As Al-Azhar English Training Center starts a new academic year, Mohammed Gamal, a former student at the centre, tells us how learning English has helped him study at top institutions and develop new points of view. Mohammed gave a talk to students at the university on this subject earlier this week.
When l left school a few years ago, I understood English, but could barely put a full sentence together. At school, we weren’t taught to use English as a living language. I knew the grammatical structures, but I couldn’t speak the language. After a lot of hard work and with the support of my teachers at Al-Azhar English Training Center, my English improved dramatically. What then followed was something I hadn't expected.
English has helped me study at top universities and attend conferences abroad
English is important in every single part of my life. From an academic standpoint, after learning English, I managed to get into some of the top universities in the UK. I also travelled to Germany to attend a number of conferences, which were being held in English. I did my MA at Durham University and I'm now applying for a PhD at various UK and US universities. I could never have had these opportunities, if I hadn't studied English.
English has made me more open-minded
English also changed the way I conceptualised the world. I remember a time before I started my English studies when I was well-known for being open-minded. Yet, after learning English, I discovered how narrow-minded I had been! A topical example of this: I used to see the world only from an Islamic perspective but as I developed my English ability, I began to ponder what non-Muslims in English-speaking countries thought of Muslims. I even wrote my MA dissertation on the question of salvation between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Such a dissertation made me more thoughtful about non-Muslims than I had been previously.
English has given me greater insight into western culture
More than anything, though, English has helped me understand the western mind-set. For instance, many conservative Muslims usually think of England as a Christian country (I used to think this way too). And yet when I went there I was astonished by the religious pluralism that Britain enjoys. Similarly, many westerners think of Muslims as 'hard-liners', but when I had proper contact with many of them in England and elsewhere, I felt I could bridge the gap between these two cultures.
English has broadened my job prospects
I became a great believer in the future after learning English. My job prospects are now much wider than before. Now I can work in various countries such as the UK, the US and Canada, among other places. But before learning English, such ideas seemed unimaginable.
Al-Azhar's English Training Center, co-founded by the British Council at Al-Azhar University in Egypt in 2007, provides policy advice, management training, teacher training and classroom instruction, as well as a cultural awareness programme and an English for Religious Purposes course to help theology students discuss their beliefs. Of the more than 650 students who have studied there, 31 have travelled to the UK for further study.