Tag: Arab World Records

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) : Sham Al Bakour, Syrian School Girl, 7, who survived horrors of civil war Crowned Champion of the ‘Arab Reading Challenge 2022’ at Dubai Opera House

Syrian girl, 7, who survived horrors of civil war crowned Arab Reading Challenge champion.

Sham Al Bakour named sixth winner of prestigious title at Dubai Opera House awards ceremony.

A Syrian schoolgirl who survived a deadly missile attack during the civil war in her country has been crowned Arab Reading Challenge champion in Dubai.

Sham Al Bakour, 7, was only six months old when her family’s car was struck during violence in Aleppo in December, 2015.

Her father was killed while she and her mother survived the horrific attack.

She has now completed a remarkable journey from tragedy to triumph to win words of praise from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

In footage released by Dubai Media office, Sheikh Mohammed is seen speaking to Sham as she clutches her winner’s trophy at a ceremony at Dubai Opera House on Thursday.

Her success was met with warm applause by a large audience at the Downtown Dubai culture spot.

“She sustained injuries in the head and at the hospital doctors stitched them,” said Sham’s mother, Manal Matar, 33.

“I have been her support along with my family and her father’s family.

“I noticed she had a passion for memorising texts and Quran verses since she was less than three years old so I supported her.”

A young symbol of hope

She said that Sham has been an inspiration for the children in her family and school.

“Her cousins wait to see what she reads to learn from her.

“Her school mates will certainly be inspired. This challenge will help raise a generation that can rebuild Syria.

“Love of reading must start at a very young age.”

The young literature lover read 70 books to win a competition that attracted 22 million entrants from 44 countries.

When asked about what she would do with the Dh1 million prize money, she said she would give it to her mother.

“We haven’t thought of what to do with the money yet. The focus is on Sham, she is my investment for a better future,” Ms Mattar said.

Sham secured top spot ahead of Adam Al Qasimi from Tunisia in second, and Rashid Al Khateeb from Jordan, in third.

Reading is ‘food for soul and mind’

The young winner said reading offers an opportunity to transport yourself to new places with every turn of a page.

“I’m very happy to win and would like to invite all my friends and all young people to read. Reading is food for soul and mind,” Sham said.

“Reading takes you places, every story introduces you to different people and takes you to a new place.”

The youngster impressed judges with the confidence and clarity with which she expressed her ideas and opinions.

“It was a unanimous decision on Sham, who showed confidence,” said Lailah Al Obaidi, professor in Arabic language and literature at the University of Sharjah, and one of three judges.

“Sham will pave the way for the generation of the future because at this young age, she will be a motivation for more young readers in the Arab world.”

The annual winner is selected based on the pupil’s ability to articulate general knowledge, their critical thinking and communication skills, plus the diversity of books they have selected.

The Arab Reading Challenge was launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2015 to encourage a million young people to read at least 50 books in a year.

Helping to shape young minds

Noor Aljbour, from Jordan, won Dh300,000, along with the title of Outstanding Supervisor, in recognition of her work guiding and motivating pupils through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The obstacles and the amount of work to prepare for this edition of the reading challenge were huge because its the first to happen after Covid-19,” Ms Aljbour said.

“Pupils returned to schools lacking the passion for reading, this meant that we needed to encourage pupils not only to read but to also pick up on their studies.”

Morocco’s Mukhtar Jasoulet school won the Dh1 million Best School award.

In the category for Arab pupils living in foreign countries, Nada Al Satri from Belgium was named the champion.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with the six finalists at the Arabic Reading competition at Dubai Opera. Left to right, Mohammed Jamil (Bahrain), Rashid Al Khateeb (Jordan), Sham Bakour (Syria), Adam al Qasimi (Tunisia), Ghala Al Enzi (Kuwait) and Areej Al Qarni (Saudi Arabia). All photos: Ruel Pableo for The National

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) / SYRIA

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Red Crescent Receives Guinness World Record for ‘Saving A Soul’ Campaign to Save lives

More than 9,000 people signed up online to learn first aid within 24 hours of the campaign launching.

 The Saudi Red Crescent Authority has received a Guinness World Record for its “Saving a Soul” awareness campaign after 9,836 people signed up to learn first aid within 24 hours.

