Violent attempt to set fire to Muslim woman in Ajax exposes persistent Islamophobia in Canada
New Age Islam News Bureau
1 April 2025
· Violent attempt to set fire to Muslim woman in Ajax exposes persistent Islamophobia in Canada
· Did Saudi Crown Prince allow women to dress however they want Without Male Permission?
· UCC To Protect Muslim Women From Evil Practices Like Halala, Shiddat: Uttarakhand CM Dhami
· Leading Muslim-Jewish Women’s Groups Hold Iftar on Capitol Hill for Lawmakers
· Tatar demands legal action against teachers who ‘disturbed peace’ in hijab protest
· A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.'
· Celebrating Women in Engineering in the Arab World
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/violent-muslim-woman-islamophobia-canada/d/135028
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Violent attempt to set fire to Muslim woman in Ajax exposes persistent Islamophobia in Canada
March 31, 2025
The National Council of Canadian Muslims’ senior advocacy officer Fatema Abdalla read the survivor’s statement about what happened at a news conference last week. ‘I don’t feel safe for my daughters,’ the statement reads, ‘all of whom wear hijab.’ NCCM/Instagram
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A 25-year-old woman recently attempted to set a Muslim woman on fire in Ajax, Ont.
Afterwards, the survivor provided a statement, which was read for her at a news conference. In it, she described her visit to her “favourite quiet corner of the library” as ordinary and routine. This ordinary moment, however, turned nightmarish and extraordinary in an instant.
According to the survivor, the attacker attempted to yank her hijab off. She hurled objects at her head, including scissors and a metal object. The attacker then poured an unknown liquid on her hijab and flicked her lighter several times, allegedly attempting to light the fabric ablaze. Library staff and security intervened before any more harm could take place.
Afterwards, the survivor, a mother of two girls, explained that she’s unable to quell her terror. She said: “I can’t stop thinking: what if the lighter had worked? What if my hijab had caught fire?” But most of all, she’s terrified for her hijab-wearing daughters’ safety in public spaces.
No one should feel unsafe in public spaces. However, for racialized people, public space in North America is fraught with heightened risks. It’s shaped by a deep undercurrent of white anxieties propping up the racial order of society.
This incident is not an isolated act of violence. It is situated within a broader social climate that normalizes the policing of how racialized people “should” enter and occupy public spaces.
We are two scholars and community organizers who have long been working on issues related to Islamophobia and racism. The traumatic event in Ajax highlights the persistent and deeply ingrained nature of gendered Islamophobia in Canada and beyond.
Whether through horrific displays of public violence like this one, or legislative action like Bill 21 in Québec, the bodies of Muslim women have long been battlegrounds for white supremacist anxieties and ideologies.
White panic
While we don’t yet know the attacker’s affiliations or what inspired her to commit this act of terror, this incident echoes racist aspirations for “purity.”
Racial anxiety about the inflow of multiple generations of Muslims is integral to the way Islamophobia channels white supremacist panic over the growing population of Muslims in Canada — and the attack in Ajax is no exception.
White supremacist anxieties about demographic changes are articulated most clearly and directly in the “Great Replacement Theory” (and variations of it) that vilifies racialized people, asserting a drive to preserve “white innocence,” tied to eugenic fantasies of purifying North America and Europe.
Muslims, in this racist ideology, figure as foreign invaders, a demographic threat and as “provocateurs” who are trying to overtake the white population through immigration and reproduction — or as some white supremacists call it, “baby Jihad.”
The changing demographics of Ajax
Over the past decade, Ajax — in Durham region east of Toronto — has seen significant demographic changes, with an overall growth rate of about 15 per cent. The town is home to more than 125,000 people and about 14 per cent of them are Muslim.
The growth of Muslim communities is situated within a broader shift. A substantial portion of the population increase has been driven by a diverse group of racialized communities so that now, 65 per cent of the total population of Ajax would be considered racialized.
The new population has infused new life to Ajax, and the Durham region more broadly. It seems, however, that not everyone is happy about this growth.
