AMBER VERNETTI WRITES- Watch out, boys! Emirati first female pilot, Major Miriam al-Mansouri, led an air raid against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) last week, a slap in the face for jihadists who believe women should be submissive to men. The 35-year-old fighter pilot proved her skills were on par with men’s as she flew her own F-16 and played a major role in the air strike action.
Various social media sites and media outlets were flooded with thoughts and reactions to Major al-Mansouri’s role in the air raids. The UAE Embassy in the US’s official Twitter confirmed the woman’s participation : Amb. Al #Otaiba confirms #UAE’s first female #F16 fight pilot lead air strike missions on #ISIS.
Other tweets showed support for the pilot’s feats in the air and in the battle of the sexes. One from Oula Abdulhamid, a specialist at Washington Institute, stated “Hey ISIS. You were bombed by a woman, have a nice day.”
Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador in Washington, said “The whole campaign and coalition on ISIS, and extremists in general, boils down to ultimately this: do you want a model society that allows women to become ministers in government, female fighter pilots, business executives, artists?”
He continued, “Or do you want a society where, if a woman doesn’t cover up in public, she’s beaten or she’s lashed or she’s raped?”
Although there were reports that dying at the hands of woman would mess up their afterlife in ‘paradise,’ France 24 journalist Wassim Nasr said, “ISIS fighters couldn’t care less if their enemy is a man or a woman. Although it’s true that they would never allow a woman to go to the front line.”
Despite the (male) hosts of Fox’s ‘The Five’ telling mediocre sexist jokes about the female fighter pilot, Major Miriam al-Mansouri earned her license which required the same level of competency as men and is using it for good.
With that said, women can do anything men can do. Why not join forces and fight ISIS together?