More than 9,000 people signed up online to learn first aid and how to use automated external defibrillators within 24 hours of the campaign launching, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Spokesperson for the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, Abdulaziz Al-Suwaine, said the campaign was held at Riyadh Front and witnessed a big turnout from both citizens and residents who showed true willingness to learn first aid and ways to use AEDs.

The authority has installed defibrillators in several public places to help save lives, he added.Al-Suwaine said the campaign’s success in attracting such a large number of people in a short amount of time shows how responsible Saudi society is and the will of its individuals to be influencers at the humanitarian level.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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The Saudi Red Crescent Authority receives a Guinness World Record for its “Saving a Soul” awareness campaign. (SPA)

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SAUDI ARABIA

IRAQ: Brain Tissue on a Microchip Aids Iraqi Scientist Dr Mootaz Salman’s Search for Better Stroke Treatments

The Iraqi researcher Mootaz Salman has won the “Young Scientist Lectureship Award” for research that involved putting human brain tissue on a microchip and using innovative technology to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Salman started his academic career at the University of Mosul, where he earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours, and is now is a senior researcher and lecturer in the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics at the University of Oxford.

He spoke to Al-Fanar Media about his work, which has taken nearly ten years of research, and the experiences that led him to his current post.

The first researcher in Britain to win the award, Salman said the support he received from universities where he had worked  in the United States and the United Kingdom had been a key factor.

“I deeply believe that the more a person works, the more fortunate he is,” Salman said.

“From the very beginning, I was aware of the challenges ahead, the double effort I had to make, as an academic from a conflict country, and the responsibility I had to convey a different image of my country and to help humanity provide solutions to brain diseases and stroke, which have risen dramatically.”

Human Brain Tissue on a Microchip

The International Society for Neurochemistry and the and Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry will present Salman with the award in September in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Salman led a research team that used  a human brain “microvessel on a chip” to study what happens when drugs cross from the bloodstream into the brain.

The research was part of his ongoing work to understand the cellular physiology of the blood-brain barrier and exploit its mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic treatments of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.

The device the researchers designed for the study allowed them to track the movement of tiny molecular sizes across the blood-brain barrier. Their device is ideal for studies involving biotherapies, as well as being able to employ it in high-resolution imaging methods, such as transmission electron microscopy, Salman said.

Academic Journey

Before moving to the University of Oxford two years ago as an assistant professor and lecturer at Wolfson College, Salman was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital in the United States.

Before that, he earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Sheffield Hallam University, in the United Kingdom.

During his doctoral studies, he discovered a new pharmacological framework for developing drugs to treat patients with brain tumours resulting from accidents and strokes.

This research focused on water receptors in the brain. Salman described it as a turning point that helped him recognise the molecular mechanics of brain diseases and think of ways to provide therapeutic solutions rather than surgery, which has major risks and complications.

He said the research led him to discover how cells develop brain tumours and the mechanics that cause these tumours and strokes at the molecular level.

A World Health Organization report says that about 75 million people in the world suffer from strokes annually. About five million of them die and another five million suffer permanent disability.

Salman says the incidence of brain disease in the Arab world is rising because of the dietary and living patterns of the majority of the population, the intake of fats and sugars at “unreasonable” rates, the lack of physical activity, and the pressures of daily life.

Difficulty of Research in Arab Countries

After graduating from the University of Mosul, Salman worked as a teaching assistant in the university’s Faculty of Pharmacy for about two years and experienced firsthand the difficulties of research in the Arab world. He said there was no financial support for conducting research, research laboratories were limited, and the teaching and administrative burdens on professors usually led them to abandon research.

Salman said scientific research should be considered “an investment,”  not a “random academic luxury.” Such work only flourishes in a suitable environment where there is stability and financial support, he said.

He believes the political unrest Iraq has experienced in recent years has affected teaching in universities and Iraqi researchers’ chances for professional development. He described government support for Iraqi universities as “very limited” and said most research initiatives were “individual and random” and did not amount to regular institutional work.

A Call for Greater Investment in Research

Salman said Arab countries needed to increase investment in scientific research at the national level and benefit from the experience of wealthy Gulf countries that have attracted foreign and Arab professors from major European and American universities to establish research centres where young researchers can train.

He said he had tried to open communication channels between the University of Oxford and Iraqi universities to reach agreements for cooperation and scientific research, which could provide research fellowships for Iraqi researchers at British universities.

