Sara Sabry The First Egyptian, Arab Female To Blast Into Space
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 January 2023
• UN Official, Martha Pobee, Hails HH Fatima Bint Mubarak's Efforts In
Empowering Women
• Former Afghan Female Lawmaker Mursal Nabizada, Who
Had Stayed In Kabul After The Taliban Seized Power, Shot Dead In Kabul
• Presumed Extremists Abduct About 50 Women In Burkina
Faso: Sources
• Facial Recognition Technology Used To Identify Women
In Iran Who Do Not Wear The Islamic Veil
• UN Rights Experts Urge Pakistan To End Forced Child
Marriage
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/sabry-egyptian-arab-space-/d/128887
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Sara Sabry The First Egyptian, Arab Female To Blast
Into Space
Sara Sabry
-----
January 15, 2023
In a field among the stars, where Egypt had no
markers, engineer Sara Sabry became the first Egyptian, Arab and African woman
to blast into space.
The view of Earth from outer space has utterly
transformed perspectives on civilisation, the planet, and the world's
relationship to the universe beyond l.
And as the world's collective fascination with the
final frontier climbs to new heights, a social impact non-profit, Space for
Humanity, has been running a Space Station Ambassador Programme for enthusiasts
and educators to expand access to space and embrace a culture of
interconnectedness.
In its 2021 programme, Sara, 29, was selected out of
7,000 citizens from all parts of the world and all backgrounds to go into space
to experience a phenomenon that many professional astronauts have described as
the Overview Effect, which is the cognitive shift that some astronauts
experience when seeing the Earth from space.
Sara noted an enormous number of changes to her
perspective regarding all that she knew upon her return to Earth.
She explains: "In an instant, my perspective on
the scale of everything just changed. Everything I understood before made
different sense when I was out there, but it wasn't scary. I've never actually
felt so comfortable and at peace with myself."
"I feel like I have this new connection with the
universe now and it's what I was meant to do my whole life."
Without hesitation, she adds: "I wanted to go
back the moment I returned back to Earth. I felt right at home in space."
Riding Blue Origin's NS-22 flight, she describes being
accelerated upwards with a force that significantly exceeds Earth's gravity,
similar to a roller coaster or a car accelerating from rest with the gas pedal
pressed to the floor. But she was prepared for every moment, sound and
movement.
"I was very prepared and ready by the time I was
strapped into the capsule chair. Everything is muscle memory; I'm not thinking
about harnessing or the sounds of the machine etc. It's all ingrained into
memory," she explains.
Before the mission to space, Sara, along with her
flight crew, which included another first-time space flyer, conducted
comprehensive operational exercises in preparation for human space flight,
including emergency procedures and common problems that professional astronauts
are trained for like fire response, emergency mask usage and exiting the
spacecraft in a hurry on the pad.
"The process has been simulated over and over
again, including all the things that could possibly go wrong so I wasn't
scared. It was the mental preparation that took the most work," says Sara.
"The first few times I'd visualise myself, I
would feel extreme anxiety and get bad stomach aches and get all sweaty because
it's a heavy, life-changing experience, I only found out I was going into space
just two weeks in advance, so it was all really fast and the following two
weeks were jam-packed with intense preparation."
"And that included a lot of mental coaching. But
before I had even known I was going to space, I would go to sleep visualising
myself in the capsule and launching into space and that would be the last thing
I envision before going to bed. It became my second nature."
A graduate of the American University in Cairo with a
bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, along with a master's degree in
biomedical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, the
Egyptian national is also the founder and executive director of Deep Space
Initiative, a non-profit aiming to expand space research accessibility.
Growing up in Egypt, she observed the lack of space
science education and agency, which Sara believes has set Egyptian space
initiatives and technology back substantially compared to the United States and
Europe.
The lack of Egyptian space agency has also resulted in
the absence of cooperation with the education system on space science that
could inspire students to pursue interests in the field and advance prospects
for an Egyptian space agency.
"The more I studied and worked and gained
experience from around the world, I realised the space field was so inaccessible
for someone like me because I'm Egyptian and don't have any other passport. All
opportunities for the space field are either in the US or in Europe but it's
very limited," said Sara.
"There's a lot of laws that exist that make it so
inaccessible for someone like me, so that was a big reason why I founded the
Deep Space Initiative. We offer programmes and initiatives that make it easier
for people to want to get themselves into the space field and gain a certified
course. It's everything I wished I had at the beginning of my journey."
