Arab Woman Pilot Disowned By Her Family' For Bombing ISIS
Mariam Al Mansouri's F-16 bombing raids were
celebrated in the West
But a statement purporting to be from her UAE family
has 'disowned' her
It attacks her for 'taking part in the brutal aggression
against Syria'
The female air force pilot whose missions against Isis
were dubbed 'bosoms on the ground' has reportedly
been disowned by her family and labelled an 'ingrate'.
Mariam Al Mansouri's participation in F-16 bombing
raids for the UAE was celebrated in the West, but an
anonymous statement claiming to be from her family
'disowned' her for 'taking part in the brutal
international aggression' against Syria.
It also expressed support for the Islamic State, saying
'we are proud of the Sunni heroes in Iraq and the
Levant'. The brutal terrorist group's original name was
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or Isil.
The statement also expressed support for the Syrian
revolution, according to the Palestinian Wattan news
agency.
It said: 'We the Mansouri family in the United Arab
Emirates hereby publicly declare that we disown the
so-called Mariam Al Mansouri as well as anyone
taking part in the brutal international aggression
against the brotherly Syrian people, starting with our
ingrate daughter Mariam Al Mansouri.
'We ask our countrymen not to burden us with the
consequences of the actions of the so-called Mariam
Al Mansouri.'
It continued: 'We call upon all factions... on the Syrian
battleground to unite and join efforts and forces
towards the single objective of overthrowing the
monstrous Assad regime.
'Our family is proud of all free men who defend their
cause and of all those who take up arms to defend the
honour of their nation [the Islamic Nation]. We are
proud of the Sunni heroes in Iraq and the Levant and
all those who take up the banner of righteousness
wherever they may be.'
It's not clear whether the views expressed in the
statement represent those of the entire family or indeed
if it is genuine.
The Mansouri tribe has some influential members,
including the country's economics minister, but it's
also very large – the second biggest in Abu Dhabi, the
capital of UAE, so it certainly can't be assumed that
the views expressed in the statement are
representative of the whole group.
The statement could well have been made
anonymously out of fear of punishment, as voicing
dissent against the UAE government can result in
imprisonment.
If true, the statement won't represent the first time the
Mansouri family has been linked to extremism.
In January this year high-profile lawyer Mohammed al-
Mansoori was jailed for allegedly trying to set up an
'international' branch of the controversial Muslim
Brotherhood in the UAE, according to the BBC.
Major Mansouri, from Abu Dhabi, made a remarkable
rise through the ranks of the UAE air force. She joined
it in 2007 and is now a squadron commander.
She is one of eight children and has a degree in
English literature.
The UAE is known to have the most liberal views on
women's rights in the Middle East and Mansouri said
that she was treated as an equal by her commanding
officers.
She told Deraa Al Watan magazine: 'Everybody is
required to have the same high level of combat
competence.'
She says that her nearest relatives are supportive of
her role in the air force.
There was also no difference between men and women
with regards to training and assignments, she said.
'Everybody is required to have the same high level of
combat competence,'
Earlier this week Fox News host Eric Bolling apologised
for calling Major Mansouri's missions as 'bosoms on
the ground'.
It comes as Britain, Belgium and Denmark on Friday
joined the U.S.-led coalition of nations that are
launching airstrikes on Isis.
The European politicians flatly described the moves as
critical to security on home soil, arguing that facing
down terrorists has become a matter of urgency.
Prime Minister David Cameron made a passionate plea
for action in drastic terms - noting that the militants
had beheaded their victims, gouged out eyes and
carried out crucifixions to promote goals 'from the Dark
Ages.'
'This is about psychopathic terrorists that are trying to
kill us and we do have to realize that, whether we like it
or not, they have already declared war on us,' he said.
'There isn't a `walk on by' option.
There isn't an option of just hoping this will go away.'
Cameron told a tense House of Commons during more
than six hours of debate that the hallmarks of the
campaign would be 'patience and persistence, not
shock and awe' - a reference to the phrase associated
with the invasion of Iraq.
That unpopular intervention has cast a shadow over
the discussions because critics fear that Europe will be
drawn into a wider conflict, specifically taking on the
Islamic group's fighters in Syria.
British MPs voted 524-43 for action after being
urgently recalled from a recess. Belgian lawmakers also
overwhelmingly approved, voting 114-2 to take part,
despite widespread concerns that more terrorism may
follow in their homeland as a result.
The White House said in a statement that it welcomed
the countries to the coalition.
'These decisions - along with those by Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar
to participate in airstrikes against ISIL in Syria -
demonstrate the clear commitment of the international
community to take action together against these
terrorists,' the statement reads.
THE STATEMENT IN FULL
In the name of God All Merciful.
'O ye who believe! Take not your fathers or your
brethren for friends if they favour disbelief over faith.
Those of you who taketh them for friends are wrong-
doers.' [Quranic verse]
'Renouncement of Mariam Al Mansouri:
'We the Mansouri family in the United Arab Emirates
hereby publicly declare that we disown the so-called
Mariam Al Mansouri as well as anyone taking part in
the brutal international aggression against the
brotherly Syrian people, starting with our ingrate
daughter Mariam Al Mansouri.
'We hereby remind the Muslim nation all over the world
of its duty to defend the causes of the nation [meaning
the Islamic nation], and we urge them to take up the
jihad [holy war] for the sake of God to support the
blessed Syrian revolution against the descendants of
Ibn Al Alqami.' [Sunni Islamist insurgents refer to the
Shi'a as 'alqami' - a reference to Mu'ayyad al-Din
Muhammad Ibn al-Alqami, a Shi'ite minister in the last
Abbasid caliphate, who purportedly assisted the
Mongols in conquering Baghdad in 1258.]
'We call upon all factions and battalions operating on
the Syrian battleground to unite and join efforts and
forces towards the single objective of overthrowing the
monstrous Assad regime perched on the pure and
blessed Syrian land.
'Al Mansouri family, in the UAE and abroad, takes this
opportunity to declare its support for the blessed
Syrian revolution and to all free men defending their
rights everywhere in the world.
'Our family is proud of all free men who defend their
cause and of all those who take up arms to defend the
honour of their nation [The Islamic Nation}. We are
proud of the Sunni heroes in Iraq and the Levant and
all those who take up the banner of righteousness
wherever they may be. We may not know them, but God
knows them and would champion them.
'We ask our countrymen not to burden us with the
consequences of the actions of the so-called Mariam
Al Mansouri. All the honourable members of our family
have agreed to this statement.
'Al Mansouri family.'