Gendered Islamophobia
The bodies of Muslim women have long been objectified, serving as a site where white racial anxieties are projected and enacted. Taken up as a sort of Trojan horse, their perceived ability to give birth and reproduce culture is weaponized against them. After all, they hold the power to propagate this “dangerous other,” and dislodge the order of whiteness.
Jasmin Zine, a critical Muslim studies scholar, has used and developed the term “gendered Islamophobia” to explain the way the bodies and practices of Muslim women are produced as racial problems. Muslim women in public spaces are constructed as hazardous cultural contaminants, polluting the public square and threatening the purity of the (white) nation with their very existence.
The responses to this perception of contamination take multiple forms. In Québec, for instance, Muslim women are being aggressively foreclosed from participation in public spaces and institutions with laws like Bill 21 and Bill 94.
‘Unprovoked attack:’ Racism in public life
The Durham Police are calling this an “unprovoked attack.” But the provocation is precisely what needs to be named. Of course, the victim did not actively provoke the attacker. But it’s important to ask how our social arrangements prime and sustain the currents that produce Muslim women as provocations on sight.
This phenomenon of “unprovoked” attacks on visibly Muslim women in public spaces is far too common in Canada. These have ranged from a devastating physical assault in a mall parking lot in Edmonton to a knife attack on the TTC in Toronto, the fatal act of terror in London, Ont. against a family simply taking a walk together to this recent attack in Ajax. Muslim women around the country are rightly asking if public spaces are safe for them.
Racialized individuals must navigate what Black studies scholar George Lipsitz describes as “privileged moral geographies.”
For instance, the frame of “disorderly conduct” often serves as a common tool to mark the “wrong ways” in which racialized individuals assert their presence in public settings. This includes the regulation of what foods are deemed appropriate for public consumption, the enforcement of norms around personal space, noise and loitering.
The catch, however, is that when you are already racialized as a “cultural pollutant,” “conduct” merely fuels the racist climate that already marks you as an improper subject by sheer existence.
Have another samosa?
Standard sociological contact theory says greater exposure to diversity breeds opportunity for intergroup contact, which is presumed to foster tolerance.
Canadians like to believe in our multicultural country — that another samosa party or heritage night is all we need to confront intolerance and prejudice.
However, what contact theory frames get wrong is the assumption of the public as a neutral site of engagement where people all have equal access to participation.
Public space is already and always infused with racial logic that neutralizes and naturalizes certain bodies while amplifying and bloating other bodies with objectifying scripts. This perpetually and always produces them as out of place — and as problems that disrupt the order of the public square.
Until we confront the entrenched racialized ideas that govern public space, creating a landscape where some are seen as natural occupants while others are made alien, true inclusivity and safety will remain out of reach.
Kaley-Ann Freier, age 25, of Ajax has been charged with assault with a weapon for the attack.
Source:theconversation.com
https://theconversation.com/violent-attempt-to-set-fire-to-muslim-woman-in-ajax-exposes-persistent-islamophobia-in-canada-253002
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Did Saudi Crown Prince allow women to dress however they want Without Male Permission?
April 1, 2025
Aayushi Rana
A claim has resurfaced online stating that Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has granted women in Saudi Arabia the freedom to dress as they wish without requiring approval from a male spouse or sibling.
On March 30, 2025, an X user, @realMaalouf, shared the claim alongside a photo collage featuring the prince and Saudi model RumyAlqathani, who competed in Miss Universe 2024 last year. The post read:
“Prince Mohammed bin Salman: From now on, women in Saudi Arabia can dress however they want without male permission.”
As of March 31, 2025, the post has amassed over 4.4 million views, more than 8,700 reposts, and over 88,000 likes.
Additionally, another X user, @RadioEuropes, shared a similar claim on March 31, 2025.
Fact Check
Upon investigation, the DFRAC Team found the claim to be misleading, as the Saudi prince has been quoted out of context.
A Google search for the keywords “Prince Salman Saudi Arabia Women Dressing” reveals media reports indicating that the Saudi Crown Prince addressed the topic of women’s attire in Saudi Arabia during a CBS News interview in March 2018.
During the interview, he advocated for women to wear “decent, respectful clothing, like men” in accordance with Sharia law, rather than dressing however they please.
