Achieving her childhood dream, Hassanah Al-Saba got her wings on August 29, becoming the first Muslim woman pilot in Jamaica.
“I couldn’t believe that it was me on the TV and in the paper,” said Hassanah, Travel Noire reported.
“But it has sunken in and now I really hope that I have inspired others and emulated our motto of ‘Out of Many, One People.’ I’m a proud Jamaican and I hope I can show my people that dreams are within reach.”
📚 Read Also: If Islam Were a Destination, It Would Be the Caribbean
Celebrated across the country, Hassanah’s achievement started as a dream of a young girl who loved the feeling of ascending into the sky while traveling to visit her grandparents in Trinidad.
“Since then, my eyes were always glued to the sky and my fascination for airplanes grew. I love looking out at the gorgeous landscape. Nature is breathtaking and I love that flying gives me the opportunity to absorb the picturesque scenery,” she recalled.
“Flying also makes me feel free, in a way. I can go up in the sky and leave my worries on the ground. Just me and the clouds are vibing.”
📚 Read Also: Defying Odds, This Muslim Girl Now Kashmir’s First Female Pilot
New Dream
Hassanah passed her flight exam on August 25 and received her license on August 29. Her next dream is to get commercial license training and fly for airlines.
Jamaica is a predominantly Christian country, with Islam being a minority religion.
The first Muslims arrived in Jamaica as enslaved people. Islam was one of the main religions of Africans brought to the Caribbean and America.
Today, roughly 5,000 Jamaicans identify with the Islamic faith. There are eleven mosques across the island.