FK UII Students Participate in 2023 Umrah Program for Medical Students
Mecca & Medina—Four Universitas Islam Indonesia’s (UII) Faculty of Medicine (FK) students took part in an international mobility event titled the 12th Umrah Camp for Medical Student in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Representing UII and the Indonesian delegation, the four students were Chairun Nisa’ (FK UII Medical Professional Student), Erico Rizqi Yakson, Muhadzib Ashimulhaq and Aufanida Zakia (FK UII Pre-Clinical Program Students). They were selected after having passed the series of tests from the organizer.
This event was organized by The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)/Islamic Medical Association in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (IMAKSA) in collaboration with the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (FIMA). The students spent 13-15 January 2023 in Medina and 16-17 January 2023 in Mecca. Every year, this event has always been packed with Muslim students and doctors that work in the health sector.
“The focus of this international event is on health group discussions, games, umrah pilgrimage and visits to holy and historic sites in Mecca and Medina,” said Erico, one of the UII delegates. “The event brought in participants from other countries, such as Malaysia, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, England, and more.”
The organizing committee handed over the selection process to the Islamic Medical Associations (IMAs) in each country. Each country can send a maximum of three students, but large countries like Indonesia can send four to five delegates. Students must follow a selection process, including file and administrative assessments such as essay writing, CV assessment and submit their study scores. After passing these assessments, applicants will take part in an anonymous online interview conducted by the FIMA committee.
The question applicants must answer in the essay was “Why should we choose you as the Indonesian representation and what will you do after the agenda?”.
Aufanida, an FK UII student of the 2020 batch, wrote an essay on Science, Strategy and Art in Dawah as prerequisite for her interview. She said that sharing is fun because it spread benefits to others. Spreading knowledge also includes sharing and this can make it easier to live in this world, she said.
Multiple reasons motivated these FK UII students to take part in this activity. “What motivated me was the Umrah because the benefits and opportunity in performing this pilgrimage are not to be missed,” said Muhadzib, another delegate from FK UII.
Apart from that, they also had the opportunity to meet with delegates from Muslim medical associations around the world, socialize and build connections, and share experiences so that they can expand their network further. Muhadzib said that joining this activity opened him the opportunity to take part in other international activities organized by FIMA.
Meanwhile, FK UII delegate Chairun Nisa’ (FK UII student of the 2016 batch) said that “We must gain exposure in our youth to not only formal materials, but also soft and hard skills.”
“That way, we will be aware of where we stand,” she said. (VIP Magazine Vol 10)