This year, the University of Mosul signed a cooperation agreement with Oxford on a project that uses remote sensing and photographic information systems to study antiquities. The work would preserve the cultural heritage of Nineveh Governorate and other Iraqi provinces, and attract Ph.D. students to training courses at British universities.

Salman said: “These efforts give me a high sense of pride and a greater incentive for hard work and research that benefits all humanity. I feel a sense of responsibility and love towards my country, my city and my mother university, which helped me and paved the way for me at the beginning of my academic journey.”

source/content: al-fanarmedia.org (headline edited)

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Mootaz Salman, an Iraqi scientist at the University of Oxford, has won the “Young Scientist Lectureship Award” for his use of innovative technology to treat neurological diseases. (Photo: Mootaz Salman).

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IRAQ

PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN: Dr.Eid B. Mustafa Honoured with ‘International Surgical Volunteerism Award’ for International Humanitarian Work by American College of Surgeons (ACS)

A longtime Wichita Falls physician has been honored with the International Surgical Volunteerism Award by the American College of Surgeons for his over 30 years of volunteer work with Physicians for Peace and others, according to the Wichita County Medical Society.

Dr. Eid B. Mustafa has been on at least 40 medical missions since 1988, including at least 25 with Physicians for Peace.

He has volunteered his surgical and medical expertise to help the people of the Palestinian West Bank, as well as other underserved areas of the Middle East, according to the ASC .

“Dr. Mustafa served as a leader, facilitator, and trusted advisor to Physicians for Peace for over 25 years since its founding in 1989,” according to the nonprofit organization providing education and training to health-care workers in under-resourced communities. 

“He led numerous multi-specialty surgical training missions to the West Bank, and spearheaded a successful mission to Morocco in 2010,” according to an Oct. 10 statement from Physicians for Peace.

Mustafa, a plastic surgeon, received the International ACS/Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism Award at the ASC Clinical Congress Oct. 18 in San Diego.

The award recognizes surgeons who are committed to giving back to society by making significant contributions to surgical care through organized volunteer activities abroad.

Mustafa was born in the West Bank, received his medical education in Egypt and moved to the US to perform his residency and fellowship training in plastic and reconstructive surgery, according to the ACS.

After his training, he relocated to the medically underserved city of Wichita Falls where he was the only practicing plastic and reconstructive surgeon for many years, according to the ACS.

His international volunteerism began in earnest in 1987 when he met Dr. Charles Horton, founder of Physicians for Peace. Horton worked with Mustafa to initiate medical missions to the West Bank the following year.

For many years, Mustafa traveled to the West Bank for 10 to 21 days. His initial efforts focused on congenital defects, burn care and reconstruction from injury.

As his missionary work evolved, he recruited a multidisciplinary team aimed at the needs of each individual community, including specialists in urology, orthopedics, peripheral vascular surgery, off-pump cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and physical therapy.

With the advent of minimally invasive surgery during this period, he arranged for equipment and education to be provided in the West Bank to accommodate the growing interest.

His trips provided preoperative care, interoperative teaching and postoperative care for the patients. The teams Mustafa developed have provided over 2,000 procedures.

Mustafa has been responsible for all logistics, including planning with the host country, setting up patient visits, acquiring visas, and making travel and lodging arrangements for his team and educational venues.

He has conscientiously provided for the safety of his volunteers in areas with significant personal security concerns.

Mustafa’s efforts have expanded beyond surgical services.

Recognizing the burgeoning need for care of the increasing diabetic population in the West Bank, Mustafa founded centers in Al-Bireh, Nablus and Hebron to deliver dietary information, preventative foot care, smoking cessation, neuropathy education and medication management.

These centers also offer education about the long-term effects of diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and ophthalmologic complications.

In addition, burn centers were established in Nablus and in Hebron due to the wartime thermal injuries seen in these areas.

These centers were not only equipped to take care of the burn injuries but provided education and training to the surgical staff, nurses and therapists.

In addition to educating U.S. medical students on the need for and realities of international surgical volunteerism, medical education is included in each of Mustafa’s mission trips, which are open and free to all who wish to attend.

These missionary conferences are coordinated with the Ministry of Health and often one of the local medical schools.

Subjects are chosen based on the needs of the medical communities and include topics such as trauma care, patient safety in the operating room, and complication assessment.

Mustafa also has been a diligent advocate and fundraiser for his medical services, gathering funds and resources from countries including the U.S., Germany, Kuwait and beyond.