Several reputable media outlets, including Reuters and DW, reported on the interview, highlighting that the Saudi Prime Minister provided insights into the cultural norms and practices of the kingdom.
When asked whether women are considered equal to men in Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince responded that “we are all human beings”, emphasizing that there is no fundamental difference between genders.
He also addressed the presence of extremist views that prohibit men and women from mixing in public spaces, explaining that some individuals fail to distinguish between professional interactions and private encounters.
Source:dfrac.org
https://dfrac.org/en/2025/04/01/fact-check-did-saudi-crown-prince-allow-women-to-dress-however-they-want-without-male-permission/
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UCC To Protect Muslim Women From Evil Practices Like Halala, Shiddat: Uttarakhand CM Dhami
Mar 31, 2025
A file photo of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. (ANI)
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Bareilly: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will ensure that Muslim sisters don't fall prey to evil practices like Halala and Shiddat, and women won't have to face any discrimination in inheritance and property rights.
He was speaking in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly at a programme, Samman and Abhinandan Samaroh, to felicitate him for successfully implementing UCC in Uttarakhand.
"UCC is not against any religion or sect. It aims to establish harmony and equality by eradicating the evil practices of society. The beliefs of any religion have not been abolished in the code," he said.
Taking a jibe at the opposition, Dhami said, "Many people tried to spread confusion about the provisions of live-in in UCC. But I want to clarify that my only intention behind live-in is to strengthen the security of our sisters and daughters. It is our misfortune that since independence, the country has been ruled by such a party, which did not show the courage to implement UCC due to vote bank politics. Whereas UCC is already implemented in many countries."
On January 27, the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state in Independent India to implement the UCC, which promotes equal laws for every citizen across all religions and standardises personal laws on marriage, divorce and property.
On the occasion, Dhami launched a portal designed for the mandatory online registration of marriages, divorce and live-in relationships. He was the first to register his marriage on the UCC portal.
The UCC's provision for mandatory registration of live-in relationships has been much criticised for its potential to infringe upon people's right to privacy. However, Dhami had justified it by saying mandatory registration of live-in couples would help prevent brutal incidents like the murder of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in partner Aftab.
Source:etvbharat.com
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/ucc-to-protect-muslim-women-from-evil-practices-like-halala-shiddat-uttarakhand-cm-dhami-enn25033104394
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Leading Muslim-Jewish Women’s Groups Hold Iftar on Capitol Hill for Lawmakers
Mar 31, 2025,
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 31, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), in partnership with The House of Ruach Foundation and Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, hosted a landmark Interfaith Iftar on Capitol Hill on March 25, 2025. The event brought together leaders, activists, and policymakers from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to foster dialogue and celebrate solidarity during the holy month of Ramadan.
Held in the heart of the nation’s capital, the Iftar served as a powerful testament to the strength of interfaith collaboration and the shared commitment to promoting peace, understanding, and justice. The event was attended by a diverse group of congressional staff, faith leaders, community members, and advocates for religious freedom. Guests heard from a powerful lineup of speakers, including Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who shared on the importance of the work being carried out by AMMWEC, Hadassah, and The House of Ruach Foundation. Congresswoman Judy Chu shared about the commitment to religious freedom and mutual respect, and representatives of the Embassies of Malaysia, Germany, and The Netherlands delivered global reflections on the importance of religious pluralism and countering hate. AMMWEC President Anila Ali gave remarks, as did Carol Ann Schwartz, National President of Hadassah, and Ellen Finkelstein, Hadassah CEO. AMMWEC Board Members shared their reflections on AMMWEC’s work, and filmmaker Wajid Ali Syed shared a glimpse of the work to spotlight the plight of persecuted Christians in Pakistan with the release of the documentary “Faith Under Fire”.
“At a time when women’s organizations and feminist groups failed to speak up regarding the violence against Israel women perpetrated by Hamas on October 7th, AMMWEC has stood up against violence against women and rape as a weapon of war. As the first Muslim women’s civil rights movement we stood up against misogyny and harassment of Muslim women in America in 2013. In spite of the global backlash against us and our families, we will continue our advocacy for the sacred Abraham Accords. This Iftar is a reminder that Muslim and Jewish female leaders can impact change and build enduring movements. We are stronger when we stand together,” said Anila Ali, President of AMMWEC. “Breaking bread together is not just symbolic—it is also a step toward healing and building bridges across communities.”
