Aisulu - Kyrgyzstan

Aisulu means “beautiful moon” in Kyrgyz. She is the youngest child and only daughter of my host family when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. That makes Aisulu my “singdim,” my little sister. When I lived in her house, she was a student at the prestigious Turkish boarding school in the state capital, which meant we saw her on the weekends when she wasn’t voraciously reading or studying. She was the only person in our small village who spoke English when I arrived, which was a huge help to me, especially in the early days when my Kyrgyz was abysmal and my understanding of cultural nuances even worse. We shared a love for Harry Potter - the last book of the series came out during my second year there - and I was proud to see her graduate from high school as valedictorian in 2007. She earned a scholarship to attend university in Malaysia, and today she lives in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan’s capital) with her husband and works as a chief specialist at a bank.

"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), Allah granted me a chance to study at the Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and meet interesting Muslims and non-Muslims from 109 countries of the world. I studied Economics, but I had a chance to see, learn and practice Islam. My life has altered 100%.  I think, it’s unjust to blame people who dislike Muslims, since media has a tremendous effect. Thus, to me, it is a duty of those who understand 'what’s going on' to try their best to deliver a proper information and remove the misunderstanding. Like every other religion in the world, Islam promotes unity, harmony, and peace. Yet terrorists who come from sects use Islam to cover their 'true faces.'

Once in Malaysia, I took a cab to University. I hadn’t noticed that my wallet fell. After few days, the University security called me and asked to come to the police office. Turned out, an 80 year old Chinese taxi driver brought my wallet back! And nothing was gone! Even my 3 ringgits, which equates to 1 dollar! I was astounded by his attitude. Being Chinese and non-Muslim didn’t stop him from being kind. I think, if we do not divide ourselves according to belief or way of life, and understand that terrorists are our 'common enemies,' we will live in a prosperous world!"