Sarah Gamal: First Arab Woman Basketball Referee at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Hijab-wearing referee to become first Arab and African woman to officiate 3×3 games at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Both the 32-year-old and 3×3 will make their debuts at the Olympic Games with Gamal becoming the first Arab and African woman to officiate a 3×3 basketball game at the Olympics.

The Egyptian proudly wears a black hijab and is the first hijab-wearing basketball referee for FIBA at an international level.

The headscarf worn by many Muslim women is allowed to be worn by players under certain conditions since FIBA changed its rules in 2017.

Gamal will follow in the footsteps of Moroccan referee Chahinaz Boussetta as a fellow Arab, who refereed five-on-five basketball at Rio 2016.

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Egyptian Basketball referee Sarah Gamal gestures while holding a ball during a match in the country’s northern city of Alexandria, on April 17, 2021. (AFP) / pix: thearabweekly.com

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EGYPT

Tunisia Launches First Satellite – ‘Challenge One’ – March 2021

Tunisia launches its first 100% Tunisian satellite.

The Tunisian telecommunication company Telnet Holding and the Russian space agency Roscosmos succeeded, on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 7:07 am, the launch of Challenger One, the first satellite of the country entirely manufactured locally.

Carried by a Russian Soyuz-2 launcher from the base of Baikonur (Kazakhstan).

According to the agreement, Challenge ONE is going to be a precursor for a constellation of 30 satellites to be launched by 2023. 

Part of the agreement also involved SPUTNIX, a Russian private company, manufacturing high-tech microsatellite components and technologies. SPUTNIX’s involvement was to facilitate the development of the satellites and the establishment of R & D services for satellite components.

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pix: carthagemagazine.com

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TUNISIA

‘Erg Chech 002’ – 4.6 Billion Years Old Meteorite Found in Algeria (older than Earth) : 2020

The rare meteorite, estimated to be 4.6 billion years old, was found by a team led by Jean-Alix Barrat of Université de Bretagne Occidentale. Results of the study have been published in PNAS.

Named Erg Chech 002 (EC 002), after the Algerian site where it was discovered, the rock is a rare artefact from a protoplanet — a large body of matter in orbit around the Sun or another star, and believed to be developing into a planet — that was likely forming when the solar system was a young 2 million years old.

The meteorite was part of a group that was recovered in May 2020 near Bir Ben Takoul, southern Algeria, within the Erg Chech sand sea. The stones are described as having a “coarse grained, tan and beige appearance” interspersed with crystals that are green, yellow-green, and yellow-brown.

The oldest volcanic rock we have ever discovered may help us understand the building blocks of planets. The meteorite, which was discovered in the Sahara desert in 2020, dates from just 2 million years after the formation of the solar system – making it more than a million years older than the previous record-holder.

Since no known asteroid resembles EC 002, the researchers suspect that no other remnants are left from these early times. 

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The oldest chunk of volcanic rock ever unearthed
©2021 Darryl Pitt / Christie’s / pix: newscientist.com

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ALGERIA

Ahmed Yahya – President of FFRIM , Mauritania

Ahmed Yahya is a businessman. At 44, Yahya is the youngest candidate in the bid for Africa’s big seat in football.

The head of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFRIM), a post he has held since 2011.

Achievements in football

  • Founded football club FC Nouadhibou in 1999 and served as President of the club until 2004. The club has won two cups and six national titles,
  • Elected as the President of FFRIM, 2011
  • Member of CAF’s Executive Committee since 2017. Yahya also sits on the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions.
  • CAF Awards – awarded as ‘The Continent’s Best Football Administrator ‘ 2017 by CAF (Confederation of African Football)
  • Under his FFRIM leadership, Mauritania qualified for the first time in history for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) under coach Corentin Martins (2018)
  • Mauritania was crowned CAF’s Team of the Year for 2018,
  • Mauritania selected a women’s team to represent the country for the first time (2019)
  • FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, praised Yahya for role in developing both football and its infrastructure in Mauritania (2019)
  • Yahya was re-elected as the President of FFRIM in a landslide victory (2020)

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pix: sabcnews.com

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MAURITANIA

Tunisian-American Chemist Moungi Bawendi : MIT Professor

Dr. Moungi Bawendi is a Tunisian-American chemist.

He is the Lester Wolfe Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Moungi Bawendi is one of the original participants in the field of colloidal quantum dot research, and among the most cited chemists of the last decade.

This work has included: (1) the development of novel methods for synthesising, characterising, and processing quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles, and tubular J-aggregates as novel materials building blocks, (2) studying fundamental optical and magnetic properties of nanostructures using a variety of spectroscopic methods, including the development of optical photon correlation tools to study single nanoscopic emitters, (3) incorporating quantum dots and magnetic particles into various optical and electronic device structures, and (4) developing nanoparticles and other agents for biomedical imaging.

  • Became a Clarivate Citation Laureate in 2020.
  • Received his A.B. in 1982 from Harvard University
  • Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1988, University of Chicago.
  • Two years of postdoctoral research at Bell Laboratories, working with Dr. Louis Brus, where he began his studies on nanomaterials.
  • Joined the faculty at MIT in 1990, becoming Associate Professor in 1995 and Professor in 1996.

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pix: energy.mit.edu

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AMERICAN / TUNSIAN-AMERICAN

Arab Designer, Libyan Ibrahim Shebani

Ibrahim Shebani (Alshebani) . Fashion Designer

Founder of the ready-to-wear fashion label : ‘Born In Exile’ .