For Sara, being part of an increasing number of women
playing a very visible role in space is an honour.
Around the world, only 18 per cent of women in college
and universities are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics, compared with 35 per cent of men, according to the UN.
Inspired by Stephen Hawking's discoveries and driven
by a burning desire to understand the expanding universe and all its
complexities, Sara was determined to reach space and beyond ever since learning
about astrophysics.
"I became really interested in astrophysics
because I'm always trying to understand what's happening in the space field and
we always depend so much on physicists. In reality, you'll find there are more
questions than answers and that made me wonder how I can combine my skills in
mechanical and biomedical engineering to push humanity forward in terms of it
becoming a multi-planetary and for us to be able to understand our origins and
future because this is the field that has the most impact on us as
humans," she says.
Having achieved one of her greatest dreams of blasting
into space, Sara also dreams of a future where everyone can share in the
perspective gained by those who were fortunate enough to experience it for
themselves.
"The first thing I said when I landed was that
everyone needs to see this. It felt so unfair to me that only about 600 people
have ever – in the history of humanity – been able to see Earth from space. It
shouldn't be an experience for just a select few in the world, this is also
what's driving me a lot more to make it happen with Deep Space Initiative, to
make it accessible for everyone."
Source: Middle East Monitor
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230115-meet-the-first-egyptian-arab-female-to-blast-into-space/
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UN Official, Martha Pobee, Hails HH Fatima Bint Mubarak's Efforts In
Empowering Women
Photo: Mena FN
---
January 15, 2023
Abu Dhabi: Martha Pobee, United Nations Assistant
Secretary-General for Africa, hailed the efforts of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima
bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), Chairwoman of the
Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the
Family Development Foundation (FDF) (Mother of the Nation), in empowering
Emirati women.
Pobee also lauded the efforts of the GWU and its
services to support women and promote their capabilities in all sectors.
They discussed relations and joint coordination in all
domains and women-related sectors during the meeting.
This was stated when Noura Al Suwaidi,
Secretary-General of the GWU received the United Nations official at GWU's
headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
Pobee was briefed on the efforts of the GWU to enhance
women's global agenda, peace and security through Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak's
initiatives to empower women in peace and security.
The meeting also tackled the UAE's achievements to
support and empower women in light of the support of the wise leadership and
the directives of Sheikha Fatima.
Source: Gulf News
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Former Afghan Female Lawmaker Mursal Nabizada, Who Had
Stayed In Kabul After The Taliban Seized Power, Shot Dead In Kabul
16.01.23
A former Afghan female lawmaker and her bodyguard were
shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in Kabul, police said on Sunday.
Mursal Nabizada was among the few female
parliamentarians who had stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in
August 2021. It is the first time a lawmaker from the previous administration
has been killed in the city since the takeover.
Local police chief Molvi Hamidullah Khalid said
Nabizada and her guard were shot dead around 3am in the same room. He said her
brother and a second security guard were injured. A third security guard fled
the scene with money and jewellery.
Nabizada died on the first floor of her home, which
she used as her office. Khalid said investigations were underway. He did not
answer questions about possible motives.
Nabizada was elected in 2019 to represent Kabul and
stayed in office until the Taliban takeover.
Source: Telegraph India
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/former-afghan-female-lawmaker-shot-dead-in-kabul/cid/1910077
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Presumed extremists abduct about 50 women in Burkina
Faso: Sources
15 January ,2023
Suspected extremists have abducted roughly 50 women in
insurgency-wracked northern Burkina Faso, local officials and residents told
AFP.
Roughly 40 were seized about a dozen kilometers
(miles) southeast of Arbinda on Thursday and about 20 others were abducted on
Friday to the north of the town, with some escaping in the meantime, the
sources said on condition of anonymity.
“The women got together to go and gather leaves and
wild fruits in the bush because there is nothing left to eat,” said one of the
residents, adding that they had left with their carts on Thursday.
“On Thursday evening, when they didn’t come back, we
thought that their carts had had a problem. But three survivors came back to
tell us what happened,” said another resident.
According to him, the next day, eight kilometers (five
miles) north of Arbinda, about 20 women who were not informed of the first
abduction, were in turn taken.