AMMWEC was delighted to hear from our guests that they felt encouraged and renewed in their work of interfaith bridge-building, and our staff and board felt renewed by the heartfelt reflections on the significance of Ramadan, and frank discussions on the role of interfaith dialogue in confronting hate, promoting equity, and protecting vulnerable communities worldwide.
AMMWEC thanks our partners and guests for their support of this important event, and we eagerly look forward to continuing to provide opportunities for greater collaboration between religious communities in support of our mission to empower women and multifaith leaders.
Source:wgnradio.com
https://wgnradio.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/798808589/leading-muslim-jewish-womens-groups-hold-iftar-on-capitol-hill-for-lawmakers/
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Tatar demands legal action against teachers who ‘disturbed peace’ in hijab protest
April 1, 2025
A trade union leader had called on Turkey's ambassador to 'go home'
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Monday night demanded that legal action be taken against teachers who “disturbed our peace” while protesting against the legalisation of the wearing of hijabs in schools in the north.
He announced that he would meet with Turkish Cypriot police chief Kasim Kuni and chief public prosecutor SarperAltincik and “request that legal steps be taken” in light of the protests.
“The spread of divisive and radical discourse within society not only disrupts peace but also brings with it legal processes. Such statements have become elements which need to be investigated by the chief public prosecutor’s office and the police,” he said.
“We will not allow anyone to disturb our peace. The state will do what is necessary, no one should have any doubt about this,” he said.
Tatar’s demand for legal action comes after teachers had staged a protest outside the Turkish embassy in northern Nicosia last Tuesday, with trade unions pointing their fingers at the Turkish embassy as what they believed to be the source of the amendment which briefly legalised the wearing of hijabs in schools in the north.
The ruling coalition had withdrawn the amendment on Tuesday morning, but teachers were nonetheless keen to show their displeasure at the amendment and their view that the embassy had played a role, with some even believing it was put down to deliberately sow division in Turkish Cypriot society.
At the protest, Cyprus Turkish secondary education teachers’ trade union (Ktoeos) leader Selma Eylem called on ambassador Ali Murat Basceri to “go home”, with footage of her speech now having gone viral in Turkey, where political tensions are heightened for separate reasons.
She had said Basceri “is continuing this imposition of political Islam”, and that there was no room for compromise over the matter.
The north’s ‘government’ had initially legalised the wearing of hijabs in schools midway through March, but faced a fierce backlash from teachers, the majority of whom are staunchly secular.
Teachers had refused to let planned school exams go ahead, and at the same time refused to allow children wearing hijabs, and other religious garments including a chador – a full-body cloak which covers the body from head to toe – to enter schools.
The crisis then continued on Thursday, with a girl being sent to northern Nicosia’s Irsen Kucuk middle school wearing a hijab and being turned away. What ensued was a standoff between the girl’s parents and schoolteachers, with ‘education ministry’ undersecretary Yusuf Inaniroglu then arriving on the scene to mediate.
Opposition-supporting media outlets including Yeniduzen and BugunKibris reported that Inaniroglu attempted to “pressure” the school into allowing the hijab-wearing child to enter, with photographs emerging of a heated exchange inside headmistress Gulden Ogcum’s office.
Ogcum then fainted and was treated by paramedics, but backup was offered by teachers from other schools who travelled to the Irsen Kucuk middle school to ensure that the child would not enter while wearing a hijab.
Ibrahim Damar, the imam of the mosque in the northern Nicosia suburb of Mandres, then weighed in on the matter, describing teachers as “infidels” and saying he would refuse to lead a funeral service for “anyone who opposes headscarves”.
“I am saying it clearly; those who oppose the headscarf are infidels. The funeral prayer of an infidel cannot be performed,” he said.
