It wouldn't surprise me. Matriarchal figures have a rich history of respect in Bedouin and specifically the Bani Yas tribal cultures.
What I referred to earlier as the almost religious devotion that the Bani Fatima have towards each other was based on a probable legend. It tells of Sheikh Zayed (not the founder but his grandfather (or perhaps his great grandfather or perhaps nobody and its an attempt to associate his name with the myth)) and his brothers who were at war with each other to establish themselves as the tribal leader. There's some twists and turns in the story but long story short, the brothers only agree to stop fighting once their mother intervenes and says she will scorch the entire Earth if one drop of blood was spilled in inter family conflict. Thus the brothers reunited and everything was great and better and all lived happily ever after. This is retold to every generation from birth and they swear loyalty to their tribal brothers above all else.
The fact that Sheikh Zayed overthrew his brother (or rather the British did and installed him at his request) to become tribal leader is airbrushed.
It might sound like just a story to us but the UAE is a country that was still full of wandering tribes when Mike Summerbee was playing for City. Their culture is distinct and as a nomadic wandering tribal people, oral tradition and storytelling is a central part of their culture. Folk lore, religion, supernatural stuff, mythology and history told in a sitting circle have a deep seated importance to their lives still today.
This is what I meant when I said in an earlier post that the CIA must think "these people are nuts and some power and loyalty structures are based on something that happened one day in the desert 300 years ago about a falcon". This is actually true and references a specific event about a falcon leading some people to water when they got lost in a desert and one of the tribes spared their lives and allowed them to drink.
