MBI Al Jaber Foundation’s Iraq Scholarship Programme
Dr Abbas al-Hussaini of IHEOC meets with Carolyn Perry of the MBI Al Jaber Foundation and Professor al-Musawi, Cultural Chancellor of the Iraq Embassy, London
The MBI Al Jaber Foundation’s Iraq scholarship programme came to fruition this semester with the enrolment of Iraqi MBI Scholars at partner institutions across London. Applications were invited from Iraqi nationals to apply for full scholarships to undertake a masters degree, and after a good response and shortlisting, interviews took place in the region. The successful candidates have taken up places at UCL, Westminster University and SOAS, and are studying a wide range of subjects from medical sciences to journalism and financial law. The MBI scholars were chosen not only for their academic prowess, but also for their desire to return to their country and make a contribution.
The interview panel, which included Iraqi academics and representatives of the Iraq Higher Education Organisational Committee, remarked on the high quality of all of the candidates.
One of our new scholars, Dr. Othman Al-Helli, writes:
“While sitting chatting in our medical school residence hall during our final year, one of us asked, “Where do you wish to do your postgraduate medical studies?’ The vast majority answered ‘London’. So studying in the UK is the dream of the majority of Iraqi medical students.
When I heard about the MBI Al Jaber Foundation offering scholarships for Iraqis and the selection being based on objective academic and professional criteria, I felt optimistic. So I applied and was accepted! When I was called by the MBI Al Jaber Foundation Director herself, who informed me that I had been selected for sponsorship to study for a masters degree in Neurology at UCL, I asked myself “Why are these people paying so much to help me achieve my dream? The answer I received was very simple - it is their aim, “Forging links through education”. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber has realised that although there is a significant gap between the Arab and western worlds, if we manage to narrow this gap, cooperation between these two worlds will become much easier.
So this is what I will be trying to achieve during my year in the UK. I will do my best in my studies and impress my professors. I will try to convey the genuine Arab spirit of goodness and tolerance by attending and participating in social events. I will try my best to represent the real soul of Islam which simply means peace and love for all humanity. In short, I will never let those people down who have made this life dream come true.”
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