Afghanistan-Born Lina Haider Breaks Record As Germany’s Youngest School Graduate
New Age Islam News Bureau
08 July 2025
· Afghanistan-Born Lina Haider Breaks Record As Germany’s Youngest School Graduate
· Saudi’s First Female Skydiver, Razan Al Ajmi, Took One Jump & Never Looked Back
· Feminists Stay Silent as Muslim Women Cordoned Off in Milan
· Indian-Origin Woman, InduViswanathan Who Slammed ZohranMamdani's Glorification Now Calls Mira Nair 'Hinduphobic'
· Muslimah Mentorship Network Engages Girls OfAbubakariSiddiq Islamic School On Education And Self-Care
· Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Faces Lawsuit Over Forced Hijab Removals
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghanistan-germany-youngest-school-graduate/d/136118
------
Afghanistan-born Lina Haider breaks record as Germany’s youngest school graduate
By Fidel Rahmati
July 8, 2025
Lina Haidar, born to Afghanistan refugee parents, has become Germany’s youngest school graduate at age 11, showcasing exceptional talent and determination despite her challenging beginnings.
Lina Haidar, born to parents who fled Afghanistan, completed 12th grade in Germany at age eleven and is now the country’s youngest student approved for university.
German media have reported that Lina, an Afghanistan-origin student in the city of Bonn, completed her secondary education at Sankt Adelheid School by the age of eleven. She finished the entire school curriculum in just six years and received her diploma last week.
After completing first grade, Lina was fast-tracked to fifth grade by passing an academic assessment test. She then quickly progressed through grades eight, ten, eleven, and twelve in succession.
The head of Sankt Adelheid School said it was evident from the beginning that Lina was an exceptional student and required a special approach to help her realize her potential.
Germany’s Bild newspaper has named Lina the youngest high school graduate in the country. Her parents, who arrived in Germany as refugees, played a vital role in providing the environment necessary for her success.
This remarkable achievement reflects Lina’s talent and determination, enabling her to finish school swiftly and now prepare for university studies.
Previously, the record for Germany’s youngest school graduate was held by a boy named Ruben Sharara, who received his diploma at the age of twelve. Lina’s accomplishment highlights the capabilities of migrant students who, when given the right support, can achieve outstanding results.
Lina’s story is a powerful example of how refugee and migrant children, when nurtured and encouraged, can overcome immense challenges and thrive academically.
As Lina prepares to begin her university journey, she stands as a symbol of hope and possibility for young students around the world, especially those from displaced and refugee backgrounds.
Her achievement stands in stark contrast to the reality in Afghanistan, where girls are currently banned from attending secondary school and university under the Taliban’s restrictive policies.
Due to these harsh and suppressive regulations, millions of Afghanistan’s girls are denied the basic right to education, making Lina’s success abroad even more poignant and symbolic.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-born-lina-haider-breaks-record-as-germanys-youngest-school-graduate/
--------
Saudi’s First Female Skydiver, Razan Al Ajmi, Took One Jump & Never Looked Back
Rawan Khalil
Jul 08, 2025
Some days, freedom is five uninterrupted minutes away from the glaring blue light of a screen. Other days, it’s finishing a shift and walking home with nothing but the sound of your own feet. Sometimes it’s that rare moment between obligations when the world stops tugging at your sleeve, and you remember what it feels like to just exist - unobserved, unmeasured, unbothered. The split second before you do something reckless just because it’s yours to do.
Now imagine that that feeling in its highest possible form. Not metaphorically. Literally. Between land and sky, in freefall, 15,000 feet in the air. That’s where you’ll find Razan Al Ajmi, the founder of the Saudi Skydive Agency, a judge for the Saudi Federation for Hiking and Climbing, a licensed skydiving instructor, and Saudi Arabia’s first female skydiver. But before all that, she was a girl staring at a photo on Instagram thinking, "How do I do this?"
Right now, Al Ajmi is building a new generation of Saudi women flyers. And yes, she’s doing it at the age of 27. But for now, let’s rewind to when she first took flight.
