IIUM students raise awareness on Palestine

By Liyana Peter

GOMBAK, 16 November 2023: In light of current events, the IIUM Secretariat of Sociology and Anthropology (SOCASA) organized a ‘Solidarity with Palestinians’ program with the help of other Human Sciences (HS) societies and secretariats as well as Congress IIUM on 3 November (Friday). 

The programme was to raise awareness regarding the current issue in Palestine and to alert the IIUM community with regard to Palestinian students and staff and the hardships that they are facing at the moment. 

The programme also included a social demonstration that took place on Thursday (2 November 2023). The demonstration began at HS cafe, then continued towards the main entrance of HS building and ended at HS square. 

The programme on Friday began with a discourse covering the topic of Tufan Al Aqsa by Palestinian lecturers of the IIUM. There was also an exhibition displaying important information on the issue. In the evening there was a short performance followed by an open mic.

The performance displayed the hardships that Maher, a Palestinian student, had faced. The storyline showed Maher moving to Malaysia to provide a better life for his family. As he begins to adjust to his new life, he is unable to reach his family back home. 

The following open mic session encouraged IIUM students to voice out their thoughts and opinions regarding the current conflict. One of the students was a native of Palestine who urged people to not stay silent in times of injustice and oppression. Another student that had recited a heartfelt poem she wrote that touched the hearts of many. 

One of the organizers of this event, Danial Bahri, from SOCASA mentioned, “We had an in-depth discussion on which topics and words we should use in order to avoid sensitivity.”

However, he emphasized that it needs to be heard even if it is sensitive because people need to be aware of the truth of the matter. 

He also mentioned that SOCASA looks forward to arranging similar programmes in the near future. He said, “This is not a one time issue. It is ongoing and we have to keep speaking about it for our brothers and sisters in Palestine.” 

“I hope this programme has united all of us Muslims to help our Palestinian family through donations, social media and most importantly through our duas,” he said.

Danial hopes that people who attended the programme still hold this issue close to their hearts and continue to do what they can for the people of Palestine.***