Readers write: Valuable college experience and tech opportunities
Letters to the editor for the Jan. 21, 2019 weekly magazine.
Hind Alsboul, a Jordanian freshman at Brigham Young University, sits with a copy of 'Desert Sorrows,' a book of poems written by her grandfather that has been translated into English, on campus in Provo, Utah on Oct. 5, 2018.
Molly Jackson/Christian Science Monitor
Valuable college experience
Regarding the Nov. 26 Heart of the News article “A conservative Christian university where Muslims feel welcome”: My experience at Brigham Young University was inspirational on so many levels. I found the cultural humility on campus to be fascinating and inviting. Through the prayer part in every class, I was given the opportunity to be connected to my faith and practice my Muslim prayer, share and explain, and be accepted. I had four qualitative evaluation courses, where studying and analyzing the Scripture (Quran for me) was an assignment. It was a unique personal educational experience. I believe that these unique practices enable the students from different religions and backgrounds to stay connected to their faith, culture, and distant world; reflect their education to their friends and family and those in their prospective careers; and connect with faculty and other students.
As a Muslim woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints community, I have an everlasting educational experience. I don’t deny that the first few months were challenging, but I was able to thrive afterward. The family-oriented community supported me in building my family and raising open-minded children. It gave me the time and space to practice Islam freely and openly in a welcoming community, on and off the BYU campus.
Rasha Qudisat
Amman, Jordan
Tech opportunities
As described in the Nov. 16 Monitor Daily article “Fertilize by drone, till by text: Making tech work for Africa’s farmers,” new companies believe they can make this technology available without farmers having to pay an impossible amount of money, making it an option for more people and enabling them to escape a cycle of inefficient production. This is an exciting idea given the circumstances of many farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s important to look for ways to bring the future to everyone, not just those with front-row seats.
Becky Guglin
San Jose, Calif.