Before Al Ajmi ever considered taking off to the skies, she was forced to rest at home after a climbing accident sidelined her for months. Unable to relax, she was doomscrolling on social media until she came across a photo. “I didn’t plan to be a skydiver,” Al Ajmi tells SceneNowSaudi. “One day I saw a picture of someone skydiving in Saudi and I messaged the photographer asking, 'What is this? Can I try?'”
That text led to a link, which led to a camp hosted by the Ministry of Sports, where Al Ajmi made her first jump. It was visceral. Wind tearing at her cheeks. Organs floating. The ground rushing up. On landing, dirt crunching under her boots, she rushed to her instructor with a certainty: ‘I want to continue.’
“From the first jump, I felt freedom,” Al Ajmi says. “Not in the parachute. Not in the plane. Just my own body, flying. Then I continued practicing until I found that skydiving is not just a sport. It's a life for me”
Before skydiving, Al Ajmi tried everything - gym, hiking, climbing - but none of it gave her what she was chasing. It gave her something that lit up the next part of her life. A sense of self, a sense of purpose, a kind of clarity most people don’t stumble into until much later, if ever.
The confidence it sparked didn’t fade. Instead, it transformed into a mission.
“I want to show people how amazing this sport is. Especially women. We grow up with all these fears - we’re taught not to take the first step. But skydiving taught me how to decide. How to act strong. It changed my personality, my way of thinking. And I want other women to feel that.”
Al Ajmi started skydiving in 2021, in the chaotic afterglow of COVID lockdowns. “That time changed a lot of people,” she says. “When you jump, you feel freedom. But when you can’t practice it, you really feel like you lost it.”
Looking to become a licensed skydiver, Al Ajmi had to travel to train due to the lack of facilities in Saudi Arabia at the time. But, travelling needed funding, so she leaned in and worked to fund her training. Comfortable family? Yes. Handouts? Never. “My choices? My responsibility. I will not make excuses for not pursuing my dream.”
Al Ajmi worked wherever she could - one of her first jobs was at a furniture store. It wasn’t just about funding her training. It was about resisting the quiet cultural pressure women often face when pursuing something so physically and publicly bold. The comments came often: ‘Why work? Just stay home.’ But Al Ajmi had a goal. She saved what she earned, paid her own way, and kept showing up, training across the GCC, Spain, France, and Russia. In just two years, she completed nearly 500 jumps.
Along the way, Al Ajmi competed in several skydiving competitions, but the most recent, in Bahrain, felt especially charged. The room was heavy with male scepticism. She jumped. She landed. She won first place. And the silence that followed? That said everything.
It was never just about the jump. It was about making it possible for others to jump too. "I was working and training at the same time. But I don’t want other people to face the same challenges," Al Ajmi says. "That’s why I became an instructor. So I can be the source I never had.”
Al Ajmi now trains skydivers across Saudi Arabia. She says the passion is palpable - especially among girls and kids. “They want to fly. They want to prove they can do something hard. I see it in their eyes. And it makes me feel like, okay, they need me. I need to do my best for them.”
Skydiving, she insists, isn’t about being physically strong. It’s mental. “A small movement in the air changes everything. Just moving your fingers slightly left or right, you feel it. Before I jump, I stretch, I breathe, I plan. In the sky, there’s no music, no phones, no noise. Just focus.”
Al Ajmi sends her ‘I’m jumping today’ texts early. Then it’s coffee, parachute check, warm-up. “I avoid anything that could bother me. I don’t need to know about problems before I fly. When I land, then I go back to life. But during the jump - it’s just sky.”
One of Al Ajmi's proudest moments came in 2023, when she jumped in carrying a massive Saudi flag weighing nearly 20 kilos. “It wasn’t easy. But I said, no, I will do it. And I did. Two weeks later, I was still saying it to myself: 'I did it.'”
Al Ajmi is training future instructors now. And dreaming of blooming Saudi drop zones, international events on home turf, and a national women’s team that lives beyond her. “It’s not just about us,” she says. “It’s about the concept. About showing the world that Saudi women can fly.”
