In recognition of their distinguished accomplishments in the field of pharmaceutics, three Egyptian female Muslim scientists have won the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award, Women of Egypt Mag reported. The L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science, which began 19 years ago, recognizes accomplished women researchers, to encourage more young women to enter the profession. With her academic excellence in the field of Pharmaceutical Design and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Balaha managed to design, synthesize, and evaluate novel compounds as cytotoxic agents against non-small cell lung cancer. She performed molecular docking study to interpret the comparative differences in the binding interactions of the synthesized novel compounds at the molecular level, as inhibitors of human dihydrofolate reductase enzyme, and to understand the structure-activity relationships. Balaha performed quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study for prediction of the biological activity ...

Nasihah Thompson, a 16-year-old African-American basketball player from Mastery Charter School, Philadelphia, was prevented from playing in a basketball game by the referee due to her headscarf. “My hijab is part of me, and I feel like I was going to take off a part of me to play in the game,” said the high school sophomore after the incident. A hijab doesn’t impact someone’s ability to play sports Nasihah didn’t accept the condition of removing her hijab. She has played in her high school basketball team for years whilst wearing the hijab. She explained that her mother and she, in the previous years, never required a religious waiver in order for her to play the game. “I felt upset because I wanted to play the game.” Nasihah plays for the Mastery Charter North-Pickett Pumas which is part of Philadelphia Public League’s District 12. “The official took it upon herself to essentially enforce a rule that could have been avoided with much better judgement knowing very well that this d...

Education is not accessible all around the world. Some parts of the world are still struggling with domestic chaos whereas other parts of the world neglect their disappointing policy towards college enrollment. This phenomenon is often found in the Arab world, where education is not for all. Where I came from, it was considered a blessing. The people I grew up with however had to move to other countries where education was accessible and of quality. Not only were they forced to leave their homes and loved ones. They were also forced to overcome their fear of failure. But the motivation made them successful. Their goal was to be able to provide for their family and I believe that is the true characteristic of a role model. Someone who sacrifices in order to see other prosper. I think many readers can relate to the fact that people who had the opportunity to go abroad and start a new life, are usually people who are an example in their society. I believe we are a generation who were ...

As the 2016 Presidential election came to an end, a rapid increase of fear has grown within the Muslim community. Many Muslim women wearing the Hijab, a veil worn to cover the females hair as a form of modesty which is required in the Islamic religion, are beginning to feel scared, targeted, and ostracized. A million and one questions go through the mind of Muslim females each day before they step foot out in todays world. I personally have wondered if it would be safer for my mother and I to not wear the Hijab now. Will the next couple of years be similar to the days we’ve seen with 9/11? We were grieving for all the victims, when others thought we were to blame. As working Hijabi women, we face people of all ethnicities and people holding all different ideologies, and therefore, we have to plan each step before it’s taken. Jasmine Ibrahim, a young Muslim engineer posted on Facebook on November 11th, 2016, “I wear the Hijab every Sunday morning to teach at Sunday School, and I ques...

Have you ever asked someone to name inspirational people, dead or alive? You’ll probably get names like Martin Luther King, Neil Armstrong, Tariq Ramadan, … I mean, We can’t deny that these and so many other men have done amazing things and are definitely worth the title, but I’ve noticed that most people only name men when it comes to powerful people. Little do they know that women have done and are still doing some pretty amazing things. So in this series I want to talk to you about women whose names are often forgotten or simply ignored because of the patriarchal society we live in. All I want is for you to never forget their names and keep their achievements in mind. She was the daughter of a merchant named Mohammed, she was known as ‘the lady of Fez’ and ‘the mother of boys’. I’m talking about Fatima Al Fihri, founder of the very first academic university. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It all started 1215 years ago, Fatima was born in approximately 800 CE in Tunisia....

Have you ever asked someone to name inspirational people, dead or alive? You will probably get answers like Martin Luther King or Neil Armstrong. I mean, we cannot deny that these and so many other men have done amazing things and are definitely worth the title, but I have noticed that people are most likely to name men when it comes to powerful people. Little do they know that women have done and still are doing some pretty amazing things. So in this series I want to talk to you about women whose names are often forgotten or simply ignored because of the patriarchal society we live in. The most important thing is that you remember their names and achievements. You know when people tell you ‘the sky is the limit’? Well Anousheh Ansari took this saying to a whole other level. In September 2006 she became the very first woman to ever go to space. But not only was she the first female space tourist, she was also the first Muslim woman of Iranian descent. Obviously being able to travel ...

You know when people say that the sky is the limit? Well, Myriam Adnani, who lives in the Netherlands but who is a native of Oujda, took this saying to a whole other level. The 23 year old finished her education at the prestigious CAE NLS Oxford Aviation Global Academy in Amsterdam and has now become Europe’s first female Muslim pilot. She shared her happiness on her Facebook page, saying that it took her two years to become a commercial pilot. She had a theory course in Hoofddorp, she flew in the United States and Belgium and finally had her last course on board of a Boeing 737. Now she can proudly say that she is an official pilot working at Schiphol airport, which is known as the most important airport in the Netherlands and one of the most frequently used in Europe. The amazing young woman said that she felt extremely happy and blessed about this opportunity.