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[[File:Mount Halgurd - Iraq.jpg|thumb|295x295px|Mount Halgurd - Iraq]]
{{Short description|Iraqi architect and mountaineer}}
'''Mawj Aldarraji''' (Arabic: موج الدراجي, born June 6, 1993) is an [[Iraq|Iraqi]] [[Mountaineering|mountaineer]] and an [[architect]]. She is widely regarded as the first female mountaineer from Iraq. Currently working through the [[Seven Summits|seven summits]] challenge, she appears frequently in Arab media as a discussant of female empowerment and women's rights.
== Early life and education ==
Aldarraji was born in [[Baghdad]] and lived there until she was ten years old.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=31 May 2018|title=موج الدراجي أول متسلقة عراقية تقترب من قمة ايفيريست!|url=https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/238090/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=السومرية|language=Arabic}}</ref><ref name=":1">''Khas Jedan'' TV Interview. MBC. "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ7xR_MGDF4&ab_channel=MawjAldarraji MBC TV 2 Trim]." Uploaded 28 July 2020. Accessed 27 November 2020.</ref> In 2003, she and her family moved to the [[United Arab Emirates]], especially out of fear of the rise in kidnappings in Baghdad following the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|U.S. invasion]].<ref name=":5">"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kekcqE28JEQ&list=WL&index=2&t=11s&ab_channel=BabylonFM 2019.05.05 MAWJ ALDARRAJI"] ''Babylon F.M.'' Interview in English. 24:33. Accessed Nov 28 2020. </ref> She still resides in the UAE today, though she has also spent time in [[Toronto]], Canada.<ref name=":5" />
Aldarraji recounts a childhood filled with severe medical issues: life-threatening illnesses of the immune, respiratory, and cardiac systems.<ref name=":2">"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mukj02Y8CLA&ab_channel=TEDxTalks From a Challenge to a Passion to a Lifestyle | Mawj Aldarraji | TEDxBaghdad]." TedX. Uploaded 23 Sept 2019. Accessed 26 Nov 2020.</ref> She credits her parents for bestowing upon her both a feeling of self-confidence and a clear understanding of gender equality.<ref name=":0" /> She furthermore cites her maternal aunt, Dalal Saleem, who is the first female pilot in Iraq, as a source of inspiration, particularly during her early life.<ref name=":1" /> Aldarraji's father is a professional scientist and her mother is a specialist in English and French Literature.<ref name=":5" />
She earned a bachelor's degree in [[Architecture]] in 2013 from the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]]; currently she is doing her master's degree in Architecture in Canada.<ref name=":5" /><ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=919BDYErMOk&ab_channel=%D9%82%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A9%D8%AF%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%A9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%A9 لاول مرة ' عراقية تتسلق قمة جبل إفرست' .. قناة دجلة الفضائية]" Television interview (in Arabic). Dijlah. قناة دجلة الفضائية / ''صباح دجلة''. Uploaded 24 Nov 2018. Accessed 27 Nov 2020.</ref>
== Mountaineering ==
Aldarraji began climbing as a hobby after an initial experience with friends in Malaysia.<ref name=":2">"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mukj02Y8CLA&ab_channel=TEDxTalks From a Challenge to a Passion to a Lifestyle | Mawj Aldarraji | TEDxBaghdad]." TedX. Uploaded 23 Sept 2019. Accessed 26 Nov 2020.</ref>
[[File:Everest BC.jpg|thumb|Everest BC]]
Aldarraji arrived at climbing as a hobby "by coincidence," following an initial experience alongside friends in [[Malaysia]].<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2" /> In public interviews, she states that her desire to overcome her fears—she says she has a [[Acrophobia|phobia of heights]]—was the primary motivation to take up more advanced mountain climbing. Though her family originally expressed fear and hesitations over this activity, they came to support her in her quest.<ref name=":3">"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwxc7LR5OHE&ab_channel=MawjAldarraji Al-Rashid channel Morning Show, New Day -برنامج يوم جديد, قناة الرشيد]" 18:49. Television interview (in Arabic). Uploaded 23 Sept 2019. Accessed 26 Nov 2020.</ref>
[[Mount Kinabalu]] in Malaysia was her first major summit. Thereafter she climbed [[Annapurna Massif|Annapurna]] [[Poon Hill]] in Nepal, [[Mount Bromo]] in Indonesia, Mount Elbrus in Russia, [[Jebel Jais]] and other mountains in the Emirates, and she has reached [[Everest base camps|base camp]] of [[Mount Everest|Everest]], the latter being her highest elevation yet (5,500 m.).<ref>{{Cite web|title=موج الدراجي لنوا : أردت بصعود الجبال كسر الصورة التي وضعت للمرأة في مجتمعنا|url=http://www.radionawa.com/all-detail.aspx?jimare=4352|access-date=2020-11-27|website=www.radionawa.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=موج الدراجي" أول متسلقة جبال عراقية تقترب من قمة جبل "إيفرست" من ضمن حملة "بيس كامب"|url=https://afaq.tv/contents/view/details?id=58693|access-date=2020-11-27|website=afaq.tv|language=ar}}</ref> She states that her intention is to complete the world [[Seven Summits|seven summits]]. At the completion of each climb, Aldarraji takes a photo while raising the Iraqi flag.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=TEDxBaghdad {{!}} TED|url=https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/32612|access-date=2020-11-27|website=www.ted.com}}
</ref> Despite having a full-time architecture job, she trains for 2–3 hours daily after work.
