This week I was given the opportunity to learn about Hisham Hussein, a friendly and soft-spoken 34-year-old Fanshawe student currently in his first year of the Computer Systems Technology program. Hussein was originally registered in the Social Service Worker program but decided to make the switch this year. He has not given up on his former program; he has plans to finish both programs at some point. Hussein has been in Canada for five years and feels somewhat homesick at times; he told me, “Most of my friends are in Iraq and it seems it's not easy to make friends in Canada.”

At this point Hussein is looking at his academic career in a pragmatic way as he primarily sees his studies at Fanshawe as an opportunity to land him a job in the IT field — although his dreams do not end there. “I have a dream that I will [one day] have my own IT magazine.” When asked about his hobbies, Hussein said, “I like making friends ... I also like reading about politics and technology.” Hussein comes across as a very quiet and humble person who sincerely cares for others. He also is very proud of his faith in God, which he was nice enough to tell me about in detail.

To learn more about Hussein's faith, I asked him about his religious affiliation. “I amMuslim and I belong to the Shiʿah group — one of the two major groups in Islam, which are Sunni and Shiʿah.”

Hussein told me that his belief in God is largely influenced by the natural world. He explained to me that there is so much beauty around us and so many amazing things in the world that influence his faith. “When I see, for example, a panda bear and I see how it is coloured, I know that there is a wonderful designer... don't you see that?”

Hussein further explained how he understands God intimately as well. “In addition to being a wonderful designer and creator, God is the best friend you can ever have.” He explained to me how even though we all find fulfillment in the love of family in friends that is not enough; we also must have love and loyalty toward God, who Hussein sees as “the most important relationship in each of our lives.” It is clear that Hussein is very serious and devout in his faith!

I also wanted to know how faith in God affected Hussein's morality and his outlook on the world. “Not all people are nice, and some people intend to hurt others. Being a moral person means that you always have positive feelings toward others and wish the best for them, but this is not easy.” In terms of how he views the world, Hussein's line of thought was similar to how he views morality. He sees a world that is full of beauty and love but that is also filled with hatred, discrimination, selfishness, murder and so on.

I enjoyed learning more about Hussein and his personal belief in God. His sincerity and humility was indeed refreshing. If you see him around campus, don't be afraid to ask more!