Masouda, a woman from Ibb governorate, travels to the main site of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) on a daily basis. Though she diligently attends working group meetings, where she’s no less attentive than those around her, Masouda isn’t a NDC member – her husband is.
She accompanies and assists her blind husband, Professor Ahmed Muhammad Qasim Ateeq, who is serving as the representative of Yemen’s blind citizens at the NDC.
Masouda and Ahmed married twenty years ago and now have three daughters and a son. Years ago, when Ateeq expressed his intention to marry Masouda, some of her relatives warned her that her marriage to a blind man wouldn’t be suitable. But today, Masouda is very pleased with life with her husband, who is a political sociology professor at Sana’a University.
“I thank God that I chose Ateeq. He supported me and we now share the same position,” she said.
“Our journey together started when Ateeq chose me when I was a young. He chose me because he wanted an educated girl from his village. Only my sisters and myself completed the six primary grades…we were the only educated girls there at that time,” she said.
“When I decided to accept him, some warned me - but it was my fate to choose and help him.”
Masouda said her husband taught her how to help him.
“We searched for book references when he was studying for his master’s and doctorate degrees. I summarized research and printed what he wanted,” she said. “These days, each of our daughters allocates two hours of their time a day to read out loud what their father wants to hear.”
She said her husband has always pushed her to read and learn about culture and other issues. “I could complete my studies and get a master’s degree and doctorate, but I have to pay more attention to my kids and house,” she said. “I feel that I have all the knowledge my husband has though.”
At the NDC, Masouda sits beside her husband on a daily basis to help him participate and contribute.
“I did not expect that I would be at the NDC. I’m reading out loud at meetings for my husband’s working group and take part in my husband’s discussions,” she said. “I’m using a computer and the internet and sometimes I give my opinion on topics,” she added.
When it comes to others’ perceptions of herself and her husband, Masouda said, “Some people say that I am accompanying a blind man…my reply is ‘I am helping the man who has pushed me ahead with his patience, knowledge and passion’.”
“I always tell others, ‘My husband has overcome all obstacles and become the man he is today, a college professor and NDC member’. I would like others to use him as an example and have his determination to make their dreams come true.”
