Aisha first Gulf woman elected Arab Parliament Deputy Speaker

Manama: Qatari Aisha Yusuf Al Mannai on Tuesday made history by becoming the first Gulf woman to be elected deputy speaker of the Arab Parliament.

Aisha secured 30 of the 54 votes in the polling in Cairo, ahead of Sudanese MP Mohammad Al Hasan Al Ameen, who got 13 votes, and Iraqi MP Abed Dheyab Al Ajili, who won 11 votes.

The new leading parliamentary figure holds a BA in Islamic Religion and Philosophy from Qatar University, and an MA and a PhD from the Cairo-based Al Azhar University.

Aisha had already made history in her country by being the first woman to be appointed Dean of the Sharia and Law Faculty in Doha. She previously served in several leading positions and held a post in the Qatari Red Crescent. She runs a religious dialogue centre.