sits in what she calls “the new Sharjah”, about 15 minutes from the Dubai border. Thanks to the proximity, she spends her free time exploring both cities and enjoys trying new restaurants.
Her family is small and close. Mohamed is the younger of two siblings and her mother, by every measure, is the fulcrum. “My number-one supporter,” she says. "If sometimes I doubt myself a little bit, she tells me, 'You can do it. Go for it.'" She hopes her mother will be in Thailand for the pageant.
From Miss Arab World to Miss Universe UAE
Mohamed’s first brush with pageantry came in 2022, when she entered Miss Arab World, winning the Miss Arab UAE title and then finishing runner-up at the finals in Egypt. Although she fell short, she says the experience was still meaningful. “I met a lot of people from different nationalities,” she adds. “Some of the girls I’m still in touch with to this day.”
In the run-up to Miss Universe UAE, Mohamed spent time in Bali for an “empowerment journey”. It consisted of a series of workshops, stage practice and long days of being observed and observing. Thereafter, the contestants were brought back to Dubai for interviews with a selection panel and, at an intimate ceremony, she was crowned.
Mohamed is the first Emirati to hold the title, succeeding Emilia Dobreva, a Kosovo-born model and long-time Dubai resident, who represented the UAE in its debut last year.
When she first entered pageantry, she received her share of online comments. “I was younger and more sensitive then,” she recalls. “Now, time has taught me not to listen to unnecessary things. When you know who you are, nothing can shake you.”
Her response to the criticism, she says, is to keep moving. “I just remind myself to be brave enough to face it – brave enough to take the next step forward.”
Training for the world stage
Preparation has started again for Mohamed, who’s looking forward to her catwalk drills and her ongoing work with a speech coach. She is studying how others handle questions, through podcasts, YouTube interviews and panel clips, pausing, replaying, mimicking cadence and editing out filler words. “I have to be ready for everything, especially at this big event,” she says of Miss Universe.
Mohamed is excited about having a roommate in Thailand, the first extended friendship of the competition – as well as an itinerary packed with rehearsals, media and ritual. She is most looking forward to meeting the other women, to compare notes on the various routes that led them to the same stage.
What does she hope people think of when "Miss Universe UAE" is called on? “That we can achieve anything while being modest, while staying true to our values and ourselves,” says Mohamed.
Although she doesn't want to get too far ahead of herself, when asked to imagine the crown on her head and her initial reaction, she knows where her focus would be.
She says she would use the platform to spotlight Emirati creative talent, such as fashion designers and industry leaders in the UAE, and to push for a less toxic internet. She would also plan to launch a fashion brand and give a donation to charity.
Although there will be nerves on competition day, does she already think of herself as a queen? “Of course,” she says, before adding that any woman “working hard on herself, achieving her dreams … supporting each other and uplifting others" should be considered one, too.
Redefining representation
Entering a beauty pageant as an Emirati comes with some scrutiny, Mohamed acknowledges. She says she knows that her public visibility has not been, and will not be, easy.
“In whatever field you are in, sometimes people will criticise you or try to bring you down. There were times when I wasn’t really happy about what was being said,” Mohamed says.
Pageants in the region have long been cautious undertakings, not, Mohamed suggests, because women here lack interest, but because institutions tend to tread carefully when deciding what to endorse. In spaces where cultural debates often cast women as symbols or adversaries, she wants no part in either framing.
That conversation is changing, though, in the Gulf and on the world stage. The Miss Universe organisation has evolved, too, widening eligibility in recent years.
Mohamed approves of mothers being allowed to compete, for example, saying: "Why not give opportunities to every woman? We respect our modesty and our traditions,” she says, citing the recent participation of other Gulf contestants as proof of a broader shift.
“I believe you can join any industry while respecting your values. We shouldn’t have limiting thoughts. There is always room for growth, always room for peace.”
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Company%20profile
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Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,800m
Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Company%20profile
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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
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Company%C2%A0profile
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More on Quran memorisation:
MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Getting%20there
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
