Originating from the Arabic country of Bahrain, Amirah Abdullah, a freshman and business management major, said she chose BYU-Hawaii because the Honor Code followed similar patterns to life back home.
Choosing BYUH: The Honor Code
Abdullah spoke of why she decided to come to BYUH. “What attracted me to school here is the Honor Code. The fact there are certain rules here people need to follow compared to other universities makes me feel safer.
“I feel like I could have more trust because of the Honor Code. I think that is why my dad allowed me to come because. He trusts this kind of environment.” Although she was accepted to BYUH two years ago, Abdullah said she deferred. “I had so much going on in my head like marriage [or a] mission. I wasn’t sure if it was the right place for me at the time. I prayed a lot and eventually found my way here. The more I worked, prayed and exercised my faith, the smoother it became for me to get here.”
Abdullah said most people do not know what Bahrain is. She recalled, “During orientation week, we had a meeting with President Tanner. President Tanner called out the names of countries and had people stand up as their country was called. I [did not] stand up because my country, Bahrain, was never called. I felt kind of embarrassed, because I was the only one seated.
“At the end of the meeting, I felt impressed to go and shake President Tanner’s hand, and tell him he missed my country. He asked me, surprisingly, which country it was. I told him I’m from the Middle East, a country called Bahrain. He then told me he had a Bahrain flag, and about a week later, I saw it up in the flag circle.”
Before Bahrain
Abdullah said as far as she knows, she and her family are the only Arab members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the entire country. Before living in Bahrain, she was born in the Philippines to a Filipino mother and a Bahraini father. The family moved to the Middle East when she was 5 and spent most of her life there. Abdullah said after her family moved, her mom lost contact with the Church.
“My dad is a strong Muslim. When I was baptized, people were surprised he gave me permission to do so. They had to write a letter to Church headquarters to make sure I was able to get baptized.”
According to Abdullah, 10 years later, her mom saw a story in the newspaper about the Church and learned of a small branch operating in Bahrain. It was comprised mostly of foreigners.
Shortly after regaining contact with the Church, Abdullah, her mother and siblings attended Church services. Abdullah said she and her siblings were among the first Bahrainis to be baptized.
The Church in Bahrain
According to ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been legally recognized in Bahrain since 2001 and there are approximately 200 members, comprised mostly of foreigners out of a total country population of 1.5 million.
Abdullah said her branch meets in a small area and is populated by foreigners. “We go to church in a villa. It’s a small place and not many people know about it. Most members are from the United States because there is a lot of military there.
“There are also a few Filipinos who attend. You will never hear about Arabs going to church. The only Arabs in the church in Bahrain [are] me and my siblings. Everyone else is a foreigner.”
According to Roche Donato, a senior majoring in exercise sports science from Qatar, “The standards that the people have in the Middle East are similar to us in our Church.
“The law of chastity and modesty is very important in those countries, so it’s easy to blend in. However, missionary work is different there. There are no missionaries and people can’t knock door-to-door.”
Abdullah said in regards to the Church membership in Bahrain, “There are no missionaries there. You can’t speak about or preach the gospel there. We go to church on a Friday because that is the holy day in Bahrain. For stake conference, we meet with other countries such as Saudi Arabia [and] Kuwait.”
Abdullah shared she wants people to understand Arabs are not how they portrayed in the media, “I want people to know that Arab’s are nice people. They are down to earth, welcoming and friendly people despite what you hear in the news. We are not bad people like how the media may portray us.”
Life in Hawaii
Speaking of how different living in Hawaii is to Bahrain, Abdullah added, “It’s a big adjustment here to not hear the Muslim prayers five times a day. In Bahrain, the women also cover themselves in public wearing abaya compared to here where people can wear whatever they want, which is really different for me. Arab women wear abaya or hijab out of respect. I also would wear this clothing in public too.”
According to Abdullah, an abaya is a traditional robe dress worn by Muslim women.
Abdullah said she had to adapt when she came to Laie.
“I had to make a lot of adjustments here. Living with girls from different countries that I had never heard of, taking care of myself and not having my family around.
“I knew nothing about Polynesia before I came here. I didn’t even know what Polynesia was. I have grown to love Polynesia and its culture since coming here. I love the diversity of the school.”
Tevita Livai, a friend of Abdullah’s from work at the Polynesian Cultural Center and who is from Kahuku, said he admires Abdullah’s focus. “I don’t know much about Muslims. I know that it can be hard for Muslims or people in [Muslim-majority] countries to be members of the Church.
“I admire her for what she has done and is doing. She seems focused on her education and to succeed.”
When Livai said she first met Abdullah, she shared, “She didn’t really want to talk to me much at first. I asked her in passing if she could help me out with something for my family and she willingly agreed.
“That’s how we became friends and she spent a lot of time around me, my wife and family. I never had a friend from the Middle East before. I felt like she was hard to get close to at first, but now she’s really open and there for us.”
His spouse, Courtney Livai, a junior from Washington majoring in exercise sports science, also works with Abdullah. She added, “She is very helpful and kind. She enjoys being independent, but she is also very grateful when someone helps her. She has a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think she’s adjusting well to life here, and she’s focused on doing well in school.”
Writer: Will Krueger