Fawzia Abdulla Yusuf Zainal (born 1961) is a

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

i media and social activist and politician who has been Speaker of the Council of Representatives from 12 December 2018 to 12 December 2022. Zainal is the first woman to lead Bahrain's parliament, and the second woman to lead a Gulf-Arab parliament after UAE's Amal Al Qubaisi.

Education

Zainal graduated with a degree in education and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

from the

University of Bahrain The University of Bahrain (), often abbreviated as UOB, is a public university in Bahrain. Established by royal decree in 1986, it has since become the largest institution of higher education in Bahrain, with three campuses ( Sakhir, Isa Town, an ...

in 1983 and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Counseling from the

University of Jordan The University of Jordan (), often abbreviated UJ or JU, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962, and it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. It is located in the capital Amman in the J ...

. She received a high diploma from the Bahrain Institution of Political Development in 2008 and a diploma from Bahrain University in 2014.

Career

Zainal has worked as a journalist and is a media and social activist. She worked as a director in the

Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC; ) is a public broadcaster in Bahrain with headquarters in Manama. The BRTC is owned by the government of Bahrain, and under the control of the Information Affairs Authority. History BRTC was set ...

for twenty five years. She is a member of the Bahrain Businesswomen's Society. In 2009, she was a consultant for strategic planning and development at the Bahrain Ministry of Culture and Information. Zainal first ran for parliament in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, despite threats against female candidates. Her campaign tent was set on fire and she was targeted by derogatory gossip. In

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, she ran for the East Riffa fifth district, but fell short by 288 votes in a run-off election against her male opponent. Her campaign platform promised to focus on improving the living conditions of women, as well as addressing unemployment and fighting corruption. Zainal was elected in December 2018 alongside five other women, winning her seat outright against the incumbent, Khalifa al-Ghanim, who had narrowly defeated her in 2014. She had criticised the previous parliament and promised to prioritise the needs of the less fortunate in her constituency. Bahrain does not have a

quota Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a restriction on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * ...

for female representatives but while gender was seen as less of an issue in 2018, billboards of Zanial were torn up and defaced and other candidates reported receiving online threats. Zainal said, "My victory has broken the rule of male domination of this district and indicates that the people of the area have reached the conviction and maturity that make them not look at candidate’s gender, but at their capabilities and ability to take responsibility." On 12 December 2018, Zainal was elected Speaker of the Council of Representatives with 25 of the 40 votes and then appointed by King

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 1999. He is a member of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty. Early life and education Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain. ...

. He said, "The election of the first woman speaker of the Council of Representatives represents a quantum leap forward and source of pride for the Kingdom of Bahrain which has spared no effort to empower women."

Personal life

Zainal is a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

. She has one married son.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zainal, Fawzia Living people 1961 births University of Bahrain alumni University of Jordan alumni Bahraini Sunni Muslims Bahraini women's rights activists Speakers of the Council of Representatives (Bahrain) Women legislative speakers 21st-century Bahraini women politicians 21st-century Bahraini politicians