Annual Ramadan Islamic Competition-2022 | Annual Ramadan Islamic Competition-2022 by SHAH SAJID

Mini Report:

Any type of building can suffer devastating impacts from fires. Colleges, in particular, face a lot of risks. They often contain a large number of fire risks and maybe hundreds of students, many of whom might be weak or may not completely comprehend what to do in the situation of an emergency fire. This can make evacuation procedures difficult.

Therefore, KDSE (Kolej Dato Seri Endon) management organized a fire drill activity on June 15, 2022, on behalf of the UTM Safety Department. The "Fire drill & Emergency Evacuation" activity's primary goal was to inform and raise awareness among the students about fire safety. And to provide each student with a well-organized emergency response plan. Emergency exits should not be blocked and should be used in a timely manner in order to protect all evacuation routes. All the students living in the college participated in this activity so that they can learn how to stay safe in the event of a fire emergency and become familiar with an emergency evacuation.

Before the activity began, all tenants were informed not to leave the room until the emergency alarm sounded.  Meanwhile, the emergency sirens began to sound, and we all began to emerge from our rooms. Every floor of the college had a leader standing. who was showing us emergency exits and directing us on how to safely exit the building We all took the emergency exits and walked out the door quietly and calmly to the parking lot. We were all lined up there. Following that, a UTM officer from the safety department delivered a brief speech about emergency exits and routes. Fire prevention methods, Dangerous material storage, and disposal, firefighting equipment such as extinguishers, evacuation plans Clear communication with others about fire hazards, and finally, how to assist others who are more vulnerable than us during a fire emergency. In addition, officers from the safety department set the fire and then gave the students the chance to extinguish it. I also volunteered to extinguish the fire. If we didn't conduct drills, getting to safety in an emergency would be considerably more difficult and crazy than it now is. Adolescents are naturally vocal, therefore remaining silent in a tight circumstance is a skill that should be practiced.

During fire drills, we are instructed to go calmly out the nearest exit and into one of the parking lots. Practicing this guarantees that all students know how to get out and where to meet their respective leaders in the event of an emergency.

Learning how to respond to a fire is an important aspect of fire safety training because it helps students develop a firm awareness of protocol in emergency circumstances, allowing them to fight the fire or escape safely and swiftly.

We were all grateful to the UTM Safety Department for organizing this exercise practically and guiding us on how to be safe in an emergency fire event. Overall, we found this fire drill practice to be really beneficial.

Self reflection:

Fire drills, in my opinion, are really important for all of us. Because it develops a precise, step-by-step evacuation plan that describes exactly what everyone should do if a fire breaks out. It assists us in completely understanding the building's escape routes and the directions that we must follow in the event of a fire. Thousands of students live in our university's colleges. And there have been several incidents of fire according to the UTM safety department statement. One of the primary causes for this is the students' lack of awareness about fire safety. Because most students are unaware of what to do in the event of a fire. How to be safe during a fire emergency. As a result, I believe this practice is important for all of us. And all students should take part in such activities. I think this activity is very important for all of us.  And every student should participate in such activities.  I learned a lot from this activity. I learn about emergency exits and routes. Fire prevention methods, Dangerous material storage, and disposal, firefighting equipment such as extinguishers, evacuation plans Clear communication with others about fire hazards, and finally, how to assist others who are more vulnerable than us during a fire emergency. Furthermore, this activity was quite useful to me. I really appreciate the efforts of UTM's Safety Department and KDSC in arranging this activity, and I hope that in the future, KDSE and UTM Safety Department will arrange similar events and training.

Mini Report:

Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an and fast from food and drink during the sunlight hours as a means of drawing closer to Allah and cultivating self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Ramadan is a month of great spiritual renewal and devotion, during which Muslims devote more time to reading the Qur'an and performing special prayers. Keeping all this in mind, ISS-Bangladesh is organizing this Annual Ramadan Islamic Competition to celebrate this holy month and enhance knowledge about Islam among students of UTM.

“The Ramadan Islamic Competition” aimed to revive a spiritual connection to the Holy Quran and Islam and motivates the students to learn more about the beauty of Islam. The community also believes that organizing an event like that, will help the students to gain intra-community bonding and strengthen the communal harmony among themselves. 

There were three different categories in the event in which students from different faculties has participated.

1.Category I: The Holy Quran Recitation (Open for all UTM Students)

2.Category II: Adhan, the Islamic call to prayer (Open for all UTM Students)

3.Category III: Islamic Songs (Open for Bangladeshi Students Only)

The students of UTM participated in the event with vigor and interest. Since this type of competition is new on the committee, The committee was able to witness some amazing Islamic talent among the students. Each category of the event had competitiveness and thus the Talent hunt was worth the contest.

The objectives of the event were to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, enhance knowledge about Islam among students of UTM, Develop strong intra-community bonding, and hunt for talent.

Self reflection:

On April 8, 2022, a student in our Software Engineering Group provided a link to the Annual Ramadan Islamic Competition event. "The Ramadan Islamic Competition" aims to revive a spiritual connection to the Holy Quran and Islam, as well as to motivate students to learn more about Islam's beauty. This event was organized by the ISS Bangladesh  community to help students form intra-community bonds and enhance communal peace among themselves. This competition had three separate categories. The first category, "Islamic Songs," was open only to Bangladeshi students, while the other two categories, "Holy Quran Recitation" and "Azan Islamic Call to Prayer," were open to all UTM students.

Participating in this competition was a very special and good opportunity for all of us. Because this event was arranged during the holy month of Ramadan. When I was 16, I used to call to prayer in the mosque in my hometown. But I never got a chance to take participate in any competition. Especially in an international university like UTM, where people from many backgrounds and countries study. So participating in this competition and expressing my talent was a great chance for me.

I filled out  the registration form  to participate in the competition . Following that, I received an email from the community asking me to record my Azan and submit it to them. I made a video of my azan and send it to the them. After that, we were invited to the event's last day, which was specifically the day of prize distribution, and our result was also to be announced on that day. Which I had been waiting for days. I attended the event on April 30, 2022.

The event began about five o'clock. There were various Ramadan-related events, and the Bangladeshi community also organized an Iftar dinner for us. After the dinner, The competition's result was announced. By  grace of almighty  Allah's , I came in second place in the category "Azan the Islamic Call to Prayer." It was a really exciting moment for me because it was the first time I had competed in an Islamic competition with students from different countries.

Then the prize distribution began, and I received an award and a certificate. The event ended smoothly following the award distribution. This was the best event of my life, and it was a great start for me. Participating in this event's competition and achieving second position in "Azan, the Islamic Call to Prayer" boosted my confidence. In addition, I met with a lot of international students. I'm glad I was able to participate in such activities since it provided me with valuable experience. The entire session was interesting and well-organized, and I learned a lot.

I also really enhanced my communication and critical thinking abilities. I've also made new friends and met foreign students. I am happy for the opportunity to participate in this event; it was a great learning experience for me.