About Derrick Peat

First and foremost, thank you for taking a look at my Web site. May God increase us in understanding, forgive us our shortcomings, and may He allow this blog to become a tool in the way of His remembrance — for both the writer and its readers.

I’m a University of Florida alumnus (I graduated Spring of 2009). Although I graduated with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Arabic language and literature, I still consider myself a student of both. The combination of my Islamic faith and my love for expressing myself through writing fuel my passion for this blog.

No better teacher than…: The position of president of Islam on Campus — at the U of F, we don’t call it ‘MSA’ — was one of the most beneficial experiences of my life. The growth, maturity and character that this position not only required, but also instilled, will stick with me forever in both my religious and professional lives.

My appreciation for Islam actually predates my actual conversion nine years ago; I did a great deal of research before I made the best decision of my life. I thank Allah everyday for the immense blessing of Islam. I try my best to make the tenets of my religion encompass who I am as much possible.

May God help me to give any readers out there an accurate view of this religion and to instill a sense of respect and reverence for it — without regard to religious predisposition.

In my parallel life, I like keeping things light and comedic at times. Because people make life a bit too depressing most times. I have acquaintances that just don’t smile. How can you never smile?  So I smile all the time to make up for them. Our Prophet, may peace be upon him, informed us that smiling is a form of charity, i.e. a righteous deed.

I also try to stay athletic, as much as a foreigner living in Cairo can. Before coming to Cairo, though, I think I played basketball about every other day, and if not I was lifting weights or coaching basketball. Although I play here in Cairo a couple times a month, it’s just not the same as home. Cairo is never boring, but there seems to be no escape from getting home sick, missing family and wishing you could hang out with old friends. Below is my old basketball team I coached in 2010. We had just won the championship. Don’t ask me why they are not smiling. Maybe it is because it was like 100 degrees outside, I am not sure.

Life decision: In the summer of 2010, as mentioned briefly above, I embarked upon a quest to improve my knowledge of Arabic and Islam. Egypt, or the Mother of the World, as they like to call the country here has treated me well so far. Please take a look at some of my posts on my experiences here.

P.S. Please feel free to comment on the blog. This blog was not meant as a one way street. Your responses, comments, questions, etc. are encouraged.