Alhamdulillah
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Ramadan Mubarak to all brothers and sisters, May Allah accept all our good deeds, and may the holy essence of this month fill our life with spiritual growth, forgiveness, baraka, and rewards.
This is the time to nourish our souls with the words of the Holy Quran, so, Come for the gain حي على الفلاح
Assalamualiakum Wrahmatuallahi Wbarakatuhu dear sisters and brothers,
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
I just wanted to share my thoughts with you. SubhanaAllah, as you all know, we've been through difficult times since the early days of what became a historic pandemic. This coronavirus had and still has unfettered access into and throughout the entire world, turning the table on everything we took for granted in our lives. The widespread financial devastation, the isolation from loved ones, and the fatigue of a daily disaster with no clear end. Some experienced illness themselves with their family and friends, while others faced death. This made everyone rethink of value of life, all the blessings we took for granted, and the real meaning of our existence.
Allah Almighty decides for us what to have and not have in life. He might choose to put us in very difficult situations for a very long time. Yet believing that Allah SWT doesn't bring us but goodness and blessings even if we can't understand this during difficult times, we have to always remember Allah Almighty knows our agony, and He knows that we are sincere. Thus never losing faith that after each hardship there is ease (ان مع العسر يسرا), and must always be patient and seek Allah Almighty in Prayers and good deeds.
Muslims must always deal with life's issues and problems with patience and perseverance, and must always put their trust in Allah Almighty. The real rewards are not in this life, but in the life after. They should know that Allah Almighty has them in such a situation for a purpose. They should face the challenge with wisdom, faith, and determination. It is quite possible that Allah Almighty will ultimately reward them in life for all of their patience, perseverance, and good deeds, but the real rewards are the multiplied rewards in the life after.
May Allah protect us and you and your beloved ones.
Assalamualaikum Wrahmatu Allah wbarakatuhu dear brothers and sisters,
Currently, I'm wrapping up with transcribing the interviews and coding them via Nvivo. It's been a hard task so far, but I'm very interested and excited.
Still need your support and Doaa. May Allah reward us all generously.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for your donations so far! I still need your support to reach my goal and be able to enroll and finish my project.
Currently, I am in Jordan waiting for NZ borders to reopen for international students, meanwhile, I am looking after my kids with their online learning and continuing interviewing my participants for my PhD project. It is harder now because our meetings are virtual with all availability and time differences issues. It is always better to meet people in person, but my participants are doing great and they are extremely helpful.
I really appreciate your support!
May Allah reward you all abundantly.
Thanks for your support so far, I still believe in your generosity and empathy.
To keep you updated with what I am currently doing. I am interviewing Imams from different masjids in New Zealand such as Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington to ask them about their use of Arabic in their Friday sermons (Khutbah), especially with non-native Arabic speaker Muslims. Data collected will enrich my study regarding the importance of Learning and using Arabic among New Muslims in new Zealand.
I would like you to understand what I am doing, and what I hope to discover. Therefore, I have included information below about my study in English and Arabic. Perhaps, like me, you will also become excited about this topic! Please scroll down.
Why am I studying the growth of Islam in New Zealand?
New Zealand is a linguistically diverse, multi-ethnic and multicultural society, and Islam is one of the most rapidly growing religions. One reason for this is the rise in New Muslims – people who discover and accept Islam as adults. Unfortunately, there is scarce empirical research about the experiences of New Muslims in New Zealand. In my research, I have found people from very different backgrounds among this group of New – or reverted - Muslims. People like me who were born into the faith need more information about New Muslims, so we can understand better how to integrate them into our faith community.
Why do I focus on learning Arabic?
Although Muslim communities all over the world are distinctively diverse in terms of language, culture, and ethnicity, however, they share one faith and perform religious practices in one language which is Arabic. Arabic serves as the unifying medium among these believers who not only need it for the sense of unity as Muslims in wider communities, but also to comprehend the Qur’an (the holy book) in its original script, socialize into the rituals of Islam, and to affirm their Muslim-ness. This justifies the consideration to be given to the Arabic language learning especially among new non-Arab Muslims as well as its role in constructing and affirming their religious identity. The importance of Arabic stems from the fact that the Qur’an continues to be studied and recited in Arabic. Such close association between Arabic and Islam has made the language holy, therefore, Arabic is a key component of various daily religious practices and rituals. So, knowledge of Arabic is crucial not only for understanding the Qur’an and praying, but also for accurate pronunciation and correct recitation.
What do I know about the connection between New Muslims and Arabic?
Reverted Muslims in New Zealand are learning Arabic for the first time. Most of them are native speakers of English, some are not, some know other languages as well.
All of my participants are learning Arabic to read and recite from the Holy Book, and to say their prayers as well as possible.
As they are new to Arabic, and many don’t have much language learning experience, they have to make a huge effort as adults to learn enough to understand the Qur’an and to recite appropriately.
I would like to know more about how they see the importance of Arabic in their lives, for their identity, and about the strategies they use to learn the Arabic they need to perform their religious practices.
This research is an attempt to obtain a better understanding of the growth of Islam in the hearts and minds of New Zealanders. When I reach the end of my project, I would like to share my findings with other Muslims (and other people!) in New Zealand and across the world.
What do I bring to this project?
