Babson & American Culture

Application essay ( write a letter to your first year roommate at Babson. Tell him or her what it will be like to live with you, why you choose Babson, and what are you looking forward to the most in college). I am here because of the good reputation of Babson University in Academics, and at the same time I am also interested to understand more about American Culture. While studying here, I want to represent my country, Saudi Arabia and my Religion (Islam) the right way. Especially after the events that happened in 9/11, people started to look at Islam and Saudi Arabia in a negative way.

I consider this letter as an opportunity to correct this image and say that we, the Islamic People of Saudi Arabia are against Terrorism. “Islam, one of the three major world religions, along with Judaism and Christianity, that profess monotheism, or the belief in a single God. In the Arabic language, the word Islam means “surrender” or “submission” to the will of God. A follower of Islam is called a Muslin, which in Arabic means “one who surrenders to God”. The Arabic name for God, Allah refers to the God worshiped by Jews and Christians.

Islam’s central teaching is that there is only one all-powerful, all knowing God. And this God created the Universe. This rigorous monotheism, as well as the Islamic Teachings that all Muslims are equal before God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends class, race, nationality, and even differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community, the “umma”, irrespective of their ethnic or national background.

This is also an opportunity for me, that for people who looks at “Islam” and Saudi Arabia in a negative way will at least have a second chance of changing their minds. Since “Islam” is also against terrorism. And terrorism have nothing to do with religion, because “Islam” is for peace. I hope I will be an instrument to show them, since I will be a student like them and will show them that I am a peace loving person. I will be like just anybody else, who looks at life positively.