by ETHAN SIEGEL
Mariam Sultana, Pakistan’s very first woman to earn her PhD in Astrophysics. PHOTO/Mariam Sultana
“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” -Joan of Arc
Regardless of what intrinsic differences any person or group of people have from another, everyone deserves to be treated as an individual, afforded the same opportunities to pursue their passions, goals and dreams, and evaluated on the merits of their performance. Although this is not yet the way the world works, I am confident that many strides are consistently being made in the right direction, and I was overjoyed earlier this year when I came across the following international news story.
felt a personal connection to this story since astrophysics is my specialty, and it’s important for everyone to see more examples that great scientists in general come from all backgrounds, races, religions, countries, and genders. If you have a passion to be a scientist, I’ve always encouraged everyone to follow it and become whatever it is you want to, to the best of your abilities.
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You have been quoted as saying, “The students somehow confuse my field of study, extragalactic astronomy, with fortune telling or palm reading. Their parents do the same thing and advise their children to stay away from the subject.” Where do you think this sentiment comes from, and what message would you like to send to young people about astronomy?
Illiteracy is one of the biggest issues of Pakistan. Because of illiteracy, people cannot distinguish between astronomy and astrology. This may also be because of the fact that they have only seen so called astrologers in TV shows and fortune-tellers at different corners of roads in their daily lives. They have never come across real experts of astronomy in their daily lives. In this situation both have the same value only. Even our students pose the first question that why are we teaching Astrology? Then we have to gradually explain to them that we are teaching Astronomy, which is the study of stars, and not about the effects of stars on our lives. Sometimes I modestly say that I am even unaware of the names of 12 zodiacal signs.
Do you think that gender inequality in your country is more strong than any other place in the world ? Why?
Neither I think like that nor do I see such thing in my city. There are many cities and villages in Pakistan. Maybe gender inequality prevails in rural areas and women face many challenges but there is no such thing in Karachi or in other big cities of Pakistan.
What advice do you have to anyone that would like to promote astronomy and astrophysics in countries such as Pakistan?
In countries like Pakistan there are many hindrances in advance sciences like Astrophysics or Astronomy. First and foremost obstacle is lack of awareness regarding these fields. Therefore we must first spread education and then we need to aware our people about this field. In Pakistan, some people are working for Astronomy because of personal interest and yes they are doing quality work. They go to different schools and demonstrate about astronomy. They try to observe every astronomical event and also celebrate space week with great zeal and energy. These little efforts will definitely help in bringing a change. But any country can only produce experts of Astronomy / Astrology with eradication of poverty and illiteracy.
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