WOW!

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.

WOW! that was a simplest desciption of the Wonderful Overseas Weekend (WOW) 2009 programme, conducted by iluvislam.com and intelek.

alhamdulillah i was chosen to be part of the facilitators team. and the only one from india.

there were 7 LDK (Latihan dalam kumpulan) conducted and 4 Youth Cafe (Talks) sessions. the LDK(s) were;

my LDK group 9

LDK 1 - Niat and Ice Breaking
the purpose of this LDK is to know each other well as they will be together in a team for the whole programme. then each member should pick a coin, and by stating the year of the coin's production, members shall told other teammates what was the highlight of the year in their lives.

the outcome ; ukhuwwah is important in everyone lives, because we cannot struggle alone in this challenging world. past histories should be remembered, and they may well be the inspiration for the years to come. e.g. he has got 10A1 for SPM in 2005, then he may well be success in pursuing his medical degree!

LDK 2 - Pokok Acai Berry
every group representative have to memorize and understand the assignment that been given in 1 minute. each representative was given separate tasks, to get a part of the Pokok Acai Berry. every rep should get different parts of the Acai Berry. most of the group reps were enthusiastic to win the debate to get the sole Pokok Acai Berry, until they forget that they only needed one particular part of the Pokok. after the debate, only one group realised that they only needed a part of it, while others fight for the whole Pokok.

the outcome ; the importance of information input should be stressed rather than winning a debate. every group should have not encountered any problems if their representatives read their tasks thoroughly, as each group should get different parts of the Pokok. then, it also taught them in choosing a reliable leader because he/she represents the image of their group.

LDK 3 - Muslims in the Real World
5 case studies given to each group. the case studies were;

• Case Study 1 : what is khuf?
  khuf is a material that covers your feet until above the ankle, made from leather. it can be a subtitute for ablution for the feet especially while travelling. the condition is you must perform ablutions before wearing the khuf. if your wudhu' is deterred while wearing the khuf, the next time you want to perform ablution for the feet part, you just need to wipe water to the dorsum of your feet without taking off your khuf.
• Case Study 2 : an australian mate questions the polygamy rule of Islam. what is your response?
  Polygamy is made to allow men to have a maximum of four wives. most of the non-muslims taught that this rule oppresses women. actually, it does not. in turn, it helps women whom had lost their husbands and they have to bear lots of children. especially housewives. polygamy is allowed to tackle these problems. in other cases, if a person's wife is infertile, and he wishes to have a child, he may marry another woman without divorcing his current wife. islam is the way of life, it teaches us everything, thus every regulation in islam is meant to facilitate human, rather than violating them.
• Case study 3 : an Irish girl wants to know why Islam ruled that Hijab is compulsory, doesn't it degrades women?
  Hijab is a dress code for muslim women, it protects women rather than degrades. for example, a woman with decent muslim dressing and a sexy looking girl, which of these two attracts men more?
• Case study 4 : a muslim group performing Solat in a park at London. a local child asks about it. what do you respond?
  This is the opportunity for you to promote Islam, and to elaborate the obligations of Islam and its pros.
• Case study 5 : an american friend invites you to attend a party at a local club. what is your response?
  just tell him why islam forbids clubbing, as it may lead to lost of concious mind, and may end up doing something bad. islam draws a guideline not to jail us, but to protect us from anything that brings bad things to us.

LDK 4 - Explorace!
there were 11 checkpoints, with one of them was a false checkpoint. this LDK promotes unity and cooperation in a team and to accept people's wrong judgement diplomatically as humans make mistakes.

one of the explorace stations, crossing a distance using chairs!

LDK 5 - Bedah oh Bedah!
the debate about who is the better person. a story was told, and each group has to represent a particular character. at the end of the debate, everyone has to come out for a resolution which character is the most benevolent.

outcome ; to test debating skills and to choose wisely and eliminate emotional factors.

LDK 6 - Bangun Pagi Ingat Siapa?
to test the general knowledge. to sets of questions being asked, first one is about general issues and the other is islamic issues.

outcome ; as a muslim, we must aware both general and islamic issues as general issues may affect the muslim world, and muslims should know islamic issues as Rasulullah s.a.w. will not consider anyone as his Ummat who does not care about muslims.

LDK 7 - Destination Guidance
this LDK was the most active of all. 1 hour given is not enough as the participants are eager to know about their future destinations. wish to have more time with them.

overall, the WOW was a WOW!! i made new friends especially from UK and Ireland, and also from USA. it taught me the importance of networking, early planning, and setting a goal before starting a task. congratulations to the committee, facilitators, ustaz ridhuan and ustaz hasrizal, the wonderful participants, and everyone whom involved in this event. hope to see all of you in overseas insyaAllah!

some pictures of the events;

ustaz ridhuan giving his talk

participants singing loudly the theme song, Gemuruh!

being MC for the talk by ustaz hasrizal!

a brief speech by Nurul Imran Koyube, president of iluvislam.com

receiving a gift from Head of Module, Hilfi Junaidi

picture with committee and facilitators.

my LDK group 9. along with kak nadiah RCSI.

a picture with ustaz hasrizal!