My Soliya Reflection

The Soliya experience for me was applying what we have done in class with Dr Maha, it was like applying the concepts and teachings we learned throughout the semester in the lab, this lab was the Soliya experience. The way I have interacted with my group members all was derived from the new identity of me that was built in the course, this sense of pride of being Egyptian and Muslim together. One goal I had in mind is to see how non-Arabs and non-Muslims perceive Islam, and if their views are wrong I would try to correct it as much as possible. Luckily, I had some aid from other members from the group who were Arabs and Muslims as well. All the group responses towards the religion topic were positive and optimistic. Although, I have sensed that these responses were not the actual or true opinion regarding this matter and I chose not to stress on that in the sake of not letting them become uncomfortable. I have sensed that they are trying to be cautious as much as possible, especially about what is happening in Gaza and now it’s the same as 2001 9/11 but for us. 

All in all, The Connect Program by Soliya was a valuable experience for me. One of the main skills I gained was learning how to talk with people from different parts of the world and different backgrounds. I learned how to listen, how to ask thoughtful questions, and how to respect perspectives that are different from my own. This helped me grow personally, as I became more confident in communicating and more open-minded when discussing sensitive topics like religion. I really liked my group members; they were kind, respectful, and enjoyable to talk to. I appreciated every moment of our discussions, and they made the experience meaningful and memorable for me.

My final paper focuses on the topic of religion, which was the topic I voted for in the program. The question I chose explored how there can be one God but many different religions. In my group discussions, I shared the idea that even though God is one, different religions developed because people throughout history understood and interpreted God’s message in different ways. I explained that, from my perspective, God sent messengers to different communities across time, and while the core message was the same, people eventually changed, added to, or misunderstood parts of these teachings. This helped explain why many religions exist today, even though they originally came from the same source. My peers shared their own views and experiences, and it was interesting to see how our backgrounds shaped the way we think about the topic.