JORDANIAN-AMERICAN: Farah Abu Adeela Crowned Miss Arab USA in Arizona Beauty Pageant

US Jordanian contestant Farah Abu Adeela from the state of Illinois was crowned Miss Arab USA at the beauty pageant’s finale in Arizona over the weekend.

The new Miss Arab USA, who is a model, takes over from 2022’s winner, Moroccan American Marwa Lahlou.

The annual pageant, which returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was held in Arizona this year. Produced by The Arab American Organization (AAO), the pageant is “founded on the basis of advancing the cause of young ladies of Arab descent,” according to its website.

The swimsuit category does not feature in the pageant, with the stated aim of organizers being to “select an honorable Arab young lady to represent our culture in the US and worldwide for one year.”

This year’s ceremony featured a performance by dance troupe Zeffa of Phoenix.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Farah Abu Adeela nabbed the coveted tiara at the 2023 Miss Arab USA pageant. (Instagram)

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AMERICAN / JORDANIAN

Robert Purvis, Moroccan-American Who Helped 9,000 Slaves Gain Freedom

Robert Purvis.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810, Robert Purvis was the grandchild of a woman known as Dido Badaracka. She was captured in Morocco at the age of 12 and transported to the US to serve as a slave.

According to American historian Margaret Hope Bacon, Purvis described his Moroccan grandmother as a “full-blooded Moor of magnificent features and great beauty. She had crisp hair and a stately manner.”

Purvis received his early education in Philadelphia at the Clarkson Hall, a school for black children, run by the Pennsylvania Abolition Society — one of the first organizations ever to advocate for ending slavery in the US. He also studied at Amherst Academy in Massachusetts.

Robert Purvis became a prominent officer of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He also served as president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society between 1845 and 1850.

Robert Purvis, as the main organizer of the network, earned the nickname “The President of the Underground Railroad.”

The US Embassy in Morocco has paid tribute to Robert Purvis, an American man of Moroccan descent who dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery.

source: www.moroccoworldnews.com/yahya hatim

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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U.S.A / MOROCCAN-AMERICAN

Modar Alaoui – Founder and CEO – Eyeris Technolgies : USA

Modar Alaoui (aka) Modar JR Alaoui . Technology Entrepreneur. Public Speaker. Advisor.

Founder and CEO – Eyeris Technologies Inc., specialising in Computer Vision AI software for In-Cabin sensing and In-Vehicle scene.

Member-Advisor to Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF)

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pix: Mohamed Hanbal / en.wikipediaorg

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AMERICAN / MOROCCAN-AMERICAN

Kamal Oudrhiri – Multiple Award Winning Physicist, Scientist at NASA

Kamal Oudrhiri . Scientist. Physicist.

Kamal Oudrhiri led a successful discovery mission by the American Space Agency (NASA) achieving a breakthrough in the field of Quantum Physics.

The mission was achieved by the participation of two astronauts Christina Koch, Jessica Meir and three Nobel prize winners.

The achievement took place at eh ‘Cold Atom Lab’ on the International Space Station (ISS) which NASA had installed in 2018.

Kamal Oudrhiri has worked on missions related to Mars exploration vehicles including ‘Curiosity’, ‘Rovers’, ‘Spirit’, ‘Opportunity’ as well as ‘Cassini’ for Saturn, ‘Grail’ for the Moon and ‘Juno’ for Jupiter.

Assignments:

-Mission Manager – Cold Laboratory / -The Group Supervisor – Planetary Radar & Radio Sciences Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

  • First Moroccan to work for NASA.

Honours:

  • NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal (November 2019)
  • NASA’s JPL Marine Awards – Three
  • NASA’s JPL Voyager Awards – Three
  • 39 NASA Group Achievement Awards
  • NASA People Leadership Award
  • King Mohammed VI ‘Royal Decoration’ Award for Scientific Achievement (2012)

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pix: northafricapost.com

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U.S.A / MOROCCO