‘Education minister’ Nazim Cavusoglu then said the ‘government’ would have another look at the issue after Eid al-Fitr, which began on Sunday, but not before Cyprus Turkish teachers’ trade union (Ktos) leader Burak Mavis said that both he and Inaniroglu should resign and be tried for breaching the peace as a result of their actions.
Source:cyprus-mail.com
https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/04/01/tatar-demands-legal-action-against-teachers-who-disturbed-peace-in-hijab-protest
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A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.'
MARCH 31, 2025
An Afghan midwife describes how a woman died in childbirth, along with her baby. She was snowed into her village and couldn't reach a hospital. Just weeks before, the health clinic in her village had closed. If it was open, a midwife could have helped her.
Other midwives, based in hospitals, tell NPR that their facilities are seeing women rushed in from remote areas where clinics have closed too late: The mothers and babies often die, say the midwives.
These maternal and baby deaths, they say, is partly a consequence of a reeling blow to Afghanistan's fragile health system: the abrupt shuttering of USAID by the Trump administration, which once supplied more than 40% of all aid to this deeply poor country of some 40 million people. The World Health Organization said in a statement that over 200 clinics in Afghanistan closed as a result of American funding cuts.
"USAID should not have left Afghanistan. We are devastated," says Fatima, a 27-year-old midwife, who has worked in maternal care for the past seven years.
Making matters worse, other major European donors have also announced cuts to their foreign aid programs.
"It seems to be that other donors are following the U.S. — what Trump has done is give everyone a license to give up on funding aid," says Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch. She has focused on Afghanistan closely for decades.
Already, the U.S. aid cuts have caused 206 health facilities to shut down in Afghanistan, according to a World Health Organization count in late March. The WHO report said without urgent intervention, around 200 more facilities would shut down by June, impacting around 2.4 million people.
To give a sense of the ramifications, by February 19 — just a month after Trump was inaugurated and announced a suspension of USAID funding — more than 320 health facilities had shuttered. By March 4, some 153 of the facilities managed to reopen as charities scratched together money, according to AjyalSultany, head of communications for WHO in Kabul. But within two weeks, another 39 health facilities had shuttered, according to WHO.
Who bears the brunt
The shrinking availability of health care "threatens the most vulnerable — women, children, the elderly and displaced populations — who now face heightened risks of disease, malnutrition and preventable deaths," Sultany told NPR via email.
Midwives spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because they were critical of the Taliban and worried for their personal safety. They were also not authorized to speak to the media by the foreign-funded charities that employ them.
Most institutions impacted by the USAID cuts, from U.N. organizations to small charities, have repeatedly declined to comment on the record about the effects of the cuts on their work. Three aid workers told NPR, on condition of anonymity, that representatives of various Afghan charities are worried that if they speak out publicly, they'll draw the ire of the Trump administration even as they try to negotiate the resumption of some aid.
Complications and deaths
As yet there is no available and relevant data on deaths and serious complications related to pregnancy and childbirth since health facilities began closing in February — and there may never be. But the five midwives with whom NPR spoke offered anecdotal accounts of women showing up at regional hospitals in labor and with complications that are sometimes deadly for the mother and the baby. The midwives believe that some of those complications could have been addressed if the women had accessed maternal care earlier in their labor.
Faezeh, 25, is a midwife who had worked in a clinic in an isolated, mountainous district of the western province of Herat. She says villagers had been so happy to have a clinic in their locality because the next nearest health facility was four hours away on treacherous, unpaved roads.
"The clinic was active day and night. There were lots of people coming and going," says Faezeh, who adds that the clinic –- like many other similar facilities that were recently shuttered –- offered nutrition to malnourished children and their mothers as well as vaccines.
So a few weeks ago, "when the clinic was closed," she recalls, "people were really upset." She says village elders begged the public health officer to reopen the clinic, but "there was no donor" to fund its reopening.
Faezeh says since the clinic closed, she got word that a mother and her baby died in childbirth. She says it was "snowing and raining, the roads were blocked," and there was no way to reach the nearest health clinic. Faezeh says she believes that they would not have died if they had accessed health care. She noted that there had not been a single maternal death when she worked at the village clinic.
