PROBLEMS FACED BY MUSLIM TEENAGERS LIVING IN A NON-MUSLIM COUNTRIES

Before I begin writing, there are several keywords that need to be defined. The word 'problems' in a layman's term means hardship, obstacles and difficulties that one may encounter. Whereas, non Muslim countries, in this context, are countries where Islam is the minorities' religion which also mean the greater part of Europe and the whole of America continent.

Having defined all the keywords in the title assigned to me, I have to concede that there are problem faced by Muslim teenagers living in non Muslim countries. And I don't make the statement as a by-stander but also as the person who have had a first hand experience living in a non Muslim country as a teenager for more than two years.

Back in the early 1990's, my father was offered an opportunity to further his study in MBA in one of the prestigious universities in USA. The rest of the family were more than glad to tag along and accompanied my father doing his masters degree. At that time, I was 14 years of age. During the period of more than two years, being part of the denizens in a suburban neighborhood and also a public middle school, I had my fair share of problems of adjusting.

The main problem faced was halal food. I had to bring my own lunch from home which was very unfortunate as everybody around me tucked in hamburger and nachos dipped in cheese. But then, as a Muslim I had to persevere in my quest to maintain my faith. The other problem that is food-related is the fasting months. I had to endure the fasting months in winter, to boot. And out of lack of awareness, I had to explain to almost everyone including my PE teacher that I didn't have the energy to do any physical activities during the fasting months. Some of them even had the audacity to entice me to break my fast.

The third problem as a teenager living in a non-Muslim country, is not having the appropriate time and space of performing 5 prayers daily. As the main pillar of practices that must be performed by a Muslim. I had to confess that during the stint living and schooling in USA, there was no facilities provided for me to perform our prayers. I had to take the initiative to make do with the time and space that I had to perform my prayers. There were several incidents when I had to sneak into a janitor's storeroom just to perform my prayers as commanded by Allah, God Al-Mighty.

Bearing last name in Arabic also posed a problem to me and my family in general. Even though, I was living in the USA before the 9/11 incident, my last name drew enough curiosity and anticipation from some people. But, I am sure that that was nothing compared to what my fellow Muslims living in non-Muslim countries might have to endure right now, just because their last names in Arabic.

In conclusion, there are problems faced by teenagers living in non-Muslim countries. But as Muslims, teenagers or not, we must prevail and persevere to keep our faith intact even in the face of difficulties.

What Makes A Great Teacher

"What makes a great teacher" is a fairly subjective notion. Most people say that a teacher with a lot of empathy is a great teacher and some might say that a no-nonsense teacher also falls under that category. Truthfully, there's no hard and fast rule as to what makes a great teacher. It actually depends on how the receiver of the teaching of the 'great teacher' perceives and responds to his or her teacher.

I, for one, like everybody else, have accumulated good and bad memories of all of my teachers throughout my schooling years. And out of those assorted teachers, in my eyes, one stood out as a great teacher. Ironically, this teacher was the one who always gave me the hard times whenever I forgot my multiplication tables. You may ask, how can that be called a great teacher. I have found that her method was very effective in making me memorized the tables which I have despised to learn until she came into the picture.

Thus, I am very much convinced that a teacher is considered great if he or she can produce a good or better yet, a great student. If the teacher could turn a slow-learner into an average-learner or fast-learner, the teacher is a great teacher. It’s that simple.

Most people would have propounded that a great teacher must have all the right ingredients such as wide knowledge in his or her subject, good-humored, strict yet emphatic, and have good knowledge in pedagogy and psychology. However, do all these right ‘ingredients’ can guarantee the right product i.e. good or great student? That’s an issue for one to ponder.

Personally, I would answer the issue in the negative. Being a teacher equipped with all the knowledge and skills in the world could not make him or her a great teacher. A great teacher is the one who could impart his or her knowledge to a student and in turn, transform the student into a great student. A great teacher is the one who brings out and enhances the hidden potential of his or her student.

As a teacher myself, I would always bear in mind that being a great teacher is not always striving to be the most popular and the most likable teacher in the school. It is whether my students understand and could apply the lessons that I have taught. I also would never forget to instill good moral values in my everyday classes so that I could ensure that at least I have done my part to uphold the moral fibers in the society.