Dina Zaman, Malaysia

MA Creative Writing

University of Lancaster

"The Chevening Scholarship deepened my belief that having a global mind would be to have an open mind and heart."

In 1998, I was awarded the Chevening Scholarship, to pursue my MA in Creative Writing at the University of Lancaster. My great Malaysian novel has been relegated to the bin, but my time in the UK gave birth to my column which I wrote for Malaysiakini.com, “I Am Muslim”. I met with many Muslims at Lancaster, and I met more when I visited London and Berlin. The encounters were so thought provoking, heartbreaking, that I told myself that one fine day I’d write a book about them, and what being a Muslim meant to Malaysians.  

What would I advise future scholars? The same to any Malaysian planning to study, work or reside in a foreign country. Get to know the country and its people. If your idea of assimilation is to stay in a Malaysian student ghetto, then I say stay home. Give that place to another deserving person. A Chevening Scholarship isn’t a free holiday.    

The Chevening Scholarship deepened my belief that having a global mind would be to have an open mind and heart. This may sound rather ‘Oprah’ to you, but how can one enter post-graduate life and not be changed by it all? To me, leading a fulfilling and extraordinary life is something to strive for.

Dina Zaman's first book “I Am Muslim” was published in 2007 by Silverfish Books. The book is a compilation of articles that Dina has written for the news website, Malaysiakini.