All-Girl Robotics Team In Afghanistan Risked Death To Compete In U.S. But Were Still Denied

[WhiteTara]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/all-girl-robotics-team-in-afghanistan-risked-death-to-compete-in-us-they-were-denied_us_5957c60de4b02734df32a970?gvh&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

A group of six teenage Afghan girls with a passion for science trekked 500 miles from their home of Herat to the violence plagued capital city of Kabul all with the hope of competing in the U.S. But they won’t be coming to the country any time soon.

The girls had hoped to obtain a one-week travel visa to the U.S. to take their robot to the FIRST Global Challenge, an international robotics competition happening in Washington, D.C., later this month. Despite their efforts, their visa request was rejected, Forbes reported.

Roya Mahboob, Afghanistan’s first female tech CEO, helped introduce the six girls to robotics. And the teens’ passion for competing became readily apparent when they made the 500 mile trek ― twice ― to the American embassy in Kabul. It’s a magnificent feat in and of itself, as they risked death in a city that just last month saw more than 150 killed in a truck bombing.

When they got news their visas would be denied, the girls were “crying all the day,” Mahboob told Forbes.


Stupid travel ban. Stupid wars. These girls are really special and deserved the chance to compete.

[shenmue]

1. Not cool!

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Disgraceful! Is this what the US is becoming?

[Canoe52]

4. Unfortunately, Yes it is.

[JI7]

3. fuck Trump and fuck his fucking racist supporters

[DAMANgoldberg]

5. Workaround...

Bring the team to Canada. Let them become guests of the Embassy. They attend the event and all is well.

Bring the team to Canada. Let the robotics go on to DC. Use Afghan translators on site/Skype to Ottawa or Toronto with the team.

Find a way around this.

[Jake Stern]

6. These organizations need to stop holding events in the United States

and start holding them in countries that more open and welcoming like Germany, Canada or New Zealand.

[iluvtennis]

7. I agree. Until Cheeto is out of office, events like this should boycott the US.

[Mira]

8. Beyond credulity

and it makes me cry for them, and for my country.
What a godawful /disgusting/ inhumane/unforgivable occurrence as an outgrowth of a racist new law. We live in appropriate infamy.
It makes this immigrant (coming from Germany on a coal freighter in the late '60s) cry to high heaven. I feel like a dog baying at the moon.

[burrowowl]

9. Heart Breaking

drump and the U&A are criminals!

[Gothmog]

10. This is beyond stupid