He has been an international ambassador for the ACS, taking pride in his fellowship and advancing the ideals of the college.

Mustafa began teaching the principals of the Advanced Trauma Life Support® curriculum on the West Bank years ago at a time when political divisions prevented formal recognition and certification of the course.

According to Physicians for Peace, his deep commitment to trusted partnerships opened doors and ensured efficient delivery of services and materials in regions that were extremely difficult to access.

He carefully recruited team members based on experience and skill to ensure that a full cadre of medical professionals were ready to meet the needs on the ground.

“He would often include medical students in his programs, so the next generation of physicians would see firsthand the value of such service and gain a global perspective of healthcare and needs around the world,“ according to Physicians for Peace.

Mustafa, his wife Saba, and four children moved to Wichita Falls in 1982 and immediately became active in the Wichita County Medical Society and the local medical community.

He served on the WCMS Board for several years, then secretary/treasurer, president in 2000 and then past president.

He served on the editorial board of the Wichita Falls Medicine Magazine from 1985 to 1996 and the Medical Advisory Board of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission.

He served on the North Central Texas Medical Foundation Board that oversaw the Wichita Falls Family Practice Residency, the Family Health Center and Wilson Family Planning, for many years and as president for four years.

Mustafa has won numerous awards.

He was presented the 2009 Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor WCMS presents. Also, in 2009 he won the Texas Patients’ Choice Award for outstanding physicians.  

Mustafa was honored with the Americanism Award by the Daughters of the American Revolution-Texas. It is given to naturalized citizens for outstanding contributions to the nation. 

On the national level with Physicians for Peace, Eid Mustafa was presented the 2006 Presidents Award and, in 2013, the Medical Diplomat Award.

He has been very active in the National Arab American Medical Association, serving as president in 2007. In 2014, he received the NAAMA Outstanding Physician Award.

Mustafa has served on the board or as an officer on the Medical Advisory Board-American Near East Refugee Aid; Jerusalem Fund for Education & Community Development: Washington, DC; and the American Palestine Public Affairs Forum.

He also serves as a director for the International Women and Children Burn Foundation based in Virginia.

His medical missions have included the West Bank-Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem; Jerusalem; Amman, Jordan; and Beirut, Lebanon. He has been team leader for all the missions, traveling with teams of physicians and nurses.

Board Certified in Plastic Surgery, Mustafa practices medicine at 1201 Brook Ave at the Wichita Falls Plastic Surgery Center .

He also has added qualifications in surgery of the hand by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

source/content: timesrecordnews.com (headline edited)

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Dr Eid B. Mustfa, center in this updated photo, was honored by the American College of Surgeons with the international Surgical Volunteerism Award. courtesy / Wichita County Medical Society.

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U.S.A / EGYPT / PALESTINE

SAUDI ARABIA: Middle East’s Largest SuperComputer ‘Shaheen III’ Switched On at King Abdullah University for Science & Technology (KAUST) by the 6 Mega Power Units Provided by Rolls-Royce 

 British firm Rolls-Royce has fired up the first six Kinetic PowerPacks to provide an energy supply for the Middle East’s largest supercomputer facility located in King Abdullah University for Science and Technology. 

The firm has shipped 12 of the huge batteries, known as maximum transmission units, to KAUST from its factory in Liege, Belgium, in order to aid its Scientific Computing Data upgrade and power the supercomputer known as Shaheen III. 

A maximum transmission unit sets the amount of data that can be transmitted in bytes over a network. 

The devices have a power output of 1.6 MW each, and should a power outage occur, the systems – which are designed for humid conditions and temperatures as much as 50 degrees Celsius – will secure critical load and ensure the starting of the diesel engine via their continuously rotating sturdy kinetic energy accumulators. 

The first six are now switched on, with the remaining switch to be activated at a later date. 

“The mtu Kinetic PowerPacks are state-of-the-art, uninterruptible electrical power systems that are designed for operating in extreme environments and provide the highest reliability of back-up power for the most critical and essential systems,” the statement said, citing the Vice President of Facilities for KAUST, Matthew Early. 

The systems include healthcare facilities, airports, data centers, and Shaheen III.  

Projected to be the Middle East’s most powerful supercomputer, Shaheen III will enable KAUST to further enhance its ability for scientific discovery and artificial intelligence innovation, the vice president added. 

