With all the stories on the Internet it can be difficult to always stay in the know. To help, we’ve searched the web for interesting pieces of news, videos and tips to help you start off your week on the right foot.
1. Wajahat Ali breaks down the misperceptions around Islam
2. Children inherit their intelligence from their mother not their father, say scientists
According to a new study a mother’s genetics determine how smart her children are and the father’s makes little to no difference.
Scientists have found that women are more likely to transfer intelligence genes to their children because the particular genes are carried in the X chromosome and women have two of these, while men only have one.
In correlation to this study, scientists now believe that “genes for advanced cognitive functions which are inherited from the father may be automatically deactivated.”
There’s a category of genes known as “conditioned genes” which are thought to work only if they come from the mother in certain cases and the father in others. Intelligence is believed to be among these conditioned genes that have to come from the mother.
[tweetthis]A new study shows that children inherit their intelligence from their mothers not their fathers.[/tweetthis]
3. Finally! Interracial Couple Emojis Now Exist
Courtesy of Love-moji
In 2015 emojis finally had the option be a color other than Crayola-crayon yellow. With the new diverse set of emojis people, for the first time, had emojis that actually looked like them. An although LGBTQ emojis were welcomed, the emoji couples seemed to remain only one color — white.
Although the built in emoji keyboard has yet to get on board the application Focus Features launched an emoji app last week that featured interracial couples of all sexual orientations
The application, Love-moji, is “inspired by the upcoming movie Loving, which is based on the real story of Richard and Mildred Loving who fought to make their interracial marriage legal by taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court in 1967.”
The app is free to download in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
[tweetthis]Finally there are interracial couple emojis![/tweetthis]
4. A Sunni’s Muharram Lamentation
19-year-old The Muslim Vibe writer Obaid Zia, writes about what it’s like to be a Sunni Muslim.
“I am a Sunni,” Zia writes. “My family is Sunni. We love Abu Bakr, Uthman, Umar, Ali. We believe in their Rightly Guided Caliphates. The Commanders of the Faithful. We believe in Aisha as a wife of the Prophet ﷺ and a role model. A Mother of the Faithful. This is our belief. We are not Shia.”
…
“I am a Sunni, and I mourn in Muharram. I mourn in my own way, and always look to do better in honoring our Imam, but for at least the first ten days of every year, I remind myself of Imam Hussain. Mourning is not exclusive to our Shia brothers, and we shouldn’t let that cross our minds. Imam Hussain died so that all of us could be Muslim.”
[tweetthis]19-year-old writer, Obaid Zia, writes about what it’s like to be a Sunni Muslim, “I am a Sunni. My family is Sunni. We love Abu Bakr, Uthman, Umar, Ali … We are not Shia.”[/tweetthis]
5. She’s Determined To Be A Triathlete, Even If It Means Wearing A Hijab
In June, Shirin Gerami completed a half Ironman triathlon in Staffordshire, England. This weekend, she’ll race in the world championship in Hawaii. Photo/Huw Fairclough
Only one woman has ever been allowed to represent Iran in triathlons — Shirin Gerami.
This weekend she competed in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. A competition notorious for its 40-mile-an-hour winds and 90-degree heat.
During the event most competitors wear a version of a leopard or swimsuit but Gerami competed in the hijab, something she usually doesn’t wear, but is required by the Iran Triathlon Federation if she wanted to run representing them.
NPR reports that “Iranian law says all women must follow Islamic dress code by wearing ‘appropriate hijab.’ The term doesn’t come with a clear definition, but it means covering the hair and neck with a veil and dressing modestly, with loose-fitting clothing that hides arms and legs.”
Gerami told NPR that she started competing in triathlons as a hobby during her last year of college at Durham University in England. It wasn’t until a friend suggested that she should represent Iran in a London triathlon that she began toying with the idea.
“So I phoned them up and said I’m an Iranian, I live in London and would it be possible to represent?”
At first the Iran Triathlon Federation responded with lots of “no’s.” Gerami was told her because of “sensitivities,” they don’t support women competing in triathlons.
“I responded saying, ‘The main reason that you’re telling me that women can’t represent Iran in triathlons is because of clothes. So allow me to go find clothes and find a solution,'” she says. “If clothing can open a path for more women to participate in sports, then I believe it’s one of the easier barriers to overcome,” she says. “I am quite certain that with the right set of skills and knowledge, we can make clothes that won’t hinder performance whatsoever. I don’t know how long this journey is going to take me, but I really want to see it through.”
[tweetthis]Shirin Gerami is determined to be a triathlete even if it means designing her own clothes to do it.[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]altM’s weekly roundup of news[/tweetthis]
This list was curated by Kaitlin Montgomery, altM News Editor
that’s interesting!