Moj Darraji, 27 years old, Architect and Project Manager (participant of the British Royal Fellowship of Architects and the International Business Administration Certificate).
I started mountain climbing by coincidence after a friend had insisted on going with her to climb a mountain peak in Indonesia for fun, to change the atmosphere and to try something new, especially since I was afraid of heights. I agreed to go and it was one of the most beautiful adventures I have ever taken part of. Ever since that day, hiking has turned from a coincidence to a passion and a journey. Career wise, I am currently working as a director of design and as an engineering supervisor, and this was one of my dreams. My next dream is to establish a private company for design and architecture. On a personal level, the greatest achievement for me has been practicing my many hobbies, including mountaineering with freedom and passion, without being concerned of the societal barriers; as long as it brings me happiness and satisfaction. The challenges I faced are many, starting with the lack of ability of society to accept the idea of women climbing mountains due to the existence of a common concept (that it is a men's game because it requires physical strength that women don't have). Adding to this is the difficulty of reconciling my work as an engineer with the practice of this sport; both require a lot of time and effort. Nonetheless, the criticisms in our Iraqi society exist, but I am relatively far from this society because of the fact that I live abroad (between UAE and Canada), but the backlash does affect me one way or another. I welcome criticism, if it is constructive, but our societies lack the basic understanding of what criticism is. Criticism is often misunderstood with defamation and insults. My way of dealing with negative critics is by ignoring them, and I believe in the idea that (my accomplishments will speak for themselves.) I respect every person with a critical and purposeful vision. It is natural for a person to generate doubts about his/her abilities from time to time, it is important to give the soul additional energy to continue on the path. The Iraqi society usually attacks any incomprehensible or common situation out of fear, and the idea of a woman doing this act is in itself frightening to those who think that women should act according to a certain stereotype, that would benefit a man. Everything is generally considered permissible for women, provided that it does not contradict the "traditions of society", which were established by men who are afraid of the idea of a woman challenging their masculine authority. The world is currently developing, and women in Iraq are still claiming their rights as human beings; still quite far from the demands of feminism. I overcame many challenges because I always thought of believing in one self and for one to achieve their goals. In addition to encouragement from family and friends, the first and most important dependence stems from the person within. It is very important to accustom oneself to overcome obstacles and challenges without support, to discipline oneself, to teach oneself not to be dependent and to wait for acceptance and support from others. I have a lot of steps to come, but I am currently working with my personal trainer to prepare to climb the highest mountain peak in Canada and Argentina at the end of this year, with the hope of progress in terms of COVID. My message to the women of my county is that: You can achieve the impossible if you try to challenge yourself. There is no easy way to reach any dream, and that is the beautiful part of it, so that you can enjoy the pleasure of success after working for it. Iraqi women are fighters and their courage is exemplary!!
Image description: A smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a cap, looks out the opening of a small blue tent. She holds open the flaps of the door with both hands, and is sitting cross-legged, wearing bluejeans and a royal blue sweater. The tent is on a blanket of snow. In front of the tent’s opening is a pair of snow boots, a plastic white bag to the right of the boots, and a pair of ski poles standing in the snow to the right of the plastic bag. It is not sunny; there is a blue cast to the photo.