To Mr. CP Rajah, Vice President (Academic Affairs)
From Deryk Ng
Academic Counsellor
Faculty of Pre University Program
16th September 2011
I am writing this report on behalf of a student in our college, Mohammad Azman Khaldun. He is currently pursuing a pre-university program, with the intention of pursuing a university degree next year.
Recently, he applied for a scholarship from various universities in Australia. One of the universities approved his application. The representative of the university will be coming to our college soon to present information to all the scholarship recipients in preparation to travel to Australia for further studies.
I am writing this report in my capacity as the academic counsellor to present an introduction to student’s religious background, statement of problem and possible solutions in the following sections. The report concludes with best solution, recommendation, and conclusion.
Introduction to Student’s Religious Background
A Muslim is defined as an individual who espouses the Islamic faith.
One of the most important practices is that a Muslim prays 5 times a day at specified times throughout the day, namely 6:00 am – “Subuh”, 1:30 pm – “Zohor”, 4:15 pm – “Asar”, 7:30 pm – “Maghrib”, 8:15 pm – “Ishak”
If one misses the first one, muslimin (male devotee) and muslimah (female devotee) can conduct prayer before the second one. For example, if Azman missed the 6:00 session, he can pray at any time before 1:30pm. Most of the time, the problem is to perform the Zohor (afternoon) prayer and Asar (evening) prayer. In this situation, it is permissible to adopt rukhsah (concession) like adjusting the prayer times. Both solat (prayer), Zohor and Asar, can be combined together in one time either in the afternoon or in the evening (whichever is preferable as long as it is performed as Solat is one of the 5 Pillars of Islam.). However, a Muslim should adhere to the time as strictly as possible to fulfill their religious duties.
They can perform worship preferably in a mosque on Friday. However, in the absence of a mosque, they may carry out their duty in the direction of Ka’abah, also known as kiblat in their own personal room. In an actual mosque, there will be a spiritual leader known as imam who will lead the worship to Allah. If there is no mosque in the vicinity of the university, they may find a place approved by the university administration to have their worship session.
A Muslim dietary practice is very different from other cultures or religions. Halal food, or food confirmed to be not having unclean ingredients (such as pork or dog meat) are compulsory for Muslims. They must not consume non-halal food at all times in their life, unless they are under dire circumstances such as starvation or unavailability of halal food. Nevertheless, the exceptions must only be carried out under emergency situations.
Mohammad Azman Khaldun was born in Iran. He is an Iranian by nationality and Muslim by faith. His religion dictates that he must go for prayer session 5 times a day, towards a certain direction. In a certain month called month of Ramadan, he needs to go for fasting from morning 7am till 7pm, breaking fast after 7pm. During these hours he needs to abstain from food (Yaran, 2007).
Statement of Problem
Azman is currently pursuing his studies at pre-university level. He has excelled in his studies and extra-curricular activities. He applied for scholarships from various Australian universities recently.
After waiting for a month, he was awarded a scholarship to pursue tertiary education in Australia.
However, he came to realise that his religious obligations and commitments might not be given considerations fully, especially the prayer times. Clashes of academic timetable with the prayer time will occur. He wishes to strive for academic excellence as well as continuing his religious practices.
He has visited me for assistance. There are three possible solutions for us to consider. Let’s look at the following:
Solution 1
Mohammad Azman Khaldun must make a decision to concentrate on either studies or religion. He should realise that whatever decision made means there will be compromise between the two.
Advantage and Disadvantage
The advantage of this solution is that he is able to make a firm decision on either focusing on academic excellence or performing religious practice.
Disadvantageously, setting priority on one aspect will end up in neglecting the other.
Assuming that he sets priority in fulfilling academic goals, he will have to attend all lectures and put aside all religious obligations. If his family members come to know this, he may be perceived as not devoted to his religion. There will be disapproval from the relatives as well as his religious community in Iran.
On the other hand, he would miss some lectures if he puts religious practices as first priority. Consequently, he will not perform well in his academic work.
