Visas denied for all-girl Afghanistan robotics team competing in U.S.
An all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan's plans to compete in the U.S. were upended after their visas were quickly denied by the U.S. embassy in Kabul.
The team of six teen girls hailing from Herat, Afghanistan had been working on their latest robotic creation for months in order to compete in the international FIRST Global Challenge competition being held in Washington, D.C..
The challenge encourages young participants from across the globe to develop skills in engineering and technology.
On the team's site, the girls said that they "want to develop and explore our minds and creativity and maybe unveil the genius inside each one of us."
"We want to make a difference and most breakthroughs in science, technology, and other industries normally start with the dream of a child to do something great. We want to be that child and pursue our dreams to make a difference in people's lives."
After making a 500 mile journey to the U.S. embassy in Kabul to apply for visas, an embassy which had been targeted in recent bomb attacks, the girls were notified their applications had been denied.
Team sponsor Roya Mahoob of The Digital Citizen Fund told Mashable that the girls were devastated when they found out they would not be able to travel to the competition.
"The first time [they were rejected] it was very difficult talking with the students," Mahboob said. "They're young and they were very upset."
While the State Department has yet to comment on the exact reasoning for the girl's denial, their let down comes amid the United States' implementation of a travel ban of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the country.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/visas-denied-for-all-girl-afghanistan-robotics-team-competing-in-u-s/