Farangiz Siddikova (Age 17, Uzbekistan)

My values
Farangiz Siddikova
(Age 17, Uzbekistan)
Kokand University, Kokand, Fergana, Uzbekistan

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh! May the peace, mercy, and blessing Allah be with you.

What a beautiful wish, isn’t it? According to Islamic values, it should be said when every believing Muslim sees his brother and sister. Men always shake hands even without being introduced to everyone. They usually put their left hands over their hearts in order to show respect.
I am Farangiz from Uzbekistan – a country rich in eastern values. Our people differ from other nations by our traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. Despite the fact that our state is multi-ethnic, almost 96 % of people believe in Islam.
Over the centuries, the values of Uzbekistan remained unchanged, despite the desire of many invaders to establish a foreign culture in our nation. At the time Arabs colonized our country, they had a great influence on our traditions and values by spreading Islam throughout Central Asia.
My values are all attractive, impressive and different at the same time and I inherited them from my grandparents and they learned from their ancestors. We have been taught to respect elders and youngers since our childhood. maybe it will not always work, but we try. This value is manifested when we greet each other, because we greet with the great and holy words in the Qur’an.
“This Earth is round” – is one of the most popular saying of Uzbek people. It means do good for others and you will get more than you did.
One of the charming values of the Uzbek people is kindness. I grew up with my grandad’s stories which remind me the World War 2. As he said, thousands of children from German, Russia, Ukraine and other countries were sent to Uzbekistan. And none of them were placed in orphanages. They were adopted by Uzbek families and raised as if they were their own children. An Uzbek blacksmith saved 14 of those children and educated.
Then, there is another value – hospitality. It has got different meanings, but for me, it means being caring and kind. If you ever visit us, you can see how hospitable our people are. Not every guest who visits Uzbek house will leave without at least a cup of tea. Usually the tea is in a special bowl called “piyola” and is poured 3 times and then is served to the guest. According to the tradition, your bowl is not filled with tea, if so, it means the guest is unwanted or in unacceptable time.
Before telling the last value of mine, I want to share an interesting and adorable fact that is related to swans. In one book it is stated that if a peer of swans died, his partner lives alone for the rest of his life and scientists call it as loyalty.
Indeed, if humans also be kind, loyal, respectful to each other, then I hope there will not be any wars and tears.
To draw the conclusion, every tradition or value is good with uniting the whole family and even a nation, and if people are together, life will be easier and more fascinating. At such moments, a person forgets the hardships of life and his heart warms up, as if heated by the sun’s rays. He feels like nothing else matters and is not necessary.