When asked what advice she’d give to girls like her - girls with dreams that scare their families, their teachers, their inner critic- Al Ajmi doesn’t hesitate.
“Always try before making any decision. And always do more than you think.”
Source: ‘cairoscene.com
https://cairoscene.com/LifeStyle/Saudi-s-First-Female-Skydiver-Took-One-Jump-Never-Looked-Back
------
Feminists Stay Silent as Muslim Women Cordoned Off in Milan
July 7, 2025
A Shiite Ashura procession held on Sunday, July 6th, near Milan’s central station has sparked fierce public backlash over the treatment of women participants.
Approximately 1,300 Shiite Muslims marched from Piazza Repubblica to Stazione Centrale on Ashura, a day of commemoration in Islam.
While the ritual included men engaging in chest beating and ritual self-flagellation, it was the segregation of veiled women behind a cordon that triggered the uproar.
Right-wing Lega MEP Silvia Sardone called it “a clear sign of how, in many Islamic communities, women are considered.” She accused Italian authorities of being “unable to defend our identity and traditions,” warning of a dangerous “Islamization” creeping into European public spaces.
Fratellid’Italia MP Mauro Malaguti said: “After centuries of struggle for women’s emancipation…it’s troubling that such segregation was allowed in Milan, while feminists and the Left remained silent.”
Source: europeanconservative.com
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/feminists-stay-silent-as-muslim-women-cordoned-off-in-milan/
------
Indian-Origin Woman, InduViswanathan Who Slammed ZohranMamdani's Glorification Now Calls Mira Nair 'Hinduphobic'
Jul 8, 2025
An Indian-origin Hindu woman, InduViswanathan, who found New York mayoral candidate ZohranMamdani's glorification after his surprising primary win nauseating, said Mamdani's mother Mira Nair is Hinduphobic. Viswanathan said in Nair's movies, the Hindu characters are riddled with prejudice and there is no exploration of Hindu identity or society in a complex or humanized way.
"If she's not flattening Hindu characters and the richness of Hindu philosophy, she's erasing Hindu perspectives and voices entirely. When she speaks publicly, she reflects the same reductive perspectives on Hindus and Hinduism," she wrote.
"Hindu characters in her films often play roles of gatekeepers of patriarchy, bigotry, or repression, while liberation is shown through Western ideals or rejection of Hindu norms. Her films rarely feature devout or joyful Hindu spiritual life, nor showcase the diversity or depth of Hindu theology," the post read.
Earlier, Vishwanathan accused Mamdani of distorting facts, manipulating identity politics and cited his statement that there are no more Muslims left in Gujarat, as an example. "Mamdani's lie isn’t accidental or something that can be dismissed. It is central to the larger fabrication of his own victimhood status in the world," she said adding that there are over 7 million Muslims in Gujarat.
"And if he’s willing to erase 7 million members of his own community of Gujarati Muslims for political expediency in New York, what does that mean for 200,000 Hindus living in New York? What does it mean for the 5 million Jews living here? Shouldn’t we all be concerned when a public figure casually erases entire communities to score rhetorical points?" she wrote.
Since the election and after Andrew Cuomo conceded the election to Mamdani, Mamdani has been at the center of many racial, political attacks. Republicans called for deporting him as he became a US citizen only in 2018. Mamdani also drew flak for identifying himself as Black in the application form of Columbia University, where he didn't get the chance to study.
Source: indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/reductive-perspective-indian-origin-woman-who-slammed-zohran-mamdanis-glorification-now-calls-mira-nair-hinduphobic/articleshow/122301539.cms
--------
Muslimah Mentorship Network Engages Girls OfAbubakariSiddiq Islamic School On Education And Self-Care
Jul - 07 - 2025
The Muslimah Mentorship Network has engaged pupils of the AbubakariSiddiq Islamic School in Madina in discussions on education, hygiene, and women’s health.
The outreach took place on Saturday, July 5, 2025, and brought together six mentors who led practical sessions aimed at helping young Muslim girls navigate personal and academic challenges.
