Student Stories - Alan| Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education
Back to all stories

Taib's story

I come from an interdisciplinary educational and professional background. My BA and MA degrees explored Morocco in relation to Anglophone contexts through the lenses of a wide range of fields, including cultural studies, postcolonial studies, media studies, and language studies.

One of the many things I enjoyed during my experience at Al-Maktoum College was taking part in the regular group discussions and reactions to the lectures. These discussions were characterized by open-mindedness, critical thinking, and free expression, even about the most controversial issues.

Taib Islamic Studies

Tell us about your experience studying with Al-Maktoum College

I began the coursework at Al-Maktoum College in September 2020. Shortly before that, I was undertaking the CELTA teacher training program and gaining practical teaching experience.

In addition to its quality of education and the reputation of its faculty, Al-Maktoum College seemed like an ideal institution, where I could engage with the classical and contemporary academic literature on Islamic Studies and recent debates on Islam and Muslims in the West. I was particularly interested in exploring the literature on political Islam and contemporary Islamic reformist discourses vis-à-vis questions of modernity and development. I imagined this experience would be complementary to my BA and MA training, in Morocco, in the historical, socio-cultural, and linguistic dynamics of Morocco and Anglophone societies. These experiences combined were intended to provide me with a more nuanced understanding of the intricacies of the MENA contexts at the social level to better prepare me for my doctoral training in the international political dynamics of the region.

What was your favourite part of the course?

I highly value the content and syllabi of the courses that I undertook with Dr. Alhagi Manta Drammeh and Dr. Mohammad Alsaghir. In addition to the lecturer’s in-depth command of the subjects, the content of the courses was comprehensive and well-researched, and the syllabi consisted of lengthy lists of seminal references for further detailed reading about the major historical and contemporary topics associated with Islamic Studies. The requirements for the class presentations, term papers, and graduation research project were designed so as to accommodate each student’s topics and questions of interest, thereby enabling each student to tailor their assignments following their own research orientations.

Do you have any fond memories/experiences from your time at the College that you would like to share?

One of the many things I enjoyed during my experience at Al-Maktoum College was taking part in the regular group discussions and reactions to the lectures. These discussions were characterized by open-mindedness, critical thinking, and free expression, even about the most controversial issues. Since our cohort was comprised of students from the UK and different parts of the world, with widely divergent educational and professional backgrounds, student reactions and interactions were always insightful.

Do you have any advice for prospective students?

I am currently pursuing my doctoral studies in conflict management and international relations in the US. I would certainly recommend Al-Maktoum College to anyone interested either in 1) gaining a foundational and contextual understanding of the religion of Islam that captures the heterogeneous nature of Muslims and Islamic scholarship in a structured and academic manner or 2) specializing in specific aspects of Islamic studies. The coursework is of good quality. Further, from my experience, the administrative and academic staff is extremely friendly, supportive, and accommodating throughout the program.

More from our students...

I was very impressed at the resources provided throughout the course: the many booklets; the audio resources; the ‘film nights’; the Natakallum sessions which were great fun. I was impressed at the balance between the various disciplines of language learning: reading, writing (by hand and on keyboard); listening; speaking. And I thoroughly enjoyed the classes.

Alan Arabic Language

There were a lot of positives to take from studying the course at this wonderful institution however my favourite thing was that it allowed me the opportunity to acquire critical knowledge and training in Islamic economics, banking and finance. Coming from a finance background, I opted for the Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance because I believed it would broaden my knowledge and understanding of finance and also give me an edge over core conventional finance professionals.

Emmanuel Islamic Banking & Finance

From the enjoyable lectures and historical day trips to the generous hospitality of College staff members, the whole experience was amazing. The programme was well-organised and balanced academic knowledge with cultural experience. I would jump at the chance to study or work at Al-Maktoum College again.

Dina Academic Training Programme