Interview with Yazeed Amish, Class 2016

July 4, 2023

Please briefly introduce yourself.

My name is Yazeed. I am 25 years old. I come from Libya but I have been living in France for the majority of my adult life. 

 

What comes to your mind when you think about UWC Maastricht?

UWC Maastricht sparks thoughts of a little island, a little community of individuals who have an intense longing for peace and justice in the world. 

 

What have you been up to since your UWC graduation?

Upon leaving UWC, I travelled to Greece and attained an English Bachelor of Law (LLB). Afterwards, I completed a master’s in international business law (LLM) in Paris.

 

What comes to you when you hear the UWC mission and values?

The UWC movement, to me, means using education and freedom of thought and beliefs to tackle the most divisive issues in the world, and to open people’s minds to different perspectives. It is to teach students to be confident but humble, to be true to their beliefs but to be tolerant of other beliefs. To be educated enough to have strong opinions, but open-minded enough to change their mind if presented with credible arguments. 

 

In what ways have you been living the UWC mission? 

I have been living the UWC mission by educating people on my religious and cultural values and beliefs. I have discussed many things that were brought to my attention in UWC, with my law professors and classmates, with my family and relatives, to bring compassion rather than condensation into the conversation.

 

How have you been involved with the UWC movement?

I have tried to stay involved with UWC with the UWC interfaith Facebook group I started a few years ago. This aims to improve education in UWC on different religious beliefs and values around the world, but most specifically Islam. This is very important, especially with the growing islamophobia and general anti-religion sentiments growing around the world, which is primarily fueled by political agendas but also the lack of proper education on religion and spirituality in education systems. 

 

Would you recommend other UWC alumni to get involved with the movement? 

I recommend all Uwc alumni to try to reconnect with the movement, to use their knowledge and expertise to help current students deal with the effects of the rapidly changing world. To help them deal with forming their identity and beliefs, their dreams and ambitions, in a realistic and impactful way.