Jeopardising a bright future for the sake of religion may not be wise as it is a private practice which can be carried out in his personal time. He should be able to focus on it once again any time after he completes his university degree.
Solution 2
He should stay in Iran and further his studies. This enables him to accommodate both studies and religion.
Advantage and Disadvantage
It is advantageous for Azman to stay in Iran as he gets to pursue tertiary education and adhere to his religious commitments simultaneously. Handling both effectively will give him satisfaction and spiritual wholeness.
The downside of this choice is that Azman will not have the opportunity to experience cutting edge education in Australia. The university that offers the scholarship is assumed to have a higher quality education than Iran. Scholarships are not always available and only given to well-deserved individuals who excel academically.
Besides that, he will not have the opportunity to interact with people of various ethnicities, cultures, faiths and religions. He will not gain exposure from understanding perspectives that are different from his own if he declines the offer to study abroad.
Solution 3
Azman should seek help from the university. They will assess the circumstances and make special arrangements for him. Alternatively, he may choose academic schedules that will not clash with the time of religious practice.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Some believe that it is equally imperative to preserve spiritual roots and pursue academic excellence. They assert that the ultimate meaning of life should consist of excellence in both endeavours.
This advantageous approach allows him to acquire good time management to maintain his religious practices while benefitting from world-class education.
The university will be seen as being culturally sensitive to students coming from various backgrounds. Consequently, it will receive excellent reputation as a multi-cultural institution.
On the contrary, it may cause inconvenience and additional costs to the university administration and students as adjustments and accommodations have to be made solely for the minority community.
Besides that, such considerations may cause resentment to others. They may begin to make all kinds of request. If the university does not comply, there may be irreconcilable conflicts. Based on this case alone, they may be accused of practising bias.
Best Solution
Based on the three proposals, the third option is the best choice to solve Azman’s dilemma.
In the era of globalization characterized by accessibility of international travel and rapid communications through the Internet, individuals from various cultural and religious backgrounds begin to interact dynamically. Conflicts between different groups may arise due to miscommunication and misunderstanding.
The university bears the social obligations to accommodate to the needs of the international students. The skills of being culturally sensitive must be adopted by both the university administration and its students. An academic institution that is free from bias and discrimination is very conducive for studies and involvement in research work, thus attracting excellent students from all over the world and propel the university to international fame.
Azman will be able to excel academically and fulfill his obligation as a Muslim. He will not have to experience emotional tension due to neglect of any of the two aspects.
Recommendations
I would like to recommend that we convey this information to the Australian university representatives. We can prepare a report that describes Azman’s religious background as well as his academic achievements. Then we will proceed with highlighting Azman’s areas of concern which may consist of the prayer time and information on the availability of halal meals, Muslim’s Students Club, and worship facilities.
We would also do research on universities in United States, United Kingdom and Australia which have successfully implemented cultural-friendly strategies. The summary of the findings will be presented to the Australian representatives.
We are confident that there will be enrolment of many Muslim students in that university. Therefore, such requests will not cause any complications as they will not be perceived as having to make adjustments merely for one student. Instead, it’s a good opportunity for them to cultivate the administrative style of being culturally sensitive to the needs of, not just the Muslim community, but other cultural, religious or racial groups as well.
When all these policies are carried out efficiently, cultural diversity will be flourishing in the academic institution. In time to come, its reputation will increase tremendously in the eyes of the public.
Conclusion
In this era, universities all over the world should be more open-minded, considerate and flexible in formulating important policies that caters to the needs of students from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. We must not implement policies that may unintentionally violate their religious rights. As an international university, it is wise to contemplate on the cultural and religious backgrounds of the recipients before awarding the scholarships accordingly.
It is our greatest hope that we will be able to establish good communication with the Australian representatives in order to reach a common cultural understanding.
Thank you.
Deryk Ng
ACADEMIC COUNSELLOR
REFERENCE
Yaran, C. S. (2007). Understanding Islam. United Kingdom: Dunedin Academic Press.
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