Rayyanah Barnawi, First Arab Female Astronaut to Travel to International Space Station on May 21
New Age
Islam News Bureau
16
May 20123
• Rayyanah Barnawi, First Arab Female Astronaut to
Travel to International Space Station on May 21
• Ruwa RommanIs the First Muslim Woman and Palestinian
American as Georgia Lawmaker
• Girls Display Handmade Products in Kabul Exhibition
• Hijab is the Islamic Republic's "Symbol,"
Iranian Vice President Says
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/rayyanah-arab-female-astronaut-iss/d/129788
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Rayyanah Barnawi, First Arab Female Astronaut to Travel to International Space Station on May 21
Rayyanah
Barnawi, First Arab Female Astronaut
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May 15, 2023
RIYADH — The
Saudi mission to space has been scheduled for May 21, 2023.
RayyanahBarnawi,
the first Arab Muslim female astronaut, and Ali Al-Qarni, will travel to the
International Space Station (ISS).
The mission is
part of the Kingdom’s astronauts’ program, which was launched on Sept. 22 last
year. The mission represents Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in space research and is
part of the goals of Vision 2030.
The Saudi space
mission will launch from the United States and more importantly, marks a
historical moment for the Kingdom.
The astronauts
will conduct 14 pioneering scientific experiments in microgravity that will
help scientists and researchers devise new ways to provide suitable conditions
for humans to further explore space.
The results
will advance the Kingdom's global position in space exploration, with the
ultimate aim of better serving humanity.
It will support
Saudi research centers and will have a scientific impact on future space
exploration.
The astronauts
will also conduct three educational awareness experiments with 12,000 Saudi
students via live feed.
This mission,
once accomplished, places the Kingdom as one of the few countries that will
have had two astronauts simultaneously on board the International Space
Station.
Its success
will enhance the Kingdom's global position within the field of space
exploration and service to humanity.
It will
represent a milestone for the Saudi astronaut program.
The program is
designed to prepare future astronauts and engineers for space through quality
educational and training programs, participation in scientific experiments,
international research and future space-related missions.
Source: zawya.com
https://www.zawya.com/en/business/technology-and-telecom/saudi-astronauts-mission-to-space-to-launch-on-may-21-dquwssja
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Ruwa Romman Is the First Muslim Woman and Palestinian American as Georgia Lawmaker
Ruwa Romman,
Georgia Lawmaker
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By
FortesaLatifi
MAY 15, 2023
This piece is
published in coordination with Sister District, an organization working to
build progressive power in state legislatures. Critical and life-altering
policies, including abortion access, trans rights, voting rights, fair wages
and conditions for working people and families are increasingly coming from
often overlooked state legislatures rather than Washington, DC. Our Historic
Firsts series uplifts inspiring, historic firsts among recently elected state
lawmakers, with a focus on women, people of color, young folks, LGBTQIA+ folks,
and folks from nontraditional backgrounds.
State
Representative Ruwa Romman is still buzzing from the Taylor Swift concert she
attended the evening before in Atlanta when we talk. The Georgia Democrat
apologizes for her excited energy, saying that as a “die-hard Swiftie,” she’ll
be riding the waves of the concert for a while. As the first Muslim woman and
first Palestinian American elected to the Georgia House, she needs the energy.
Romman, the
granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, was born in Jordan and moved to Georgia
at age seven. She calls herself a “Southern Arab” and jokes about the
similarities between Arab culture and Southern culture, saying both are focused
on hospitality, family, and religion. She remembers distinct moments from her
childhood in Georgia, some lovely, like inviting a friend over to her house,
where they tasted hummus for the first time; some much darker, like a peer
calling her a “terrorist” or a teacher pulling her out of class to ask if her
family had ties to Hamas, a militant group that controls the Gaza Strip and has
a presence on the West Bank.
Romman, who has
a teenage sister, sees the way Georgia has progressed in the years since she
was growing up. The fact that her sister has other hijab-wearing friends at
school, she says, feels like progress. And there are Muslim representatives in
Congress, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. André Carson (D-IN), and
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D–MN). But in Georgia, Romman is the first.
Teen Vogue
talks to Romman about growing up in Georgia and her hopes for the future of the
state.
This interview
has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Teen Vogue:
What was it like growing up in Georgia as a Muslim immigrant?
Ruwa Romman: I
always have to make the caveat that Georgia is an incredibly diverse place.
It's huge. I happened to grow up in a place that was not diverse. At the time,
me and two other girls were the only nonwhite people in my entire eighth-grade
class. The first Black kid I met was my sophomore year of high school.
Everything I
did felt like uncharted territory for somebody like me. There weren't a lot of
people that looked like me or came from my community in visible spaces. It
meant that I had to figure out a balance that made sense for me as it relates
to my culture, my faith, my social life, and everything in between.
[But] in a lot
of ways, [my childhood] was very similar to any other Southern kid's. God,
family, and country: Those were very, very important to us. But then the joke
is that while my peers were drinking their tea cold, I was drinking my tea hot.
But in both cases, it was sweet.
BLACKPINK's
Jisoo Remembers Her "Firsts" 🖤💗
TV: What are
your priorities as a lawmaker?