Shaheen III is set to be operational in 2023, and is set to be 20 times faster than KAUST’s current existing system. 

Earlier this year, KAUST partnered with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority to increase human capacity and innovation in the field of AI in Saudi Arabia and the region. 

“The SDAIA-KAUST Center of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence will focus on educational development and upskilling the new generation of Saudi citizens in AI,” KAUST President Tony Chan said. 

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Rolls-Royce shipped the devices from its factory in Liege, Belgium (Shutterstock)

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SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN: Inauguration of ‘UNESCO Chair for World Heritage Management and Sustainable Tourism’ at the German University of Technology (GUTech). The First UNESCO Chair in the field – World Heritage for the Arab region.

The UNESCO Chair for World Heritage Management and Sustainable Tourism at the German University of Technology in Oman was inaugurated Under the patronage of H.E. Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi; Minister of Heritage and tourism and with the participation of H.E. Shaikha Mai Bint Mohamed Al Khalifa; Chairperson of the Board of directors of the Arab the Regional Center for World Heritage.

Prof. Dr. Michael Braun, Rector of the University, introduced the university and its commitment to research and innovation; and commented that the chair comes as a great accomplishment on the university’s 15th anniversary.

Chairholder Professor Dr. Heba Aziz of the UNESCO chair at GUtech stated: “The establishment of the UNESCO chair at GUtech offers new research, teaching and learning opportunities at GUtech and is a further recognition of GUtech’s academic focus on the field of cultural heritage and sustainable tourism management”

The Chairholder Professor Aziz added “Oman’s vision 2040 remains at the core of the chair’s activity. National priorities focusing on Citizenship, Identity, National Heritage and Culture, sustainable cities and governorates and employment and labour markets are the compass that directs the chairs activity. The chair will work closely with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to make sure that it provides the necessary scientific research and labour force to achieve its vision.”

World Heritage Sites draws international attention to heritage sites of outstanding universal value and is expected to increase the number of visitors to these sites. The chair aims to support the role of world heritage in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals by employing tourism in its comprehensive and sustainable manifestation to drive socio-economic development and to maximize benefits to the communities surrounding these sites.

The Chair is established in partnership with the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, a UNESCO Category II Centre based in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The center serves 19 Arab States in the promotion and management of cultural and natural sites by providing technical support and reinforcing the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention in the region.

The chair complements the role that of the center and will introduce several academic programs in the field of tourism management in World Heritage sites, digitization of heritage, heritage narrative and interpretation and heritage economics. GUtech will also introduce Master’s degree in World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism management in collaboration with the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage.

The chair team consists of Jokha Al Saqri, researcher in Heritage studies, Prof. Dr. Osman Barghouth co-chair holder and Prof. Dr. Heba Aziz, UNESCO chair holder

This is the first chair specialized in this field and the first UNESCO chair concerned with the field of World Heritage for the Arab region as a whole.

source/content: timesofoman.com (headline edited)

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OMAN

SAUDI ARABIA: Breakthrough: Saudia Buys 100 Electric Vertical Take-Off & Landing Planes to Revolutionize Domestic Travel from Germany’s Lilium. First Airline in MENA Region towards EVTOL.

Saudi Arabian Airlines has agreed to buy 100 innovative electric vertical take-off and landing planes as it seeks to connect Jeddah with the Kingdom’s leading tourist destinations, according to one of the firm’s leading officers.

Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Group Chief Marketing Officer Khaled Tash said Saudia — the airline operated by his firm — will be the first in the region to make use of the technology.

The deal has been struck with German company Lilium, which is in the final testing phase for the aircraft, with operations expected to start in two years.

Tash said Saudia will be using the aircraft to improve access to destinations alongside the Red Sea and Makkah.

“That will actually be our first priority in the next few years to connect to the airport with Makkah whereby some of our premium passengers can land in Jeddah airport, take one of these small planes and go to Makkah and back in a few minutes. That will be a breakthrough,” he said.

The executive insisted the announcement shows air mobility in Saudi Arabia is set to move into a different era.

“When we think about what’s happening in the country, Vision 2030 is about a lot of transformation that is happening in the Kingdom and maybe today’s announcement, that we made with Lilium, is probably a testimony to how Saudi national champions like Saudi airlines are walking the talk,” Tash said.