“In both groups, some women managed to escape and
returned to the village on foot,” the resident added. “We believe that the
kidnappers took them to their bases.”
According to local officials who confirmed the
abductions, the army and its civilian auxiliaries have carried out unsuccessful
sweeps of the area.
The commune of Arbinda is located in the Sahel region
of northern Burkina Faso, an area under blockade by extremist groups and with
limited food supplies.
One of the world’s poorest countries, Burkina has been
struggling with an extremist offensive since 2015.
Thousands of civilians and members of the security
forces have died and around two million people have been displaced.
Disgruntled army officers have carried out two coups
this year in a show of anger at failures to roll back the insurgency.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Facial recognition technology used to identify women
in Iran who do not wear the Islamic veil
By Willy Rock
January 15, 2023
Iranian authorities confirm for the first time the use
of facial recognition technology to automatically identify women not wearing
the Islamic veil in public places.
The new practice came to light after a young
saleswoman employed at a shopping centre in the Iranian capital, called
Sarzamineh Shadi (Land of Happiness), was removed from her job and the
amusement park for which she was selling tickets closed by the authorities.
Although the incident took place shortly after pictures of her unveiled face
circulated on social media, there are indications that the investigation
launched by Iranian prosecutors will not go unpunished. The authorities are
planning to use modern technology to enforce the hijab law, installing facial
recognition cameras in densely trafficked areas.
According to the Hijab law enforced by the Muslim
regime in Tehran, Iranian women must adhere to a strict dress code in public
places. Specifically, any woman who displays her uncovered face outside her
home can be punished for breaking the law.
Absurd as it may seem, there is a dedicated branch of
law enforcement called the Morality Police to enforce this law. In addition to
numerous acts of violence against women, representatives of this militia have
also been accused of torturing and killing a 22-year-old girl named Jina Mahsa
Amini, who was taken into custody for not wearing the Muslim veil tightly
enough over her face. Her death sparked historic protests against the dress
code imposed on women, resulting in some 19,000 arrests and more than 500
deaths.
In recent years, facial recognition technologies have
become an increasingly used tool by authoritarian regimes around the world as a
way to suppress dissent. Although efforts in this direction are slowed by a
lack of technical support, Iranian authorities are already using equipment
installed for the declared purpose of monitoring car traffic to identify women
caught in cars or on the street with their faces uncovered. The measures range
from SMS warnings requiring women to wear a hijab when inside a vehicle to
issuing fines to people found guilty of repeatedly breaking the rule.
Source: Royal Sblue
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UN rights experts urge Pakistan to end forced child
marriage
16 January ,2023
UN rights experts on Monday deplored a reported rise
in abductions, forced marriages and conversions of girls from Pakistan’s
religious minorities, urging the government to swiftly halt such practices.
“We are deeply troubled to hear that girls as young as
13 are being kidnapped from their families, trafficked to locations far from
their homes, made to marry men sometimes twice their age, and coerced to
convert to Islam,” the experts said.
“We are very concerned that such marriages and
conversions take place under threat of violence to these girls and women, or
their families.”
The experts called on Pakistan’s government “to take
immediate steps to prevent and thoroughly investigate these acts.”
The group of around a dozen independent United Nations
rights experts includes the UN special rapporteurs on the sale and sexual
exploitation of children, on contemporary forms of slavery, on violence against
women and on minority issues.
Such investigations, it said, should be carried out
“objectively and in line with domestic legislation and international human
rights commitments.”
The experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights
Council but do not speak on behalf of the world body, pointed to reports
indicating that Pakistan’s court system enables offences against religious
minority girls and young women “by accepting, without critical examination,
fraudulent evidence.”
“Family members say that victims’ complaints are
rarely taken seriously by the police, either refusing to register these reports
or arguing that no crime has been committed by labelling these abductions as
‘love marriages’,” they said.
The experts pointed out that abductors often “force
their victims to sign documents which falsely attest to their being of legal
age for marriage as well as marrying and converting of free will”.
“These documents are cited by the police as evidence
that no crime has occurred.”
The experts insisted it was vital that all victims,
regardless of their religious background, be afforded access to justice and
equal protection under the law.
Pakistan’s authorities, they said, “must adopt and
enforce legislation prohibiting forced conversions, forced and child marriages,
kidnapping, and trafficking.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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