2025: February 2 (3 Sha'ban 1446 AH)
February 2
Events
- 1966 - Pakistan suggested a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- 1971 - Idi Amin replaced President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
- 1971 - The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands was signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
- 1980 - Reports surface that the FBI was targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
- 1982 - Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacked the town of Hama.
- 1989 - Soviet-Afghan War: The last Soviet armored column left Kabul.
Births
- 1904 - Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
- 1934 - Khalil Ullah Khan, Bangladeshi actor (d. 2014)
- 1946 - Alpha Oumar Konare, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
- 1977 - Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (b. February 2, 1977), a Colombian singer and songwriter, was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Shakira has been referred to as the "Queen of Latin Music" and is noted for her versatility in music.
Born on February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira is the only child of William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado. Her paternal grandparents emigrated from Lebanon to New York City, where her father was born. Her father then immigrated to Colombia at age 5.
The name Shakira is Arabic for "grateful", the feminine form of the name Shakir. From her mother's side she has two Spanish surnames - Ripoll and Torrado, the former of which is Catalan and originates in four brothers who immigrated to coastal Colombia in the 19th century. She was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools. She has eight older half-siblings from her father's previous marriage. Shakira spent much of her youth in Barranquilla, a city located on the northern Caribbean coast of Colombia, and wrote her first poem, titled "La Rosa De Cristal/The Crystal Rose", when she was only four years old. As she was growing up, she was fascinated watching her father writing stories on a typewriter and asked for one as a Christmas gift. She received a typewriter at the age of seven and has continued writing poetry since then. Her poems eventually evolved into songs.
When Shakira was two years old, an older half-brother was killed in a motorcycle accident; six years later, at the age of eight, Shakira wrote her first song, titled "Tus gafas oscuras/Your dark glasses", which was inspired by her father, who for years wore dark glasses to hide his grief.
When Shakira was four, her father took her to a local Middle Eastern restaurant, where Shakira first heard the doumbek, a traditional drum used in Arabic music, and which typically accompanied belly dancing. She started dancing on the table, and the experience made her realize that she wanted to be a performer. She enjoyed singing for schoolmates and teachers (and even the nuns) at her Catholic school, but in second grade, she was rejected for the school choir because her vibrato was too strong. The music teacher told her that she sounded "like a goat". At school, she was often sent out of the class because of her hyperactivity (ADHD). She says she had also been known as "the belly dancer girl", as she would demonstrate every Friday at school a number she had learned. "That's how I discovered my passion for live performance," she says. To instill gratitude in Shakira for her upbringing, her father took her to a local park to see orphans who lived there. The images stayed with her, and she said to herself: "One day I'm going to help these kids when I become a famous artist."
Between the ages of 10 and 13, Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla and gained some recognition in the area. It was at this approximate time that she met local theater producer Monica Ariza, who was impressed with her and as a result tried to help her career. During a flight from Barranquilla to Bogota, Ariza convinced Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas to hold an audition for Shakira in a hotel lobby. Vargas held Shakira in high regard and, returning to the Sony office, gave the cassette to a song and artist director. However, the director was not overly excited and thought Shakira was something of "a lost cause". Undaunted and still convinced that Shakira had talent, Vargas set up an audition in Bogotá. He arranged for Sony Colombia executives to arrive at the audition, with the idea of surprising them with Shakira's performance. She performed three songs for the executives and impressed them enough for her to be signed to record three albums.
Shakira made her recording debut under Sony Music Colombia at the age of 13. Following the commercial failure of her first two Colombian albums, Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993), she rose to prominence in Hispanic countries with her next albums, Pies Descalzos (1995) and Donde Estan los Ladrones? (1998). Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album, Laundry Service (2001), which sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Buoyed by the international number-one singles "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes", the album propelled her reputation as a leading crossover artist.
Her success was further solidified with the Spanish albums Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), Sale el Sol (2010), and El Dorado (2017), and Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024), all of which topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and were certified diamante by the Recording Industry Association of America. Meanwhile, her English albums Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), She Wolf (2009) and Shakira (2014) were all certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in various countries worldwide. Some of her songs have charted at number one in multiple countries, including "La Tortura", "Hips Don't Lie", "Beautiful Liar", "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", "Loca", and "Chantaje". Shakira served as a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice (2013–2014), had a voice role in the animated film Zootopia (2016), and executive produced and judged the dance competition series Dancing with Myself (2022).