A doctor who worked at the clinic that was shuttered told NPR that even if roads were open, his patients had no means to get to the city. Even to the village clinic, he said, "families used to walk or ride animals like donkeys."
Other women have arrived at distant health clinics — only to die along with their babies.
One woman, Karima, who has worked in maternal care for decades in a regional hospital, tells NPR that she's seeing deaths because maternal care services "previously managed by foreign NGOs — are no longer operational."
She cited one pregnant woman who bled to death on the way to the hospital. Karima believes the woman likely could have been saved if she'd had a clinic closer to home. Another woman needed an emergency caesarean but arrived too late — her baby had died.
Another midwife in the western province of Herat, Somaya, told NPR that one of her rural patients was past her due date for delivery. The clinic in her area had shuttered, so the woman traveled into the city to give birth – but her baby had defecated in her womb, causing it to die. That is known as meconium aspiration syndrome – a potentially fatal condition that occurs in 5% to 10% of births but is treatable if diagnosed in time. In the midwife's view, "the woman lost her baby because there was no one to provide her professional care in the community."
Fatima, the midwife who works in the deeply impoverished province of Farah, says she is seeing harrowing cases of women arriving too late to hospital.
"They arrive in critical condition: babies stuck halfway – heads out, but legs trapped, or legs out, while heads remain [inside the birth canal]." In those cases, Fatima says the babies died.
Fatima says she believes she's only seeing a minority of cases. She says in her experience of working in poor, conservative communities, "most women give birth at home," – and if they die, she says, their deaths are not recorded. She says some women give birth at home because families can't afford a taxi to hospital — many Afghans do not own their own vehicles.
Fatima says there are cultural issues as well — which are getting worse under the rule of the Taliban, which has severely restricted the freedoms of women and girls. Some families, she says, "refuse to let women leave home" even when they are in labor. Instead, she says, they task elderly female relatives to assist in deliveries. And when those birthing women or their babies die, family members "dismiss these deaths as 'God's will.'"
Another blow
In that context, Fatima and other midwives say, the USAID cuts were a blow to women who already face so much hardship.
Even before these 2025 cuts, health care in Afghanistan has always been tenuous, especially for women. It worsened after the Taliban seized power over three years ago from a Western-backed government. International aid dropped off, even as the Taliban began ratcheting up rules that now prevent most women from leaving their homes without a male guardian, that bar women from most professions and ban most women and girls from studying after the sixth grade.
Even a pilot program to train young women to work as community nurses and midwives, greenlit by the Taliban government in February last year was shuttered in December, apparently on the orders of the group's spiritual leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada.
More and more countries make cuts
And the Trump administration's cuts have triggered a domino effect of sorts: soon after those cuts were announced. On February 25, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his country would nearly halve its budget for foreign aid. He said that decision was made to divert resources to defense spending in response to the Trump administration's call for NATO allies to contribute more money for defense.
Other major international aid donors followed suit. France said it planned to cut its foreign aid by up to 40%; the Netherlands announced foreign cuts as well. Belgium announced a cut of 25% in foreign aid. Switzerland announced smaller cuts — moves that the Norwegian Relief Committee described in a statement as "foreshadowing a significant drop in the assistance available to the world's most vulnerable." The statement followed news in December that the world's second largest aid donor at the time, Germany, would cut over $2 billion for foreign aid as its economy contracted.
Fatima, the Afghan midwife, described the cuts in foreign aid this way: "No one prioritizes women's lives."
Source:npr.org
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/03/31/g-s1-56594/childbirth-usaid-afghanistan
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Celebrating Women in Engineering in the Arab World
April 1, 2025
National Arab American Heritage Month was first recognized at the federal level in the U.S. in April 2021, though celebrations recognizing the Arab community and their contributions in the United States were observed in previous years.
Here at the Society of Women Engineers, we are excited to celebrate some of the amazing Arab women engineers from around the world who are paving the way for others to pursue a future in STEM and thrive in their careers.