RR: This year
in particular, as a freshman in the minority party, my biggest priority,
honestly, was to learn and to stop really bad bills as much as possible, and
then help make bills better. As a policy expert [who graduated from Georgetown
University with a masters in public policy in 2019 and worked as a field
organizer for the Georgia Muslim Voter Project], I have a unique ability to
read a piece of legislation and think, Okay, this sounds good on paper, but
what does implementation actually look like? What is going to be required for
us to do this effectively and well and efficiently? So I quickly earned the
reputation of the “unintended-consequences queen,” because 9 times out of 10,
if I was speaking out about a bill, it was usually about the unintended
consequences of that bill.
TV: What are
your hopes for Georgia’s future?
RR: Right now,
there's a slogan that Georgia is the number one place to do business. I want
Georgia to become the number one place to live. I appreciate and understand the
importance of economic development and bringing opportunities for people, but
that cannot come at the expense of Georgians.
TV: What would
you say to young people who are disheartened by the state of electoral
politics?
RR: I think
this is so important. With Biden's recent presidential announcement [for 2024],
what I've told everyone that will listen to me is, “You cannot magically come
up with a presidential candidate overnight.” Even with Barack Obama, who
catapulted toward the White House in record time, he still started at the state
level. He still started somewhere.
And if we're
serious about creating change holistically to the point that we end up with a
presidential candidate that is as progressive as we want them to be, the
infrastructure needs to be there for them. That includes, by the way, the place
where we can get the most bang for our buck — the state level. There have been
races that I know for a fact have been won or lost by a handful of votes.
Literally, when I say a handful, I'm talking about less than five.
I always tell
people, “Democracy is a verb that you're constantly doing.” It's not just
voting once, voting twice, and calling it a day. It is the whole nine yards. It
is a holistic approach. Step number one: You need to reduce harm. I am able to
do so much more with Biden as president than I was able to do with Trump as
president because [I'm not] constantly responding to crisis after crisis after
crisis.
TV: Are there
any other “firsts” you want to accomplish in your life?
RR: I want to
change the culture around politics. I hope that that is something I can do in
the future. I really think we can make our world a better place if politics
becomes a place of let's all compete to make the world better for each other
instead of better for ourselves.
Source: teenvogue.com
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ruwa-romman-georgia-muslim-palestinian-american
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Girls Display
Handmade Products in Kabul Exhibition
14 MAY 2023
An exhibition
of handmade products was held in Kabul, in which more than 100 women also
participated.
Many
school-aged girls, above grade six, who are currently not allowed to attend
school, attended the exhibition and displayed their handmade products.
Zahra, a
student in 10th grade, said she turned to miniature art after she was banned
from school.
“It has been
two years since I have not gone to school. We the girls call for an early
reopening of schools,” she said.
Many other
schoolgirls also displayed their handmade products.
There are more
than 100 booths for women.
“We are
hopeless because of school. We want our schools to be reopened,” said Rukhsar,
a student.
“The reason
that we engaged in business is because our schools were closed and we were at
home and we needed to engage in business to cope with mental pressure,” a
student said.
Women
entrepreneurs who supported the girls in making handmade products called for
the reopening of schools for girls in grades 7-12.
“We call for
the reopening of schools so that our girls can have a good future and be
educated and together with us help serve the country,” Parween said.
The Afghanistan
Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM) said that more than 550 companies attended
the exhibition.
“More than 550
companies attended the exhibition and 100 stalls were organized for women,”
said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, deputy head of the ACIM.
“The expenses
of these exhibitions are being paid by business owners and domestic companies.
Based on our plans, we will have 10 exhibitions during the ongoing year across
the country,” said Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, a spokesman for the Ministry
of Industry and Commerce.
It has been
more than 600 days since the schools have been closed for girls l, with some of
them engaged in crafting and other fields in a bid to cope with the mental
strain of the situation.
Source: tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-183369
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Hijab is the
Islamic Republic's "Symbol," Iranian Vice President Says
MAY 15, 2023
Mohammad
Dehghan, Iran's vice president for legal affairs, has once against revealed the
misogynistic nature of the country's clerical regime by stating that
"hijab is the symbol of the Islamic Republic.”
“Without hijab,
the Islamic Republic would not have much of a meaning,” Dehghan said on May 13,
adding, “So we must not be negligent on this issue.”
When asked
whether women who flout the Islamic Republic's strict dress code are all
felons, he answered, “No, the felons are those who promote not wearing hijab in
an organized way. They are usually connected to foreign countries, and they
apparently play the role of mercenaries who promote not wearing hijab.”
A growing
number of Iranian women have appeared in public without the compulsory head
covering since Mahsa Amini's death in the custody of morality police in
September last year triggered months of widespread protests demanding economic,
social and political changes.
In response,
authorities have closed down hundreds of businesses due to the failure of owners
or managers to observe hijab rules. Police and volunteers issue warnings in
subways, airports and other public places. Text messages have targeted drivers
who had women without head covering in their vehicles.
All women in
Iran must conceal their hair with a headscarf and wear loose fitting trousers
under their coats while in public.
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/news/116568-hijab-is-the-islamic-republics-symbol-iranian-vice-president-says/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/rayyanah-arab-female-astronaut-iss/d/129788