With over 125 million records sold worldwide, Shakira is one of the world's best-selling musicians. Known to be a global phenom whose impact has reached every corner of the world, Shakira has been described as an artistic link between the west and the east for popularizing Middle Eastern sounds in the West, and western sounds in the East (mainly the Middle East). She is credited with opening the doors of the international market for other Latin artists.
With a catalog of 145 songs, Shakira has sold over 125 million records which have made her the best-selling female Latin artist of all time. Shakira remains one of the world's best-selling music artists. Forbes magazine reported that as of 2018, Shakira had become the female Latin artist who has sold the most albums in history. She was named the Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade by Billboard twice (2000s and 2010s). For her philanthropic work with her Barefoot Foundation and her contributions to music she received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year awards in 2011. She was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the United States in 2011, and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012.
- 1981 - Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
- 1985 - Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
- 1995 - Arfa Karim, Pakistani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
Deaths
- 1448 - Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
- 1932 - Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
- 1966 - Haci Omer Sabanci, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
- 2008 - Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
- Husayn ibn 'Ali
Husayn ibn 'Ali (Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAli; b. January 10, 626 CC [3 Sha'ban AH 4], Medina, Arabia [now in Saudi Arabia] – d. October 10, 680 CC [10 Muharram AH61], Karbala, Iraq) was a social, political and religious leader. The grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a son of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter Fatima, as well as a younger brother of Hasan ibn 'Ali, Husayn is regarded as the third Imam (leader) in Shi'a Islam after his brother, Hasan, and before his son, 'Ali al-Sajjad. Being the grandson of the Prophet, he is also a prominent member of the Ahl al-Bayt. He is also considered to be a member of the Ahl al-Kisa and a participant in the event of the mubahala. Muhammad described him and his brother, Hasan, as the leaders of the youth of Paradise.
During the caliphate of 'Ali, Husayn accompanied him in wars. After the assassination of 'Ali, Husayn obeyed his brother in recognizing the Hasan-Mu'awiya I treaty, despite it being suggested to do otherwise. In the nine-year period between Hasan's abdication in AH 41 (660) and his death in AH 49 or 50 (669 or 670), Hasan and Husayn retreated to Medina, trying to keep aloof from political involvement for or against Mu'awiya I. After the death of Hasan, when Iraqis turned to Husayn, concerning an uprising, Husayn instructed them to wait as long as Mu'awiya was alive due to Hasan's peace treaty with him. Prior to his death, Mu'awiya appointed his son Yazid as his successor, contrary to the Hasan–Mu'awiya treaty. When Mu'awiya I died in 680, Yazid demanded that Husayn pledge allegiance to him. Husayn refused to do so. As a consequence, he left Medina, his hometown, to take refuge in Mecca in AH 60 (679). There, the people of Kufa sent letters to him, invited him to Kufa, asked him to be their Imam, and pledged their allegiance to him. On Husayn's way to Kufa with a retinue of about 72 men, his caravan was intercepted by a 1,000-strong army of the caliph at some distance from Kufa. He was forced to head north and encamp in the plain of Karbala on October 2, where a larger Umayyad army of some 4,000 or 30,000 arrived soon afterwards. Negotiations failed after the Umayyad governor Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad refused Husayn safe passage without submitting to his authority, a condition declined by Husayn. Battle ensued on October 10 during which Husayn was killed along with most of his relatives and companions, while his surviving family members were taken prisoner. The battle was followed by the Second Fitna, during which the Iraqis organized two separate campaigns to avenge the killing of Husayn: the first one by the Tawwabin and the other one by Mukhtar al-Thaqafi and his supporters.
The Battle of Karbala galvanized the development of the pro-Alid party (Shi'at Ali) into a unique religious sect with its own rituals and collective memory. It has a central place in the Shi'a history, tradition, and theology, and has frequently been recounted in Shi'a literature. For the Shi'a, Husayn's suffering and martyrdom became a symbol of sacrifice in the struggle for right against wrong, and for justice and truth against injustice and falsehood. It also provides the members of the Shi'a faith with a catalog of heroic norms. The battle is commemorated during an annual ten-day period during the Islamic month of Muharram by many Muslims especially Shi'a, culminating on tenth day of the month, known as the Day of Ashura. On this day, Shi'a Muslims mourn, hold public processions, organize religious gathering, beat their chests and in some cases self-flagellate. Sunni Muslims likewise regard the incident as a historical tragedy. Accordingly, Husayn and his companions are widely regarded as martyrs by both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims.
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