Ibrahim Shebani has set up an atelier near Bologna (Italy) and set up in Tunisia for manufacturing.

Awarded Designer of the Year ‘DOTM’ – by MAFT magazine.

Born in German, grew up mostly between Cairo and Libya. Lived in Paris for a year.

www.born-in-exile.com

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pix: twitter.com/ibrahimshebani

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LIBYA

Dr. Tawhida Abdel-Rahman – First Female Doctor Working in the Government, Egyptian Health Ministry : 1933

Dr. Tawhida Abdel-Rahman was one of the first six girls, sent to England from Egypt to study medicine in 1922 based on King Fouad’s decision.

On her return she was appointed in ‘Kitchener Charitable Hospital – The General Hospital in Shubra, Government Health Ministry – making her the First Female Doctor working for the Egyptian Government Health Ministry.

She passed away in 1974.

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Tawhida Abdel-Rahman – Photo courtesy by Facebook page /pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Dr Malik Badri, Founder and President – ‘International Association of Islamic Psychology (IAIP)

Professor Dr Malik Badri (aka) Malik Babikr Badri Mohammed Ph.D.

Founder and President – ‘International Association of Islamic Psychology  (IAIP) (www.islamicpsychology.org)

First/s :

  • The first one who reminded many of modern Muslim psychologists not to be trapped in Western psychology ‘lizard hole’.
  • Founding father of Islamic Psychology
  • The First President of International Association of Muslim Psychologists (IAMP)

Education:

  • Ph.D – University of Leicester, England (1961)
  • Postgraduate Certificate of Clinical Psychology, Academic Department of Psychiatry Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London University (1966)
  •  Fellow of the British Psychological Society (1977)
  • Holds the title of Chartered Psychologist, C.Psychol
  • Master’s degree, University of Leicester (1958)
  • Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, American University of Beirut (1956)
  • Honorary D.Sc. , Ahfad University

Honours:

  • Decorated by President of Sudan with Medal of Shahid Zubair
  • Chair of Ibn Khaldun, Faculty of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences,e International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Books :

  • Contemplation: An Islamic Psychospiritual Study
  • Abu Zayd al-Balkhi’s Sustenance of the Soul: The Cognitive Behavior Therapy of a Ninth Century Physician
  • Cultural Adaptation and Islamization of Psychology: A book of collected papers
  • Cyber-counseling for Muslim Clients
  • Islam and AIDS: Between scorn, pity and justice
  • Islamizing and Indigenizing Psychology
  • The AIDS crisis: A Natural Product of Modernity’s Sexual Revolution
  • The AIDS Dilemma: A Progeny of Modernity
  • The AIDS Crisis: an Islamic socio-cultural perspective
  • The Wisdom of Islam in Prohibiting Alcohol
  • Use and abuse of human sciences in Muslim Countries
  • Tafakkur from perception to insight
  • Psychology from an Islamic perspective
  • Islam and Alcoholism
  • General Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • The Psychology of Arab Children’s Drawings

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pix: iamphome.org

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SUDAN

Ramla Ali – First British Female Muslim Boxing Champion

Ramla Ali (aka) Ramla Said Ahmed Ali

Somali-British. English Professional Boxer, Model, Author and Racial Equality Activist.

First/s :

  • First Muslim Woman Boxer to win English National Titles in 2016
  • Somalia’s First ever Boxing Representative for Tokyo 2020 Olympics
  • First Female Somali Boxer in history to compete professionally
  • First male or female to win the African Boxing Title and International Gold medals whilst representing Somalia
  • First Boxer in history to have represented Somalia in Women’s World Championships, New Delhi, India

Winner : a few listed below :

  • As an amateur – Won Novice National Championship, England (2015)
  • England Boxing Elite Championship (2016)
  • African Zone Featherweight Title (2019)
  • etc..

Social Activist:

  • Launched a club ‘ The Sister’s Club’, UK (2018)

Model:

  • Front covers of British Vogue, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Guardian Observer, Wonderland, ELLE, The Square Mile, The Week, Swiss Style, Puss Puss Magazine etc..

Brand Ambassador:

  • Pantene nominated her as its newest Ambassador and Face of their Hair Care Brand (2019)

Book:

  • ‘Not Without A Fight’

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pix: olympicchannel.com/en

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UNITED KINGDOM / SOMALIAN-BRITISH

UNESCO Competion to Rebuild Iraq’s Al-Nouri Mosque, Mosul – Won by Egyptian Architectural Design : April 2021

The “Courtyards Dialogue” design submitted by eight Egyptian architects has won the UNESCO competition to rebuild the historic Al-Nouri mosque complex mostly destroyed in Iraqi Mosul.

The Egyptian design was selected by an international jury from among 123 entries in the global competition as part of the UNESCO’s project to rehabilitate the ancient city of Mosul, the UN wrote on its website.

The winners of the competition are Salah El Din Hareedy, Khaled El-Deeb, Sherif Ebrahim, Tarek Ali Mohamed, Noha Ryan, Hager Abdel Ghani, Mahmoud Saad Gamal and Yousra El-Baha, the UN said.

Winners at the competition, the Egyptian team, has been awarded the contract for the complex as well as $50,000 prize.

source/content : egypttoday.com

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The winning design “Courtyards Dialogue” – Supplied/UNESCO/©Salah El Din Samir Hareedy and team / pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT