Zahra Mazghuuri

0000000

11-11-2011

Terran-based Humanoid, ‘Earth’ derivative

Kazakhstan

Kazakh

Transport Drone Engineer

Engineering

Zahra has a taller, more robust frame than the average human woman, sometimes being described as having the physique of a man. Her skin has a dark tan indicative of the melting pot that is the central Asian region from where she hails. Though she has dark hair that reaches between her shoulders, none of it is visible since she wears the traditional head covering of her creed.

Stoic and solemn, Zahra has poise and control. She is rational, despite adhering to an ancient belief. Extremely professional and versatile, Zahra has very few demands, seeking to fill whatever role is thrust upon her. This is not a sign of meekness, but a sign of confidence in her performance and ability to produce results. She doesn't appear to let anything phase her, or rub her the wrong way, choosing silence rather than confronting offenses or slights. Unfortunately, Zahra does have a tendency to try to do everything herself if she sees gaps that need to be filled, which can stretch her thin and cause her to make critical mistakes. But in a team of other capable individuals, this should not be a problem.

She has a psychological resilience that would make her ideal for the project, in addition to having a useful skillset. Despite being religious, Zahra does not seem to exhibit xenophobia, neither to cultures other than her own, nor to non-Terrans. Though there are doubts about whether or not we want to allow someone following an irrational creed to be a part of this mission, she doesn't seem to proselytize so we're willing to give her a pass; ideally, such nonsense will be stamped out in due time.

Growing up in Kazakhstan, quite adjacent to major conflict zones of the world, Zahra lived in relative safety and comfort, though the knowledge of looming terror and violence was always at the back of her mind. Being Muslim, the wealthy nations blamed her religion for everything that was wrong with the world, so she developed a stubborn silence in the face of it all. She would continue to dress and behave with dignity as God required, but she refused to argue with anyone over it, letting insults and slights roll off her shoulder. However, a part of her wanted to disprove the notion that women in her religion were 'oppressed', so she zealously pursued her interests in engineering, something that to this day was still considered a "man's field", even in more "developed" nations.

With her parents' blessings, Zahra pursued her higher education in Turkey, and later, in Germany, finally returning to Kazakhstan as an engineer for drones that were increasingly automating delivery and transport. She liked the notion that tools originally designed for war could be turned towards benefiting civilian life. But by pursuing her career so fervently, Zahra neglected seeking companionship. Though her parents were concerned that she was not yet married despite her age, they didn't push her very hard. And Zahra was comfortable by herself, and figured that it will happen when it happens. Still, a part of her felt guilty that she had done nothing substantial to help her brothers and sisters in Islam from the imperialistic Western boot that had continued for more than a century to crush the Middle East under its heel.

But everything changed when the aliens showed up. Entire philosophies and worldviews were being disintegrated by the answer to the age old question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Zahra saw people from all faiths lose their way. Yet the scriptures that Zahra adhered to did not exclude the possibility of aliens, instead vaguely suggesting that revelation was given by God to all peoples in all places. Did God send prophets to aliens? Was there more truth to be found in their histories and cultures? These were not questions that Zahra felt prepared to ask, given that she was neither an anthropologist, nor a historian, but when the opportunity to leave Earth for other worlds, Zahra knew that she had to take it.