“We want to be at the forefront of innovation, EVTOLs — or electric, vertical, takeoff and landing aircrafts — are the future of air mobility, I think in especially short distances. For us to be the first Middle Eastern and North African within that region, the first airline to make this step towards EVTOLs, I think that means a lot for us,” he added.

Tash used the example of seaplanes connecting the islands of the Maldives as delivering economic benefits to tourism — something he hopes will be replicated in Saudi Arabia.

The commitment to 100 vehicles will also offer value for money for his firm, he added, saying: “By moving by big players like Saudia moving into early adoption of such a technology or such an innovation, that will have, hopefully a very good impact on the cost.”

“So if we start with Jeddah to Makkah and then with with Jeddah to the Red Sea or Jeddah to AlUla URL, or Jeddah to King Abdullah Economic City, the more use cases we can find for this, the more commercial opportunities we will have and the less cost it will be,” he said.

“So if I have an aircraft that goes 20 times between Jeddah and Makkah each day, it will definitely be cheaper than going six times a day,” he added.

As well as the economic case for buying the aircraft, there is also a clear environmental benefit.

Tash was clear that while sustainability is a very important topic under the Vision 2030 umbrella, it is also for Saudia. 

“We think that electric, in terms of these kinds of EVTOLs, is the future for aviation, and we believe that our sustainability initiatives will be further strengthened,” he said.

“It’s not the only sustainability initiative that we’re doing. We’re working on so many different fronts. We have one of the youngest fleets in general in our entire fleet that also has less emissions. We are committed to work on sustainability, more and more,” Tash added.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Saudi Arabian Airlines Group Chief Marketing Officer Khaled Tash speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh

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SAUDI ARABIA

EGYPT/ EMIRATES/ LEBANON/ PALESTINE/ TUNISIA: 6 Arab Female Filmmakers to Keep an Eye On 

Read on for a list of regional female filmmakers who have been taking the industry by storm.

Farida Khelfa

Farida Khelfa is an Algerian-French documentary filmmaker. She is currently set to release a new film titled “From The Other Side of the Veil” that aims to dismantle misconceptions and stereotypes that often surround Arab women.

Kaouther Ben Hania

The Tunisian filmmaker made headlines in the film industry after her critically acclaimed movie “The Man Who Sold His Skin” was shortlisted for the Oscar’s Best International Feature Film award this year.

Ayten Amin

The Egyptian director has long chronicled the lives of women in modern Egypt. Her feature film “Souad” was selected for the cancelled 2020 Cannes Film Festival.

Danielle Arbid

Danielle Arbid is a Lebanese filmmaker. Her work has screened at numerous film festivals in France and the rest of the world, including New York, San Francisco, Tokyo and more.

Annemarie Jacir

The Palestinian filmmaker has written, produced and directed award-winning films such as “A Post Oslo History.” Her movie “Wajib” (2017) won her 18 international awards.

Nujoom Al-Ghanem

The Emirati filmmaker, writer and poet had to overcome societal stigma and family disapproval to make it. She defied the odds and produced films such as “Amal” (2011) and “Sounds of the Sea” (2015).

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT/ EMIRATES(U.A.E)/ LEBANON/ PALESTINE/ TUNISIA

IRAQI-FRENCH-JORDANIAN: Fashion Designer Hana Sadiq uses Magic of Arabic Calligraphy to Adorn Creations

In a career spanning decades, Iraqi-born Sadiq has shown her creations worldwide and dressed the stars, but she remains rooted in the traditions of her homeland.

With verses from love poems and flowing calligraphy, Jordan-based fashion designer Hana Sadiq stitches a testament to the beauty of Arab women.

The artistic handwriting of Arabic script dominates her embroidered modern designs, with poetry or letters scattered in bright colours.

She uses various calligraphic styles, from the elaborate Diwani to the curving Thuluth and features on some of her outfits the lines of renowned Arab poets including Mahmoud Darwish and Nizar Qabbani.

“Arabic calligraphy is the most beautiful,” says Sadiq, 72, showing off her love of jewellery with strings of beads around her neck, dangling earrings, and unusual stone rings.

At her home workshop in downtown Amman, Sadiq notes that the earliest writing was born several millennia before Christ in what is now Iraq, arguing that it was a place “without which all the other civilisations would not have existed”.

Sadiq has split her time between Amman and Paris since 1982, having both French and Jordanian nationality as well as Iraqi citizenship.

