Praise to Allah!

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Praise be to Allah! I managed to finish my assignments, which are the 5,000 words essay. It is actually from two different courses, each of them I was required to write about 2,500 words. Basically, it would be easy if we know some basis of the topic for the essay, but it becomes tough when we do not have any basis for that particular topic. 

The first one that I had to write is from Dr. Zainal'abiddin where I had to write about EU as a Global Actor and Interregionalism with Africa. This essay is for the course, SAE515 EU Common External Policy. I get to learn many things from the essay although the burden of task is intense because I have to finish everything before next week as the exam will begin on Wednesday in the week to come. I actually know nothing about economy and so do politics of external relation. 

More or less, I could get to know about the process and mechanism used by the EU in dealing with Africa and also the issues that it has to counter before promoting trade and business in the region. Although my essay is not so nice or well written, and sometimes it is filled with quotes from others' journals, but I think that I had did it as well as possible with prayers for Allah to intervene and help me.

The other one is for Dr. Noraida assignment for EU Common Policies with the code SAE514. I love her course over the one that I had to deal with Dr. Zainal and partially with Dr. Benny because I do not have to give any opinion on the things that I don't really know about. But this assignment came a bit late. We cannot blame Dr. Noraida too because we understand that she is quite busy and the research center really needs attention. It is not easy to be a lecturer and taking care a research center anyway, so this had also taught me a lot, do not think that we could go easily although we think that certain things will be a lot easier because it simply looks like that. 


For this course, I wrote about Sexual Harassment Derivatives in the EU and I managed to know few things that I do not know before regarding the law and inequalities in the workplace. Maybe I could share it here when I am free after the exam, I believe that it is useful for everyone of us regardless male or female.

I sent both of the assignments yesterday morning, in the meanwhile the submission date is actually today. I just emailed the essay for Dr. Zainal'abiddin, but for Dr. Noraida I had submitted it at her office to her assistant. I regret that I could not do any better than that but I had tried my best in writing the essay although most of them are quotes from others. 


Do not worry too because I quoted everything legally through the inclusion of the writers' name and year including refrences like what had been taught in Harvard and MLA quoting system because we could not write anything based from our own idea without any proper research nor we have the idea suddenly popped out in our mind, hehe.

As for my proposal, it is sad to say that I have to represent it again on March 3rd according to the panel of lecturers together with a girl who had also the same problem in formulating research question. I had actually done my best, running here and there to the lecturers, of course with appointments because lecturers are always busy with supervision, seminars, marking papers, and conducting classes either in degree or master levels.  Even after being rejected, I feel bad because I had tried my best. I just went to the musalla and crying there to Allah because I do not think people could really stand listening to a guy crying like a baby, hahaha. It's not the end of the world anyway.

Before that, the lecturer who supposedly defending me had a quarrel with another lecturer from Asian Studies course and both of them had left the room earlier. That might not be a good situation for me, but I am pleased with what had been pre-destined to me. Maybe there is Wisdom hidden in each incidents.  What else I could do instead of proceed with it and prays a lot to Him so that He would removes all the obstacles.

The comments from Dr. Benny was that my research questions are not focused enough. I thought about doing something related to Muslim communities and Islamophobia in Europe but I guess it might need fieldwork as well, and I have no grants nor sponsorship for my studies and this is about the region far away from us. Even now my parents are the only sponsor for me and the rest is Allah's matter to help. 

As for Dr. Suresh Narayanan, he had proposed me to choose other country for the previous topic that I wanted to do for my research rather than Britain. He said that maybe I could choose Germany and Turks minority but now I think that I would keep it first, because I have to take into the account that I am not doing a research about History.  This studies is about politics, administration, policies, and anaything related to the European Union. It is so concrete that I must be careful with everything that I am going to do for my research. If it is about history, I guess I could do it in another way which is more familiar to me.

And later, trying to propose about Equal Programme in a Member State or by comparison with two Member States of EU. For Islamophobia, or Perceptions toward Muslim communities in France, it had been chosen by one of our senior known as Raja Faris. He is currently writing a master research about that and it makes me difficult to propose it to the panels when someone had already came with the same idea.

I had a glance at a paper about Equal Programme in the library yesterday morning and founded that it is also related to Integration and Race Policy. It is with the regard to the Labor Market in Europe under the initiative European Social Fund. Mostly, it deals with employment in the EU territories.

So, I think I might have to save the previous topic for my personal research and maybe proceed with it after I am free.  Might be in the future, I could do something in bringing Muslim NGOs together through a research paper and proposing it to all organizations that I can get to know including Jama'at Tabligh and Madrasas with the proposal that I already have in my hand although it is not really useful for my recent studies or not yet a research but all of the framework had already stated there. 

In fact, I never thought about this before. Only after I met the lecturer, I think his name is Ahmad Fauzi, who teaches Islamic histories in South East Asia for Asian Studies students that I get this idea. 

He suggested me to do about preserving Muslim identity in the non-Muslim environment, through the fight for the recognition of Syariah law for Muslim nationals and Islamic Education in the European Union. It sounds like easy but I think it may need further efforts and also costs, I would make my sacrifice on behalf of Allah later. But now I need to pass this paper for research first. 

I think for now, I better do something related to a certain policy which is concrete without any notion of theories because I would have to define them first, and it is a pain for me to argue with the panel of lecturers because I hate arguments, rather I only love dialogue and friendly informal talks because my articulation is not really good. And then, what I could just do is that to check and analyze the gaps that I could fill through my research about the programme. 

Dr. Lye said that I should already finish with the new proposal before Thursday in the next week, which is a day after my first paper for European Common Policies (SAE514). It is a pressure but I must have faith in Allah that He will never let me alone. 

Previously, I had changed my research questions and everything for about four times each time I talked with different lecturers. They had also assigned me with a lecturer from other course, but it is not their fault. It is my fault too because of my research topic itself, but as to say I have no time to think deep enough although being given a year time because we were confused and occupied with classes or new lessons. Now I have some pictures about my new proposal and research eventhough they are the blurry ones. I just need to get my background, research questions and limiting them to only two questions which are the primary and the secondary for the time being.

I believe that everything comes with Wisdom. Even if I am not going to proceed with the topic about Muslim community in Europe and a certain Member States of EU, I would keep it as my personal research and will write about it when I am free. May He makes everything easy. 

Now everyone are struggling for exam including our respective Tabligh brothers regardless of their courses and also those in the congregation in the musalla or mosque. I messaged the karkon that I had asked a lot of things to him before and apologize to him if I caused him inconvenience because of my curiosity and thanking him for his patience with me. I also apologize to everyone. I sincerely pray to Allah for everyone to pass with distinction and hopefully that everyone may contribute to the Muslim nation after finishing the studies, His Will. 

I wish everyone who are going to sit for their exam luck and may everyone passing the exam according to the efforts and tawakkal to Allah. May Allah be with us always whether when we are in happiness or in sadness. Whether when we are in easiness or in difficulties. May He bless us always and never let our feet slipped out of the Path. I wish good luck to Dr. Zainal'abiddin who will shift to another place, may he enjoy his new environment and work. Aamin!!!