Women living in the United Arab Emirates have staged a first-ever protest demanding equal citizenship rights in the country.

Dubai: Twenty-three UAE national women protested outside the Labour Ministry building yesterday to demand the re-instatement of their social security payments.

A top ministry official said the minister has issued directions to reconsider their cases.

The women stood outside the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs yesterday from 9am until 11:30am in a silent protest.

It was sparked after their social security payments of Dh1,095 a month were cut off, days before Eid Al Adha, because they are married to working expatriates.

This is the first public protest UAE national women have carried out to demand equal rights.

She said while the social security issue had sparked the protest, the aim was to demand equal citizenship rights.

“This protest is to ask for our equal rights as citizens of the UAE,” a spokeswoman said. “We should have the same rights as men when it comes to marrying foreigners. Our children should be citizens, and have access to free university education, health care and passports.”

There seems to be at least a bit of controversy over this, because whereas the Gulf News story linked above gave it full exposure, the Khaleej Times barely gives it any coverage at all. But despite the protest only involving a couple dozen women, it is highly symbolic because it is the first one ever of this nature. Taken in one view, this is just an isolated incident that may or may not trigger more significant action. But when looked at from the broad view of the greater reform underway in the Middle East, this is another step alongside women being elected to the Afghan parliament andwomen getting the right to vote in Kuwait.