Slashdot Mirror
Afghan Girl Roboticists Denied US Visas (bbc.com)
Three anonymous readers share a similar report: An all-girl team of roboticists will watch their creations compete in a US competition via Skype after being denied visas to enter the country. President Trump recently ordered a ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries, but Afghanistan was not included on the list. Teams from Iran, Sudan and Syria -- which are on the list -- did manage to enter the country. The six-member team watched their ball-sorting robot compete in Washington DC via a video link from their hometown of Herat, in western Afghanistan. "We still don't know the reason why we were not granted visas, because other countries participating in the competition have been given visas," Fatemah Qaderyan, 14, told Reuters.
Welcome to the DeEnlightenment.
What an embarrassment this country is becoming.
It matters because in Afghanistan, women risk being attacked for daring to get an education. The fact that these young women are a robotics team is an important part of the story.
Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
Why did we not read about each case of denied Visas under Obama? They did happen.
Most likely the usual reasons: either, they didn't demonstrate that they had enough money to stay in the US, or there was doubt about their ability or desire to leave the US once granted entry. Same reason EU countries frequently deny entry.
After all, the US does seem to have difficulties removing people who overstay their visas or enter illegally.
Why does their gender matter? Quit being so sexist.
Have you been living in a basement for the past 10 years?
It matters because girls in much of Afghanistan are systematically repressed and mistreated, denied education, equal rights and privileges, etc. That an all girls team from Afghanistan is excelling in robotics is very relevant to this story.
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
Their gender matters because as girls from Afghanistan, they would have been able to make a pretty good case that they should be allowed to remain in the US after being admitted due to conditions for girls in Afghanistan.
Entry into a foreign country is not a right.
These girls did not have any of their rights violated. They applied for visas; they were declined. It happens all the time. It happens to foreigners applying for visas in the US; it happens to Americans applying for visas elsewhere.
In addition, their gender is irrelevant. This information has only been included to incite more outrage from those who feed off of left-wing identity politics.
There is no story here except for the one that professional victims and their allies are trying to create.
And wouldn't that be just terrible. God knows how our culture could possibly survive allowing a few young girls come here.
For the simple reason that Obama didn't make it a signature policy of his to create a Muslim ban. Mistakes were probably made, but since Obama didn't wade into it, there was no mess on him.
Instead, the right-wing went into hysterical frenzies over Obama criticizing the police, ATF guns, and Guantanamo. Even today, an NYPD officer was shot. Obama will likely get attacked for it, but Trump? Nope.
Just watch though, Trump will likely get flak over trying to bring a baby in the country, whose lifespan will be measured in agonizing months, and all his supporters will be ignoring how his Trumpcare cuts funds for medical care for US citizens.
The fuck is wrong with you?
Supporting young roboticists is exactly the type of thing what Slashdot is all about.
Grow up.
Really? I thought slashdot was all about typos in teh summaries and misplaced rage from people who don't read the articles.
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
Until somebody shows that the denial was based on Trump's "travel ban" why are we mentioning it?
NOTHING in the "travel ban" has anything to do with this. Visa's get denied all the time for all sorts of reasons, some good, some not so good. Somebody decided to deny this visa application by a non-US citizen and until we know why, how's this has anything to do with Trump's Executive Order?
Oh, I know... It's guilt by association... How dare ANY visa application get denied! Everybody has a right to come here! (NOT!)
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
"President Trump recently ordered a ban on travel from six Muslim-majority countries, but Afghanistan was not included on the list."
But we are going to mention it in order to stir up shit.
I can't wait for someone from Canada to be denied entry for whatever reason and then some stupid fucker mention the Ban while explaining that Canada wasn't part of it.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Being an intelligent (young) woman is most decidedly a threat.
Yes, sadly, a threat to overstay their visas. Sadly, that is one of the criteria that has been historically used by bureaucrats in the visa office to deny visas.
In case you haven't been involved in obtaining visas for foreigners before, this is unfortunately quite common. I've seen this many times, despite impeccable invitation letters, pre-paid round trip air tickets, evidence of foreign funds (bank accounts), evidence of strong ties to return (e.g., children, close family members), visas for young folks (12-30 years old) from many poor-er countries get routinely denied by bureaucrats in the various visa offices ostensibly for this reason.
Depending on your politics and your sympathies, you may not care about this risk, but to some of the faceless bureaucrats running the visa offices, visa overstay risk is as much of a "threat" as association with terrorists.
On the flip side, see it from their point of view in "enforcing" the laws on the books: a group of young girls with little to tie them to their home country (and who might be ostracized in their own country for being educated), want a visa to travel to the USA on limited funds. Sadly, you gotta admit that at least a yellow flag would be raised that they are at risk of overstaying their visa. Maybe you don't care if they overstay, but depending on who was reviewing their visa application, that person might happen to care enough to deny the visa and I suspect that is exactly what happened.
When everything is racist how do you not be a racist? Seriously, I want to know.