ISLAMISTS: ARE WE A FAILURE
ISLAMISTS: ARE WE A FAILURE?
I have been contemplating on the above caption since yesterday consequent upon the conversation that ensued between a neighbor who is a Pastor and I. My neighborhood is afflicted with erratic power supply for a couple of days now, in an effort to mitigate the menace, I have to accompany my neighbor to the Power Distributing Company's Office to table our complaints. During the course of our interaction along the way, the following conversations ensued:
Pastor: Alfa! Are you telling the truth that you studied Islamics?
Me: Yes, I do. What makes you think contrary?
Pastor: I do follow your posts on Facebook(cited some of it), but I was marveled at your mastery of language construction. You don’t seem as one.
Me: Really?
Pastor: Yes, I do associate with coterie of your people in the annals of Islamics, none seems to possess the charisma you possess. You write like a person that studied English with your professorial grammars.
(I don’t know where he saw a Professorial grammar oooo, all m kejebu English I dey practice online, and so we discussed other relative matters..)
However, looking critically at the perception of the Pastor about we in the field of Islamics, one may be candid to say that his assumption is not out of place. Personally, I recalled how I become “an Accidental Islamist” after five consecutive futile attempts to study medicine. The anguish I had after succumbing to my destiny had adverse effects on me in my first year. The implication led me not graduating with First class.
Nevertheless, along the line as I proceed, I began to develop a strong passion for my discipline in tandem with the saying that “what is worth doing, is worth doing well”. I later became fulfilled on my Convocation day when a senior colleague who we both nursed same ambition of becoming a medical doctor came to congratulate me when he heard I stole the show at the podium saying; had it been you earlier studied medicine, would you have won this?. Alhamdulillah!!
The issue is why was I so deterred in the first place. I know this situation is not peculiar to me alone. Few months ago, a woman who works in my ministry came to me that I should help counsel her daughter who initially nursed the ambition of studying law but was instead given Islamics, thus she was not anxious to studying it. I asked why??? Are we failure?? In the same vein, I eavesdropped a conversation of two of my directors then who are now Permanent Secretaries, while one was of the opinion that his son who was a Science student like me but had admission problem like I had should pursue a career in Islamic studies, the other was swift in responding in negation, that nooooo, don’t let him study Islamics. I soliloquied; Are we failure???
This is the assumption of many people about us. Many factors give rise to this which is not a discourse of today but which I resolved that were wrong among which is the myopic mindset that every Islamist will end up as a school teacher in a classroom!
I succinctly conclude by rising up as an Islamist that am not a failure in my chosen field which I might be anguish at first but later come to love passionately. Interestingly, I am involved in everything from the beginning to the end. When you are born as a Muslim, I will be involved, when you wanna marry, I will be involved, even when you die, I will be involved, so am not a failure, I'm an Islamist.
I have been contemplating on the above caption since yesterday consequent upon the conversation that ensued between a neighbor who is a Pastor and I. My neighborhood is afflicted with erratic power supply for a couple of days now, in an effort to mitigate the menace, I have to accompany my neighbor to the Power Distributing Company's Office to table our complaints. During the course of our interaction along the way, the following conversations ensued:
Pastor: Alfa! Are you telling the truth that you studied Islamics?
Me: Yes, I do. What makes you think contrary?
Pastor: I do follow your posts on Facebook(cited some of it), but I was marveled at your mastery of language construction. You don’t seem as one.
Me: Really?
Pastor: Yes, I do associate with coterie of your people in the annals of Islamics, none seems to possess the charisma you possess. You write like a person that studied English with your professorial grammars.
(I don’t know where he saw a Professorial grammar oooo, all m kejebu English I dey practice online, and so we discussed other relative matters..)
However, looking critically at the perception of the Pastor about we in the field of Islamics, one may be candid to say that his assumption is not out of place. Personally, I recalled how I become “an Accidental Islamist” after five consecutive futile attempts to study medicine. The anguish I had after succumbing to my destiny had adverse effects on me in my first year. The implication led me not graduating with First class.
Nevertheless, along the line as I proceed, I began to develop a strong passion for my discipline in tandem with the saying that “what is worth doing, is worth doing well”. I later became fulfilled on my Convocation day when a senior colleague who we both nursed same ambition of becoming a medical doctor came to congratulate me when he heard I stole the show at the podium saying; had it been you earlier studied medicine, would you have won this?. Alhamdulillah!!
The issue is why was I so deterred in the first place. I know this situation is not peculiar to me alone. Few months ago, a woman who works in my ministry came to me that I should help counsel her daughter who initially nursed the ambition of studying law but was instead given Islamics, thus she was not anxious to studying it. I asked why??? Are we failure?? In the same vein, I eavesdropped a conversation of two of my directors then who are now Permanent Secretaries, while one was of the opinion that his son who was a Science student like me but had admission problem like I had should pursue a career in Islamic studies, the other was swift in responding in negation, that nooooo, don’t let him study Islamics. I soliloquied; Are we failure???
This is the assumption of many people about us. Many factors give rise to this which is not a discourse of today but which I resolved that were wrong among which is the myopic mindset that every Islamist will end up as a school teacher in a classroom!
I succinctly conclude by rising up as an Islamist that am not a failure in my chosen field which I might be anguish at first but later come to love passionately. Interestingly, I am involved in everything from the beginning to the end. When you are born as a Muslim, I will be involved, when you wanna marry, I will be involved, even when you die, I will be involved, so am not a failure, I'm an Islamist.
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