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Sheikha Mozah of Qatar Much More Than Fashion Icon

Sheikha Mozah, the second wife of the emir of Qatar, is the principal benefactor behind a new foundation which aims to improve the lives of Arab Israeli students, writes Shlomi Eldar.
Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, wife of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, arrives at the Olympic Stadium during a state visit in east London October 27, 2010. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT POLITICS OLYMPICS PROFILE ROYALS) - RTXTW4C
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Sheikha Mozah, the wife of the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, is more than just the most fashionable woman in the Arab world. She is also a social and political activist who personally funds a foundation that offers hundreds of scholarships to Israeli Arabs. Heading the foundation is Dr. Hanan Falah of Acre, a dentist and herself a remarkable innovator who likes flying light aircraft in her spare time. 

“It’s the first push,” said Falah. “We certainly hope to reach all the Arab students in Israel.” Falah then explained that there is no official organization to help these students with scholarships to cover tuition and living expenses while they are in school. Furthermore, the very fact that they do not serve in the military means that Jewish students have a head start over Arab students. Soldiers who complete their military service receive a stipend upon their release, which is intended to cover at least their first year of studies in one of Israel’s academic institutions. Arab students don’t have this advantage, and are, as the directors of the new foundation like to say, “orphaned.”

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