Rania – working mum
Location: Gaza City
Interests and hobbies: Drawing is what I do in my free time, next to embroidery. Very soon I’ll be announcing my own exhibition in which I will introduce my paintings & drawings. In General, I’m interested in the field of my study, I’m currently preparing my proposal to proceed what I began within my Master’s thesis which is about searching for causes of water pollution with parasites; I have sent to several donors to adapt my research.
My chosen Ayah: The Ayah that I’m living by and for is:” Your Lord has ordered you to worship none except Him, and to be good to your parents. If either or both of them attain old age with you, do not say: “Fie on you”, nor rebuke them, but speak to them with words of respect”. (Al – Isra 17:23). My mother and my father are everything in my life. I always seek whatever makes them happy and comfortable, sacrificing my own comfort for their sake. I follow this Ayah in every aspect of my life, and it isn’t because I’m so religious or whatsoever, but because I strive to be one of these people who have their parents’ blessings in their journey of life.
Gaza is such a beautiful city, every detail of it is absolutely stunning. The only thing that it misses is some “calmness”, for this city is crowded with the noises of people mourning or cries for help. Anyone who visits this city talked about how different it is compared to what they heard or what they imagined Gaza would be. I haven’t lived here since I was born, I came to Gaza when I was 18 years old, I completed my university studies. I live like any individual in this community, I have my job, my four kids to whom I focus on giving the best educational opportunities possible and I aspire that they get to the highest places in life. I’m a person who does not like to stay in their place and wait for destiny to do its job because that’s not what my religion has taught me, thus, I prepared myself for my Master degree, 15 years after my B.H. degree, and now I have registered for a Ph.D. in my field.
Personally, I do not actually care about the way the Western world views Islam or Muslims, for Islam doesn’t wait for anyone to give their opinion on it. And I’m pretty sure if the West really knew what Islam is and what it’s all about, they would have respected it and they would have realized that it’s the only religion that actually acknowledged and granted women their rights and that everything that has been promoted against it is incorrect and unfair.