What is it like to write a dissertation in BGU?

I am currently completing my first year as a PhD candidate at Ben Gurion University. I chose Ben Gurion niversity following my positive experience at MAPMES (class of 2005), where I wrote a Master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr Daniella Talmon-Heller, who is also my adviser for the PhD dissertation. The friendly  atmosphere at this department was yet another reason for choosing BGU, in addition to a scholarship which as allowed me to concentrate on my studies. After completing my Master’s thesis on “Da‘wa (The Call to Islam) in contemporary European Islamic Thought”, I did not immediately decide to continue with doctoral studies. First, I was looking for a publisher for my thesis, and also explored my options for getting a job in my field in Israel. After I found a publisher, I spent a month on translating the thesis to German and re-writing it in a slightly less scholarly language with the hope of interesting a broader audience. During that time I also attended some conferences on modern Islam, and continued reading on the topic in order to keep my book up-to-date. This made me realize that – after having spent nearly one year on the topic of modern Islam and da‘wa in Europe – I want to continue working on this subject. I started looking for options in the field of doctoral studies. I had to ask
myself: Which topic should I choose? Who would be the most suitable advisor to work with? Which university has the better reputation? Do I prefer a PhD track which requires the writing of a thesis, or a track that requires publishing a number of articles (an option available in European universities)? What funding opportunities are available in the various universities? Do I want to study in Israel or abroad? I talked to other PhD candidates as well as professors in order to make the right decision. Some recommended to choose my advisor very carefully, others said I should decide primarily in accordance with the reputation of the university. I had already stablished contacts with some programs, but in the end I chose Ben Gurion, and I am happy with my decision. After talking to my advisor, I decided to continue with the topic of ‘da‘wa’ and to concentrate on the da‘wa of salafiyya- ovements in Germany. These groups are associated personally and/or ideologically aligned with the contemporary Muslim Brotherhood, the Muslim World League or with the literal salafiyya (“wahhabiyya”) movement, based in Saudi Arabia. Speaking the native language and having grown up in the society I study gives me a significant advantage when I travel to Germany for field research. My source material is mainly written in German, English and Arabic. I would advise any prospective MAPMES student to concentrate on learning Arabic during the studies, and take additional courses after graduation, because I believe that without a sufficient knowledge of the Arabic (and in some cases also Farsi or Turkish) it is impossible to understand Islam and the Middle East. Writing a thesis demands a lot of time and can be quite lonely, just you and your topic, so I believe that it is really important that you are interested in the topic. The more you have already ‘gotten into’ the topic, the less people  you meet that you can discuss with. Therefore I was really happy that I was invited to a conference on modern Islam in Europe in Berlin last May, where I presented the results of my M.A. thesis. I did not only meet other students who study Islamic missionary movements. I think it is important not only to be with yourself, your advisor, your books and articles, but also to establish contacts to other research students which study similar topics, not only in order to exchange ideas but also in order to combine your studies with social contacts. Fortunately there are some study circles of students and former students in Jerusalem, who meet regularly for lectures and discussions on modern Islam.