My name is Irham Amir, I graduated from Al Azhar University, Cairo, Islamic

Law department, Islamic Law and Jurisprudence Faculty. With this latter, I
wish hereby to state my motivation for entrance to MSc in Islamic Finance
and Management in Durham University in the United Kingdom

I come from Payakumbuh, West Sumatera Province. In my hometown,

poverty is still a predominant issue. Even though some Islamic banks and
charity organizations are available in this town, many of the inhabitants still
live below the poverty line. This is because of the lack of services, facilities,
specialists, and the peoples understanding of Islamic economy. Therefore,
this problem encourages me to study deeply about Islamic Finance and
Management and become an expert in order to help deal with the poverty
issue.

My bachelor degrees background came from Islamic Law which equivalents

to Master of Islamic Finance and Management. I have learned Islamic
Economy in Al Azhar University included in some subjects such as
Contemporary Jurisprudential Issues, Comparative Jurisprudence, and
Research Methodology. In addition, I learnt the Islamic Economy in Center for
Islamic Economy Studies in Cairo by predicate EXCELLENT. As such, I have a
tremendous interest in pursuing Msc in Islamic Finance and Management of
Durham University.

My friend and I, in 2015, developed a charity organization named Rumah

Shadaqah Tsamaniyyah (RST). This is a social community which focuses on
managing Shadaqah (alms) and distributing it to people who have the right
to receive it categorized in the eight groups in Islam around West Sumatera.
Due to my background in Islamic law which also discusses Islamic economy, I
practice the knowledge that I received from my college in this community as
a supervisor. This project gives me a deeper understanding of the poverty
cycle. Lack of education plays an important role in this worrying issue. Very
few universities, for instance, can be found in my hometown, and
unfortunately none offer studies in Islamic finance and management or are
related to it. Therefore, a new approach to address that challenge is urgently
required, replacing the meditational perspective into an organized effort to
promote finance based on the Islamic system and how to manage it.
Payakumbuh is only an example. Most areas in Indonesia are experiencing
this difficult circumstance.

According to that, I have a strong urge to contribute in combating alms

issues, especially that of Zakah in Indonesia, particularly in remote area, as a
researcher, practitioner and teacher who will be able to help tackle the
poverty issue threatening the society. In addition, a powerful collaboration
between related stakeholders such as the government and non government
organization (NGO) is necessary to overcome this problem.

To achieve it, I need to increase my knowledge and understanding of Islamic

Finance and Management. I strongly believe that by getting an MSc in Islamic
Finance and Management, I could enhance my abilities since the MSc
Programme offers a tremendous opportunity to studying up-to-date
knowledge about this field. Then, useful experiences gleaned from the
leading experts in Islamic Finance and Management there can facilitate the
students with skills needed.

I highly likely believe I would obtain satisfactory results in the MSc

programme. I have engaged with a non government organization related
with my magister, it is Dompet Dhuafa, the largest NGO for charity in
Indonesia. I am also confident that I will give a crucial contribution to the
learning in Durham University by offering a unique comparison perspective
related to Islamic Finance and Management between Indonesia and Egypt in
alleviating poverty.