Miss Hasana Bambara opened the programme with an overview of the Network’s aims.
She said the group supports the academic, religious, and personal growth of Muslim girls and encourages shared learning between mentors and mentees.
Speaking on education, Miss Nura urged the girls to value knowledge and stay focused on their studies. She drew from Islamic teachings to link education to self-improvement and community development.
Madam Sirina A. Manan advised the students to remain consistent with their learning despite challenges. She provided practical tips on staying disciplined and encouraged the girls to treat education as a lifelong journey.
On hygiene, mentors spoke about oral care, skin cleanliness, and environmental hygiene. They explained that good personal hygiene helps maintain both physical and mental well-being.
Miss Bambara addressed menstrual health, explaining the stages of the menstrual cycle and sharing guidance on proper hygiene practices. She also spoke about sexual harassment, advised the students to recognise inappropriate behaviour, and reminded them of their right to safety and respect.
A demonstration on how to use sanitary pads was held, giving students the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the session.
The Muslimah Mentorship Network is made up of professional Muslim women who visit schools across the country to speak on topics such as sexual health, education, and self-confidence. The group continues to run its programmes through school visits and online mentorship platforms.
Source: graphic.com.gh
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/muslimah-mentorship-network-engages-young-girls-at-madina-islamic-school.html
-------
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Faces Lawsuit Over Forced Hijab Removals
Jul 7, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is suing the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office for civil rights violations, after deputies forced two Muslim women to remove their hijabs and then photographed them without their head coverings in 2024.
Serine Abuelhawa and her sister Marjannah Hassan were arrested in June 2024 after taking part in a peaceful pro-Palestine protest at Portland’s Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. The two were part of a group of eight people who were arrested during the protest that day.
As the Mercury reported in 2024, Abuelhawa objected to removing her hijab (religious headscarf) in front of male deputies. It’s considered inappropriate for Muslim women to be seen without their hijab by men outside of their immediate family.
Both women were photographed for booking photos without their head coverings. Abuelhawa told the Mercury last year that she requested a female jail deputy to oversee the booking process, but a woman at the jail appeared unfamiliar with the religious significance of the garment, and Abuelhawa was forced to remove it.
After the incident, a representative for the Sheriff’s Office said the matter would be “addressed with the booking deputies that were involved to ensure they understand MCSO policy.” The Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on its policies related to religious customs and would not say whether any employee underwent training or faced discipline after last year’s incident at the jail.
The lawsuit says that by photographing the two women, the Sheriff’s Office violated their rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The alleged violation is perpetuated, the complaint asserts, because the photos were uploaded into a statewide law enforcement database that can be repeatedly accessed.
“Forcing these young women to remove their hijabs was a clear violation of their dignity and religious freedom,” Gadeir Abbas, deputy litigation director for CAIR, stated in a news release about the new lawsuit. “It is unacceptable that the county still retains these violative photographs.”
The lawsuit notes that being photographed without their hijabs by strangers was a “deeply humiliating and defiling experience” for Abuelhawa and Hassan. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount in damages, along with erasure of the booking photos, and an order requiring Multnomah County to establish policies that protect the religious rights of Muslim women in custody.
AyaBeydoun, an attorney with CAIR, says respecting the customs and civil rights of Muslim women “doesn’t require complex policies or major resources—it simply requires basic respect.”
“A private room, a female officer, and simply allowing them to wear their hijabs in the photo would have prevented this entirely,” Beydoun stated in CAIR’s news release. “The law demands better, and so should we.”
The Multnomah County Jail isn’t the only entity accused of violating detainees’ civil rights regarding religious beliefs.
CAIR is also behind a federal lawsuit alleging the Oregon Department of Corrections has repeatedly denied religious accommodations for three Muslim men currently incarcerated there.
Source: portlandmercury.com
https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2025/07/07/47912326/multnomah-county-sheriffs-office-faces-lawsuit-over-forced-hijab-removals
---------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghanistan-germany-youngest-school-graduate/d/136118