As we formally withdraw from our sponsorship of the Falsterbo Horse Show, in agreement with the Falsterbo Horse Show Foundation, I speak now with clarity, dignity, and responsibility \u2014 because silence has become impossible. We entered this partnership not for gain, but from a deep belief that equestrian sport should serve the public \u2014 not private profit.<\/p>\n
As a woman, I feel I am a born giver. My life\u2019s mission has been to bring professional riding back to the people. This is the heart of Al Shira\u2019aa, and this is why we chose Falsterbo: for its history, its identity, its soul \u2014 and its country. A country I never imagined would be portrayed as the complete opposite of what it claims to stand for. I do not think or believe that everyone in Sweden is like this \u2014 I am not generalizing or even suggesting it.<\/p>\n
But the media has shocked me with its inhumane, cruel, racist, and at times violent portrayals of Al Shira\u2019aa and myself. What people may not realize is that bad news sells \u2014 and this kind of narrative has been relentlessly promoted, not responsibly challenged.<\/p>\n
What we encountered in return has revealed a very sad reality \u2014 not the Sweden I thought I knew, or the one presented through global media. I believed this nation would be proud to be supported by someone from outside, someone who deeply respects foreign cultures, heritage, and history. But instead, a dark side was revealed \u2014 one marked by rising hostility, nationalism, and hate.<\/p>\n
Since our involvement was announced, we have faced not only aggressive media attacks, slander, and abuse \u2014 but violent threats. Not just against my team, which I hold deeply \u2014 but against me personally. Even more heartbreaking, the family behind the Falsterbo Horse Show \u2014 who have dedicated their lives to its tradition \u2014 have also received threats and hate.<\/p>\n
No one should be subjected to fear simply for loving and protecting a piece of their culture. As a successful businesswoman, I am speaking \u2014 as someone who stepped forward to help preserve something others had walked away from, including Swedish companies \u2014 I ask openly:<\/p>\n
Why am I being attacked?<\/p>\n
Is it because I am a successful woman, or because I am Muslim, or because I am Arab?<\/p>\n
I had blind faith in the sweet dream of Sweden. I know the value of preserving heritage, culture, and the love of horses and their wellbeing. I know that not all of Sweden is like the ones the media are empowering. But while I believe in freedom of the press and of speech \u2014 as my grandfather once expressed in videos still available online \u2014 I must ask:<\/p>\n
Is this what I deserve when I offered support, when many Swedish companies and businesses closer to your country didn\u2019t even try to support your own nation\u2019s oldest horse show? I believe in freedom of expression \u2014 but I do not believe in using it as an excuse for hate, violence, racism, and attempts to ruin my brand, Al Shira\u2019aa. But I am a very lucky person \u2014 I have an amazing team that is like a family to me, all from different cultures, working together, keeping our extended families united.<\/p>\n
Is this what you call freedom of expression \u2014 insulting someone who came here with deep respect for your dear Sweden? I believe in safety, I believe in respect, and I believe in your rights. But openly insulting me and my brand \u2014 a brand I spent many hard years building \u2014 is not freedom, it\u2019s harm. Your insults, your hatred, and your falsehoods have already come dangerously close to damaging my reputation, and I will never allow that.<\/p>\n
Words may not matter \u2014 but actions do.<\/p>\n
This speaks volumes. And it has been one of the most painful and shocking experiences in my public life. Let me be clear once more: I did not come to Sweden for attention \u2014 certainly not for Al Shira\u2019aa.<\/p>\n
I am proud to say my work speaks for itself. My brand is known globally, and we have never sought headlines. I came with respect \u2014 to protect heritage, to honor your country\u2019s culture, and to give back to the horses I love. To keep this show free from the forces turning equestrian sport into a greedy business \u2014 something I\u2019m sure many have seen creeping into the horse world.<\/p>\n
My mission \u2014 always \u2014 has been to bring this sport back to the people. And I have done this quietly, across the world, for over a decade \u2014 through events such as the Hickstead Derby and Royal Windsor Horse Show Dressage, and many others. Never for headlines.Always for horses, history, and humanity.<\/p>\n
For more than ten years, Al Shira\u2019aa has supported the most traditional and respected horse shows in the United Kingdom and Italy. We then extended our commitment to Germany\u2019s historic Hamburg Derby. And when I turned to Sweden, it was because of the same deep respect \u2014 for the history and culture I hoped to help preserve.<\/p>\n
May I ask \u2014 why are you angry with me?<\/p>\n
Is it because of the lack of local support from within your own country? There are many ways to make a point. But violence, intimidation, and racism are not the answer. Our mission was to help protect these historic events from commercial takeover and to return the sport to the people it belongs to \u2014 the fans, the families, the horse breeders, and the culture that built it. What happened here was not failure. It was rejection.<\/p>\n
Not because of business \u2014 but because of who I am. Racist voices \u2014 amplified by silence \u2014 made it clear we were not welcome. And worse still, no one within Sweden\u2019s equestrian leadership stood up to defend what was right. That silence speaks louder than any words.<\/p>\n
We now leave Falsterbo with dignity and open eyes.
\nWe supported this show when no one else did.
\nWe brought international attention and respect to it.
\nAnd we walk away \u2014 not because we lost, but because we refused to stay silent and compromise what we believe in.<\/p>\n
Al Shira\u2019aa will continue to support equestrian sport wherever it is respected and welcomed. And those who chose hate over heritage will have to answer one day \u2014 not to me, but to the sport, the people, and the legacy they failed to protect.<\/p>\n
With that said, I wish nothing but peace, reflection, and renewal for Sweden \u2014 a country with so much beauty, culture, and talent.<\/p>\n
I hope that one day the loudest voices will no longer be those of hate. I truly wish happiness, healing, and understanding for the Swedish people \u2014 and even for the media.<\/p>\n
There will be no further comment.<\/p>\n