[[File:Climbing Training.jpg|thumb|Mawj Aldarraji Climbing]]
She hopes to be the first ever Iraqi national to summit Everest.<ref name=":5" /> Aldarraji states that she hopes her story inspires other young Iraqis, especially women, to consider mountain climbing. She also hopes to use the publicity of her summit attempts to raise resources and awareness for humanitarian efforts in Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web|title=أول متسلقة عراقية تقترب من قمة ايفيريست! - قناة العالم الاخبارية|url=https://www.alalamtv.net/news/3603506/أول-متسلقة-عراقية-تقترب-من-قمة-ايفيريست|access-date=2020-11-27|website=www.alalamtv.net|language=ar}}</ref>
Additional hobbies of hers include boxing, swimming, scuba diving, running, [[Spartan Race|Spartan racing]], and visual arts (drawing and photography).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
[[File:Mawj Aldarraji at TEDx Baghdad.jpg|thumb|Mawj Aldarraji at TEDx Baghdad]]
== Media representation and women's rights ==
Aldarraji has served as an ambassador for an [[Women's rights in Iraq|Iraqi Women's Rights]] organization since 2018.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Iraqi Women Rights - حقوق المرأة العراقية|url=https://www.facebook.com/iraqiwomenrights/posts/2077150089007786|access-date=2020-11-27|website=www.facebook.com|language=en}}</ref> In 2019, she appeared on the show ''[[Jaafar Talk]]'' in her capacity as a women's rights activist to debate the topic of [[polygyny in Islam]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Welle (www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche|title=جعفر توك - "تعدد الزوجات، شرع الله أم انتهاك للمرأة؟" {{!}} DW {{!}} 17.12.2019|url=https://www.dw.com/ar/%D8%AC%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%83-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%83-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A3%D8%A9/av-51707360|language=ar-AE|access-date=2020-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title="جعفر توك": الإختلاف ليس جريمة!|url=https://al-akhbar.com/Culture_People/274327|access-date=2020-11-27|website=الأخبار|language=ar}}</ref> That summer she also featured as a speaker at TedXBaghdad, held on July 20 at [[Royal Tulip Al Rasheed Hotel|AlRasheed Hotel]].<ref name=":4" />
In April 2020 she was featured as a part of the Iraqiyat campaign (#عراقيات), highlighting the achievements of young Iraqi women, as part of the national governmental initiative "[[For a New Iraq]]."<ref>{{Cite web|title=لعراق جديد - For a New Iraq|url=https://www.facebook.com/fornewiraq/posts/1344824199041129|access-date=2020-11-27|website=www.facebook.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=لعراق جديد|url=https://tawasol.gov.iq/foranewiraq/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-27|website=لعراق جديد|language=ar}}</ref>
Throughout interviews, she stresses her commitment to "breaking down barriers that come between me and my success and advancement, as well as breaking the stereotype placed on women in our society, namely that women are unable to confront physical challenges."<ref name=":0" /><ref>Original text of this quote in Arabic: "كسر جميع الحواجز التي تعيق تقدمي ونجاحي في الحياة عامة إضافة الى كسر الصورة التي وُضعت للمرأة في مجتمعنا على انها غير قادرة على مواجهة التحديات الجسدية والنفسية."</ref>
== See also ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kekcqE28JEQ&list=WL&index=2&t=11s&ab_channel=BabylonFM An English-language interview with Mawj Aldarraji on Babylon FM (May 2019, 24 minutes)]
*[[Seven Summits]]
*[[Zeina Nassar]]
* [[Amna Al Haddad]]
* [[Halah Alhamrani]]
== References ==
<references />
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