I am a native speaker of Arabic and a qualified teacher of Arabic. I am a practising Muslim, and I have taken an active interest in people who are new to our faith and new to our language for many years. Now I have the chance to study this topic seriously at the University of Auckland with a very encouraging supervisor 😊. I spent some months doing initial fieldwork around New Zealand to understand better the context. I have already begun my data collection and I have made good progress on writing the first chapters. Unfortunately, my work was interrupted by the terrible effects of COVID-19 and I was left without the financial means to continue. I truly believe in the great value of my project, and I believe my work will be very important for other people as well.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
يسعدني أن أخبركم عن بحثي وما أطمح لتحقيقه
لماذا أدرس وضع الاسلام في نيوزيلندا؟
نيوزيلندا هي مجتمع متنوع لغويًا ومتعدد الأعراق والثقافات، والإسلام هو أحد أسرع الديانات نموًا. أحد أسباب ذلك هو ظهور المسلمين الجدد - الأشخاص الذين يكتشفون الإسلام ويقبلونه كبالغين. لسوء الحظ، هناك أبحاث تجريبية نادرة حول تجارب المسلمين الجدد في نيوزيلندا. في بحثي، وجدت أشخاصًا من خلفيات مختلفة جدًا بين هذه المجموعة من المسلمين الجدد (العائدين) يحتاج الأشخاص مثلي الذين ولدوا في هذا الدين إلى مزيد من المعلومات حول المسلمين الجدد، حتى نتمكن من فهم كيفية دمجهم في مجتمعنا الديني بشكل أفضل.
لماذا أركز على تعلم اللغة العربية؟
على الرغم من أن المجتمعات الإسلامية في جميع أنحاء العالم متنوعة بشكل مميز من حيث اللغة والثقافة والعرق، إلا أنهم يشتركون في عقيدة واحدة ويؤدون ممارسات دينية بلغة واحدة هي العربية. تعمل اللغة العربية كوسيط موحد بين هؤلاء المؤمنين الذين لا يحتاجون إليها فقط من أجل الشعور بالوحدة كمسلمين في المجتمعات الأوسع، ولكن أيضًا لفهم القرآن الكريم (الكتاب المقدس) في نصه الأصلي، والاختلاط بطقوس الإسلام، ولتأكيد إسلامهم. وهذا ما يبرر الاهتمام بتعلم اللغة العربية خاصة بين المسلمين الجدد من غير العرب ودورها في بناء وتأكيد هويتهم الدينية. تنبع أهمية اللغة العربية من حقيقة استمرار دراسة القرآن وتلاوته باللغة العربية. هذا الارتباط الوثيق بين العربية والإسلام جعل اللغة مقدسة، وبالتالي، فإن اللغة العربية هي عنصر أساسي في مختلف الممارسات والطقوس الدينية اليومية. لذا، فإن معرفة اللغة العربية أمر بالغ الأهمية ليس فقط لفهم القرآن والصلاة، ولكن أيضًا للنطق الدقيق والتلاوة الصحيحة.
ماذا أعرف عن العلاقة بين المسلمين الجدد والعربية؟
المسلمون الجدد (العائدون) في نيوزيلندا يتعلمون اللغة العربية لأول مرة. معظمهم من المتحدثين الأصليين للغة الإنجليزية، والبعض الآخر ليسوا كذلك، والبعض يعرف لغات أخرى أيضًا..
يتعلم جميع المشاركين اللغة العربية لقراءة وتلاوة القرآن الكريم، ولأداء صلواتهم قدر الإمكان نظرًا لأنهم حديثو العهد باللغة العربية، ولا يتمتع الكثير منهم بخبرة كبيرة في تعلم اللغة حيث يتعين عليهم بذل جهد كبير كبالغين لتعلم ما يكفي لفهم القرآن وتلاوته. أود أن أعرف المزيد عن كيفية رؤيتهم لأهمية اللغة العربية في حياتهم وهويتهم، وحول الاستراتيجيات التي يستخدمونها لتعلم اللغة العربية التي يحتاجون إليها لأداء ممارساتهم الدينية.
هذا البحث هو محاولة للحصول على فهم أفضل لنمو الإسلام في قلوب وعقول النيوزيلنديين. عندما أصل إلى نهاية مشروعي، أود مشاركة النتائج التي توصلت إليها مع مسلمين آخرين (وأشخاص آخرين!) في نيوزيلندا وفي جميع أنحاء العالم.
ما الذي أقدمه كباحثة لهذا المشروع؟
أنا لغتي الأم هي اللغة العربية ومعلمة مؤهلة لتدريس اللغة العربية. أنا مسلمة ملتزمة، وقد اهتممت بشكل نشط بالمسلمين الجدد في ديننا والجدد في لغتنا لسنوات عديدة. الآن لدي فرصة لدراسة هذا الموضوع بجدية في جامعة أوكلاند مع مشرفة مشجعة للغاية 😊. وقد قمت فور وصولي الى نيوزيلندا بالبحث الميداني الأولي حول نيوزيلندا لفهم السياق بشكل أفضل. لقد بدأت بالفعل في جمع البيانات وقد أحرزت تقدمًا جيدًا في كتابة الفصول الأولى. لسوء الحظ، توقف عملي بسبب الآثار الرهيبة لجائحة كورونا التي تركتني دون الوسائل المالية اللازمة للمتابعة. أنا أؤمن حقًا بالقيمة العظيمة لمشروعي، وأعتقد أن عملي سيكون مهمًا جدًا للآخرين أيضًا.