‘How beautiful she is’

She has exhibited from Europe to the United States as well as the Middle East, returning home with an extensive collection of antique silver ornaments, along with thousands of pieces of Arab textiles and costumes.

Her kaftans, traditional robes, feature bright and stunning colours. They reflect the influence of her grandmother who wore a traditional Iraqi “Hashemite dress” and walked “elegantly like a peacock”.

The folk outfit is made of very thin fabric with wide sleeves and transparent sides, decorated with beautiful floral ornaments, golden or silver, on a black base. It was the favourite of Iraqi women in the 1950s and 60s.

Sadiq traces her interest in fashion to her childhood, when she would visit her grandfather’s textile shop in Baghdad.

She went on to design for celebrities and royals, including Jordan’s Queen Rania and Queen Noor. But whoever the client, her work has been guided by pride in the Arab woman’s femininity.

Unlike more revealing Western fashion, her designs envelope the woman’s body, “but it shows high femininity,” says Sadiq, who is also the author of a book, “Arab Costumes and Jewelry, a Legacy without Borders”.

She argues that Western clothes are not the best fit for the bodies of Arab women but have spread to the region anyway. “Unfortunately this is the result of globalisation,” she says.

“What matters to me, in all my work, is that the woman remains female and that a man is attracted to her as a female,” she adds. “Which means when a woman passes in front of him, he must notice and see how beautiful she is.”

source/content: thearabweekly.com (headline edited)

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Her kaftans, traditional robes, feature bright and stunning colours, reflecting the influence of her grandmother who wore a traditional Iraqi Hashemite dress and walked “elegantly like a peacock”.

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FRANCE / IRAQI / JORDAN

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E): Dubai School sets Guinness Record for ‘World’s Largest Space Exploration Lesson’

Students from different UAE schools are being mentored in the space camp by celebrated names in space exploration and science, including Nasa astronauts and scientists.

Loud cheers echoed across the auditorium of a Dubai school campus on Tuesday as it made to the Guinness World Records .

The Innoventures Education group of schools set a record for conducting the world’s largest space exploration lesson (multiple venues) with 2,000 students from its five schools during the ‘Space 2101’ space camp where pupils from UAE schools have convened.

Poonam Bhojani, CEO, Innoventures Education, said: “We are delighted with the record for the maximum number of attendees in a Stem lesson across multiple venues. There were 108 nationalities of students who attended this course.”

The space camp, being held from October 17-21 at Dubai International Academy (DIA), Al Barsha, is seeing students from different UAE schools being mentored by celebrated names in space exploration and science, including Nasa astronauts and scientists.

At the camp, students can design experiments which stand a chance of being conducted in space. They can also have the schematic of their design printed and signed by the visiting astronauts and scientists as a keepsake.

Innoventures Education has partnered with Starlight Education, to offer students between 12 to 18 years at the camp a unique opportunity to design a sustainable habitat together with real astronauts and high-achieving scientists from around the world. The five-day programme will help students build critical thinking, leadership and teamwork, presentation techniques, and help build Stem skills as well as in-depth knowledge of designing space habitats that are fit for human wellbeing.

Hitesh Bhagat, principal, DIA, EH said: “The Space 2101 initiative, which has been going on around the world, has a strong good connection with the UAE’s space programme. The initiative is all about giving a different learning environment to our students where they can interact with experts.”

Students delighted to enter the records book

Students at the camp are getting to learn about real-world Stem skills like 3D design, coding, robotics and other industry-linked content. Ayesha Aldaboos, Grade 9 Emirati student at the Collegiate International School (CIS) said: “The programme taught me about other options in the science field. When I was younger (in junior classes), I always wanted to do something in the field of space. I don’t think I have the guts to become an astronaut, but maybe working at Nasa would be really nice.”

Raffles International School Year 8 student Mohammed said: “We are delighted that we’ve managed to enter the Guinness World Records. This camp has been fun, I made new friends and interacted with a lot of people from other schools. I also learnt about a new app that is being used for coding.

Ellen from DIA, said: “I used to hear about the Guinness World Records all the time, so it was exciting to be a part of this record-breaking achievement. While interacting with astronauts I got a chance to ask questions that have always intrigued me. I also learnt about computer aided design (CAD) and 3D modelling. I want to learn coding, and when I grow up I want to work for myself not for others.”

source/content: khaleejtimes.com (headline edited)

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)