Kuwaiti critic Leila Ahmed spoke about the nature of the relationship between Haifa Wehbe and her daughter Zainab, indicating that they are not in conflict as the public might believe.
Leila Ahmed stated in one of her television interviews that Zainab was taken from Haifa Wehbe during her childhood and started working in advertising as she grew up. She explained that Zainab also works in marketing and design, and so far, there is no evidence suggesting a significant estrangement. She continued, "So far, there is nothing indicating a continuous relationship as they portray. In my opinion, the rise in Zainab's followers to 833,000 is directly due to being Haifa Wehbe's daughter; she resembles her, has Haifa's charm, humor, and maturity."
She added: "They are not completely estranged from each other; what happens is part of marketing. The girl is free and grown-up, and Haifa is independent and capable of communicating with her daughter. On a personal level, Haifa is known to be generous and kind, and she has a light Egyptian demeanor. This emphasis on estrangement is mostly fueled by comments directed at Zainab that accuse her of being disobedient to her mother and not maintaining contact. She got angry once and asked her attackers to stop as she is a part of her mother, and vice versa, stating that she is not disobedient to her parents."
She concluded by saying, "Thus, the topic is marketing, and they communicate without necessarily showing it or meeting because there is no justification for estrangement. Haifa supports her daughter, and there is no logical reason for an ongoing estrangement when she is young, especially now that she is supporting her daughter and moving forward professionally without any barriers."
