I have always been passionate about education. The first day of school always had me lying awake the night before, unable to sleep from excitement—the anticipation of meeting a new teacher, starting a new grade, reading more books, and learning new things. As a child, my mother would lovingly refer to me as Dr. Eamaan, as I longed to one day fill that title, hoping to reach the pinnacle of knowledge. I would seek out learning in all possible ways, even jealous when my older brothers were assigned homework and I was not. Soon enough, my day came, and I remember eagerly rushing to my desk to complete my much-awaited homework.
My world would soon change when my family moved to Syria. I was 13 years old and in the middle of seventh grade. My parents wanted to ensure that my brother and I learned Arabic, as our older brothers—already in college—were struggling to understand our native tongue. My parents hoped to help us avoid the same challenge. I was beyond excited about the move, suddenly in a place that felt like home, surrounded by family and friends, where I was no longer a minority. The schoolwork was fully in Arabic, and though it was challenging, we both passed our first year with the support of a private tutor who coached us through the language and the material. We both also excelled in high school, and I found that learning in a new culture and language was a transformative experience. The bond I built with this brother was a unique one, and one that remains steadfast to this day, as we struggled together through the intricacies of the Arabic language and the absurdities of the antiquated middle school curricula.
At this early age, I began to appreciate the value of being bilingual. I delighted in discovering words that seemed to exist only in one language, requiring phrases—or even full sentences—to convey their meaning in the other language, and sometimes even then, not quite capturing the full essence. Haybah is a blended feeling of fear and respect. Barakah is a sense of divine blessing or abundance, often intangible but felt in life, time, wealth, or family. Ihsan is the concept of doing good or achieving excellence in worship, ethics, or behavior, as if being observed by God. Some words have no equivalent in English at all: ‘ayb, sabr, khayr, and ribaat, and would each need a whole paragraph to explain. Likewise, some English words have no direct translation into Arabic, and I struggle to this day to explain them to friends and family (as I have need for them often!) Serendipitous, awkward, overwhelmed, and quirky to name a few.
The method of studying was different as well. I learned to commit large amounts of information to memory, discovering the benefits of rote memorization. This skill allowed me to recall information without needing to check a source, accelerating my understanding and enabling me to focus on application and analysis with a solid foundation of knowledge easily accessible in my brain. I never mastered the art of memorizing content I couldn’t understand though, unlike many of my classmates, so it took me longer to study because I needed to understand first, then memorize. When I asked friends what something meant, they would say, “Why? Just memorize it!” While memorization has its strengths and limitations, overall I believe it to have immense benefits for the learner. And like any skill, with effort I learned that it can be acquired.
For college, we moved again—this time to Dubai, where I enrolled at an American curriculum university. This was yet another new world for me. I developed new skills, embraced new ways of learning, and enjoyed bringing creativity and innovation into the educational process. Whether through writing, publishing the university newspaper and literary journal, or creating assignments that integrated audio, graphics, and video content, I found immense fulfillment in using diverse tools to communicate a message. I learned about different media, how culture influences communication, and how a message can be transmitted and received. I still lean on this knowledge often in my current role as both Education Director—sharing with our teachers the great resources at their disposal—and as an educator, accessing these tools for my own teaching.
After graduating, my career took me from one educational institution to the next. My dreams of becoming a medical doctor slipped away, as I stepped into a new vision for myself. With a degree in Mass Communications, I was in demand for helping schools and educational organizations create their educational and marketing materials. In this role, I came to recognize a pressing need for change. My diverse educational experiences—including private and public schooling in the United States, a rigorous Arabic curriculum in Syria, and a world-class, high-tech university education in the Arabian Gulf—gave me a unique perspective. I intuitively knew that the educational offerings at the institutions where I worked and volunteered could be improved.
During this time, I came across a textbook written by Anse Tamara Gray in Syria and swiftly sought her out so I could work with her and learn from her. I found her and Rabata and soon went on to help her build the first fully online academic institute of Islamic learning for Muslim women, the Ribaat Academic Institute. Inspired by Fatima al-Fihri, the Muslim woman who founded the world’s first university, al-Qarawiyyin University in Morocco, I view it as our responsibility as Muslim women to carry forward a high standard of learning and teaching—a tradition deeply ingrained in our faith and heritage. As Prophet Muhammad ﷺ enjoins upon us:
وَعَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «تَعَلَّمُوا الْعِلْمَ وَعَلِّمُوهُ النَّاسَ تَعَلَّمُوا الْفَرَائِضَ وَعَلِّمُوهَا النَّاسَ تَعَلَّمُوا الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلِّمُوهُ النَّاسَ فَإِنِّي امْرُؤٌ مَقْبُوضٌ وَالْعِلْمُ سَيُقْبَضُ وَتَظْهَرُ الْفِتَنُ حَتَّى يَخْتَلِفَ اثْنَانِ فِي فَرِيضَةٍ لَا يَجِدَانِ أَحَدًا يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمَا» . رَوَاهُ الدَّارِمِيُّ وَالدَّارَقُطْنِيّ
“Acquire knowledge and teach it to the people, learn the obligatory duties and teach them to the people, learn the Quran and teach it to the people; for I am a man who will be taken away, knowledge will be taken away, dissensions will appear, so that two men will disagree about an obligatory duty and find no one to decide between them.” (Narrated by al-Darmi and al-Dar Qutni).
Thus, I embarked on an educational journey that has brought me to where I am today. I have been teaching in both formal and informal learning spaces since I was 17. I earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and the Ribaat Teacher Certification, and continue to work on my Ribaat Scholar Certification alongside the students I serve as Rabata’s Education Director. Now, I am setting out to earn that long awaited title of Doctor: I have submitted my application to work toward my doctorate degree as a path to not only improve my skill sets, but to also advance the goals and vision of Rabata, as we venture to begin Ribaat University, the first online Muslim women’s accredited institution of higher learning.
I deeply believe in education as a tool to uplift women, minorities, the underserved, and the oppressed, so I am eager to begin a doctoral program to further my education and, inshallah, become the first woman in my family to earn a doctorate degree. As someone from a country newly freed from a 54-year-long dictatorship that hindered progress and development, I recognize the importance of education in uplifting or dragging down entire populations. I am excited by the standard we are setting at Ribaat for the next generation of Muslim women who aspire to keep learning. Equipped with my diverse personal experiences, my passion for learning, and a doctorate in progress, we can, together, step into a brighter future.
Anse Eamaan Rabbat, Education Director of Ribaat Academic Institute; adapted from Anse Eamaan’s personal statement for her Ph.D. application.