Page 11 - Issue17

Dina Ehab

A d r e a m c a m e t r u e I a l w a y s p r a y m y g o d s a y i n g " m a y a l l
m y d r e a m s c o m e t r u e " a n d b y e x e r t i n g e f f o r t & h a r d
w o r k i n g , a l l a h a l w a y s f u l f i l l m y d r e a m s . J o i n i n g
A l M a k t o u m A c a d e m i c P r o g r a m w a s m y b i g d r e a m a n d i t
w a s s u c h a g r e a t p l e a s u r e t o b e o n e o f t h e f i v e c h o s e n
g i r l s r e p r e s e n t i n g c a i r o u n i v e r s i t y t o j o i n a l m a k t o u m
c o l l e g e f o r a m o n t h . T h e j o u r n e y w a s f a b u l o u s s t a r t i n g
f r o m t h e f l i g h t t i l l r e t u r n i n g b a c k h o m e , i t e m p o w e r e d m e
g r e a t l y , i f e l t t h a t i b e c a m e a s t r o n g i n d e p e n d e n t w o m a n
w h o c a n t r a v e l a l o n e a n d r e p r e s e n t h e r c o u n t r y i n t h i s
m u l t i c u l t u r a l p r o g r a m . T h e i d e a i t s e l f i s g r e a t a s b r i n g i n g
5 9 g i r l s f r o m d i f f e r e n t c o u n t r i e s " E g y p t , U A E , M a l a y s i a "
a n d l e t t h e m e n g a g e i n a c o m p l e t e d i f f e r e n t E u r o p e a n
s o c i e t y " d u n d e e " w a s a g r e a t a d d i t i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e f o r m e ,
i k n e w a l o t a b o u t t h e s e d i f f e r e n t c u l t u r e s a n d t h i s
e x p e r i e n c e s p r e a d t o l e r a n c e a n d a c c e p t a n c e o f t h e o t h e r s . I
w a s t h e r e a c h a p e r o n e s t u d e n t w h i c h e m p o w e r e d m e m o r e
a n d b e n e f i t e d m y p e r s o n a l i t y a n d s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e . L a s t
y e a r , I w a s t r a i n e e a t s h e l e a d s p r o g r a m f o r w o m e n
e m p o w e r m e n t a n d l e a d e r s h i p i n t h e B r i t i s h E m b a s s y i n
E g y p t a n d j o i n i n g a l m a k t o u m c o l l e g e w a s l i k e t h e
a p p l i c a t i o n o f a l l t h e o r e t i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n t a k e n a t t h e
B r i t i s h E m b a s s y . A l m a k t o u m c o l l e g e w a s l i k e a s m a l l
s i m u l a t i o n o f m y b i g g e r d r e a m a s i w a n t t o b e a n
a m b a s s a d o r r e p r e s e n t i n g m y c o u n t r y a n d t h i s w a s t h e
s m a l l e r v e r s i o n . I w i l l b e a l w a y s p r o u d o f j o i n i n g a n d
F A R E E D A K H A L I F A
b e i n g p a r t o f t h i s p r o g r a m r e p r e s e n t i n g m y f a c u l t y ,
u n i v e r s i t y a n d c o u n t r y .
While everyone was enjoying their winter break after a hectic semester; I
was attending the Academic Training Programme in Multiculturalism and
Leadership held by Al-Maktoum College in Dundee, Scotland. The
programme lasted for four weeks with each week following a different
theme; ranging from globalisation and multiculturalism, to leadership and
management, to civilisational dialogue and ethics, to diversity and
entrepreneurship.
In my opinion, this experience was extremely enriching as I got to
encounter people from different countries; namely Malaysia and the United
Arab Emirates; as well as attending lectures from distinguished lecturers at
prestigious universities around the United Kingdom; which included
University of Dundee, Ripon College, Henley Business School, and Christ
Church College at Oxford University. This has given me a different
perspective and outlook on the topics discussed within the period of the
programme; and I am honoured to have been among the 59 female students
who got to graduate from this programme in February 2020 at Caird Hall in
the City of Dundee in the presence of the Lord Provost of Dundee. I would
strongly recommend this programme to all of the younger female students
at the faculty and encourage them to apply for either the Summer School or
the Academic Training Programme.

Y A S MI N E MA GD Y

The ATP is not only about exploring diversified cul tures and traditions
while gradually learning to respect them , in fact it ’ s a dynamic social
interactive experience on many levels in addition t o that the program
offers a very rare opportunity for undergrad. Stude nts to reconnaitre and
be exposed to some fields of islamic studies that they are able to come
across only through post grad. Studies and undergo as well how the topics
within such fields are presented from a pure object ive point of view using
disciplines as theology in addition to economics an d finance to present it
to western ideologies. Surprisingly it ’ s inordinately different from the
methodology that is commonly used in Egypt which in evitably converges
to the genuine Halal and Haram perspective. It was very enlightening to
be always compelled to deliver a solid, objective a cademic argument
based on either economic literature or other well e stablished social
sciences theories to support my rationale of answer ing many why
questions of western ideologies that may doubt scie nces that are built on
theological beliefs. In fact it resolved too many d oubts of mine.

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