Diana Alsindy
Diana Alsindy is a propulsion engineering manager at Blue Origin where she leads a team of engineers building the next rocket to the moon. She is also the founder of The Arabian Stargazer, a bilingual educational platform that promotes science and space in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Diana is an Iraqi refugee who fled the Iraq war in 2004 with her family and now calls Los Angeles home. She frequently hosts lectures and seminars with schools that do not have access to engineering resources and aspires to continue paving the way to space and advocate for others to look up. Diana earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a focus in mechanical and aerospace engineering from University of California San Diego. Hear her speak as a panel member on From the Classroom to the Cosmos: How Educators Can Help Girls Succeed in Space available in the Advance Learning Center.
Alshaima Abduallah Alshayeb
Alshaima Abduallah Alshayeb is the founder and chairperson of the Saudi Women Engineers Society (SWES) and the first Saudi engineer specializing in structural engineering. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Technology Sydney and is the first engineer to hold a Certified Mostadam Accredited Professional license, a groundbreaking sustainable framework she led development on, which focuses on green building practices aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals. She is an advisor with the Saudi Association of Sustainability Professionals and founder of the Urban Heritage Association, presenting at World ESG Summit and Global Project Management Forum and promoting diversity and women in engineering. Under her leadership, SWES has forged partnerships with organizations such as Bechtel and Saudi Arabia Parsons Corporation to promote opportunities for Saudi women in engineering fields.
Dr. Habiba Alsafar
Dr. Habiba Alsafar is dean of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and professor of genomics at Khalifa University, one of the United Arab Emirates top universities for STEM education. She earned a BS in biochemistry at San Diego State University, an MS in biomedical engineering from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and Ph.D. in medical and forensics science from the University of Western Australia. She is credited with establishing the Emirates Family Registry — the first study of its kind in the Middle East — which was instrumental in discovering diabetes risk factors unique to the area’s Bedouin population. She is the recipient of the UAE’s First Honor Model award and the International L’Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science, as well as the International L’Oréal-UNESCO Rising Talents award in recognition of her trailblazing work in genetics.
Dr. Chiraz Ennaceur
Dr. Chiraz Ennaceur is the CEO and co-founder of Cambridge-headquartered CorrosionRADAR Ltd, a technology startup in the predictive corrosion monitoring and assets management space. The organization has received recognition for its groundbreaking Predictive Corrosion Under Insulation Monitoring System, and Dr. Ennaceur received the 2024 Women in Excellence Achievement Award from the International Maintenance, Reliability, and Asset Management conference (MAINTCON) in recognition of her outstanding contributions and leadership in her field. Born in Tunisia, Dr. Ennaceur completed her schooling there, earning a civil engineering degree at Ecole National d’Ingénieurs de Gabès (National Engineering School of Gabes), where she was only one of two girls in a class of 20 students, and then a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Technology of Compiègne in France.
Marwa Al Mamari
The first aerospace engineer in the history of the United Arab Emirates, Marwa Al Mamari is pursuing a Ph.D. studying artificial intelligence in aviation at Coventry University, where she also earned a Master of Science in aviation safety and a Bachelor of Applied Science in aerospace engineering. She has previously worked with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, specializing in accident prevention and safety recommendations. This mother of two is also an adjunct lecturer in engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi. In 2024, she was honored as an Emirati Woman Achiever, an award recognizing visionary Emirati women leading entrepreneurship and innovation in the UAE. She has spoken at TEDx and other events globally on changing the narratives, the power of STEM, and women’s empowerment in shaping the future.
Dr. Raida Al-Alawi
As the president of the Bahrain Society of Engineers, Dr. Raida Al-Alawi is the first woman to lead the organization in its 50+ year history and the first Bahraini woman to earn a Ph.D. in engineering. Her professional experience includes serving as dean of Student Affairs at Manama’s Ahlia University, and as associate professor in the department of electrical and electronics engineering at the University of Bahrain, where she also chaired the department of computer engineering. Dr. Al-Alawi is a Fellow of both the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World, and senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the International Association of Engineers. She holds a Ph.D. in Computational Intelligence from Brunel University London, an MSc in Computer Engineering from King’s College London, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Kuwait University.
Source:alltogether.swe.org
https://alltogether.swe.org/2025/04/celebrating-women-in-engineering-in-the-arab-world/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/violent-muslim-woman-islamophobia-canada/d/135028