Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
IT has been a great year all around for the Bahrainis and the expatriates living in the kingdom.
However, I did notice that the year 2007 was a particularly great year of achievements for the women of our country.
These achievements have been seen in categories from sports, to politics and to the general population.
I do applaud all our great athletes who have raised the Bahraini flag in their particular fields.
It was a great pride seeing Ruqaya Al Ghasra, who won multiple medals at the Asian Olympics in Doha, competing against her fellow opponents while being fully covered head to toe.
This shows that the 'veil' or 'head scarf' is not a block for any Bahraini or any Islamic girl that would want to compete in such sports. Due to Al Ghasra's achievements in the past years, a lot of Bahraini girls, whether wearing the veil or not, have been inspired to play and compete at a top level in many different sports.
To prove my point, last week I witnessed my fellow Bahraini - tennis player, Marwa Abdulla - compete fully dressed and reach the semi-final of the Zain-Bahrain tennis tournament.
It was a delight for all those who were present watching her semi-final match. Even the fact that Marwa lost, she is still an inspiration for all the youth around the kingdom.
Not only have women excelled in sports, but also in politics - a field that is powered mostly by men.
Ms Latifa Al-Qaoud was elected to the Shura Council last year and 2007 brought a lot of changes for the citizens and Ms Al-Qaoud was a helping hand in those changes.
Hopefully, her example will prompt even more women to run for a seat in the council at the next elections.
All these examples have been inspirational and hopefully all teenage girls will aspire to become great leaders of the future.
My message to all young readers of this column: aspire to become great people and citizens of your country and may 2008 bring you more happiness and joy.
