On October 10, we observe World Mental Health Day – a day for education, awareness and support against stigma. For humanitarian worker, women’s rights leader and founder of Across Red Lines (ARL), Manal Omar, today should be about open and honest conversations around the daily challenges we all face.
Currently living in Dubai, Manal Omar has worked for some of the world’s biggest organizations (including UNESCO and the United State Institute of Peace), written for high-profile publications and co-founded several civil societies in the MENA region. A campaigner for women’s rights since 1996, Omar also runs an ARL retreat; a programme designed to help women reach their full potential and build a community of support.
Omar will lead her fifth retreat on November 7 in a secluded desert oasis in Al Ain. When we spoke to Omar, we wanted to find out what led her to this path and discover how her retreat can encourage self-awareness and have a positive effect on wellness, particularly on a day where mental health should be addressed more than ever.
How did you become a humanitarian worker?
As a woman growing up in Spartanburg, South Carolina to Palestinian Muslim immigrant parents, conflict was part of my experience from very early on. I grew up with a strong sense of responsibility (and probably impacted by genetic trauma and survivors’ guilt). As young as elementary school, I joined Model United Nations and allowed for an international career in the humanitarian space to unfold.
Who did you feel a responsibility to?
I target women of faith – with a special emphasis on Muslim women – because these is often the group the falls in between the cracks. Unfortunately, we are living in polarised times. A lot of liberal women’s organisations see women of faith as supporters of patriarchal systems, and sometimes can even be hostile towards women of faith.
What sparked your decision to become a women’s rights leader?
Growing up in the US, I was always in a position of having to explain my roots. Both Islam and the Arab world are greatly misunderstood, especially around the issue of women. I was always proud of the women in my family, and wanted to be able to both promote and celebrate the amazing matriarch that I was a part of, as well as to be honest about the challenges we faced.
How important is it for women to support other women?
There is no way to exaggerate the importance of women uplifting other women. This is where the true power of the feminine lies. A lot of our greatest skills are not taught in formal institutions, and instead are in fluid, horizontal spaces. The importance of female rituals were how women passed on knowledge, insight, and wisdoms throughout the ages.
Why did you decide to found Across Red Lines and what does the organization do?
After working in several conflict zones, I made an important life decision that I did not want to be on the far end of the conflict curve. I did not want to continue to place band aids on wounds that needed surgery. My goal was to move towards prevention, and that best way to prevent conflict is to invest in women. ARL invests in the wellbeing of women.
What women expect from your retreat in November?
The retreat will bring together a group of women from across the region for an experiential learning experience to access their own intuition and chart out their life purpose. Through peer learning, the ARL curriculum works with women to turn inside for the solutions to their challenges. There is an innate wisdom held within the body, and ARL works to integrate the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental energetic fields for each woman to access.
The retreat is the beginning of building community. Each ARL cohort has their own list, which eventually merged into the global ARL community. Women who attend the UAE retreat are automatically connected to the other women who have attended retreats in the past. The goal is to create a community of practice around the art of joy and pleasure.
What kind of workshops will take place?
It is held out in the desert because of the healing and transformative energy that desert energy can bring. I often tell clients – just showing up in nature is a cue for the body to fall into a natural rhythm which can lead to better health, clarity, and motivation. The exercises in themselves allow women to take stock of their past experiences, extract their own specific lessons they are meant to learn, and chart out a path towards their authentic leadership style. For example, we have an exercise where we identify each woman’s conflict style, and then work on the art of asking for what we want.
How do your workshops give women a sense of self-awareness?
We are living in age where production and consumption can often define a sense of self. I like to remind people – we are human being, and not human doers. ARL provides both the physical as well as the energetic space to pause, reflect, and refuel. Rarely do we take the time to completely refuel. This means we are not operating at full capacity. Through this experience, women can develop a stronger awareness of the importance of investing in their own happiness and well-being.
How is faith incorporated in your workshops?
Faith is incorporated as a cross cutting background resource. For many women, faith is what holds moral authority. In order to really be able to step in a place of joy, pleasure, and happiness, it is important for women of faith to feel it is not in contradiction to their belief. At the same time, a lot of the healing modules I have studied such as Reiki, access to non-ordinary space, drumming, or shamanistic practices incorporate a level of faith for the healing process to truly have an impact.
How important is faith to you?
Faith has always been the root of my moral compass. I am grateful that my faith always served as a safety net in my moment of free fall. And there were many. I personally am a survivor and it was being able to turn to my faith that helped me out of some of my darkest moments. That said – I do not claim any moral purity – and always like to remind people that the human experience is meant to be a messy and complicated experience.
ARL has mentors that provide insight in the institutional religion through its research and dialogue program. However, for the retreat, ARL is tied more to the personal faith (to be defined by each individual woman) and the spirituality.
Do you think your retreat can help with mental health? If so, how?
Absolutely. My retreat is a reminder that we are responsible for our own happiness. It is not our parents or our spouses – and most definably not our children’s – responsibility to make us happy or feel whole. This can be a lot of pressure on any relationship. It is also a reminder to be proactive in owning your own wellbeing, and not to wait to hit for the crash before you stop and refuel.
How important is it for women to focus on wellbeing?
All the data and research demonstrate the women serve as the primary indicator of the status of country. When women are able to operate from a place of being full, they can help generate abundance within communities. It is why one of the main lines I would emphasize in foreign policy is its not nice to focus on women, its necessary. A nation cannot grow if it has more than 50% of its population not in a state of well-being.
Your workshops help to develop personal and professional growth – what impact can this have on mental health?
The daily grind can be overwhelming. The ability to take a few steps and remember your own personal life mission and purpose, allows for women to have tools to prioritize their needs and wants. With so many demands and people pulling for their time, women often postpone their own mental and physical health for others. A balanced and integrated approach reminds women not to override their own needs, and how to make mental health consistent part of their daily routine.
How will you continue to help women across the world?
I hope through Across Red Lines, I will be able to continue to expand and support women. The goal is to also continue to link this transformative life force energy into global challenges. As such, I recently accepted a position as a member of the board of directors for the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development. I look forward to working on their programs that focus on gender and youth to continue to share my experience.
The Across Red Lines retreat will take place on November 7 2019 in Al Ain, to redeem a 30% discount use the code: ARLCare. Find out more visit Acrossredlines.com
