By, Sarah Jamil
GOMBAK, 23 MARCH 2024: Shila Razlan, the Chairperson of the organising committee of the programme, A Day for Palestine (ADFP), and a fourth-year Palestinian student from the Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences (KENMS) at the IIUM, was invited to IIUM.fm to share her inspiring story of assisting Palestinian students in Malaysia. Anas was one of the students Shila had helped.
Anas expressed with a heavy heart of the situation in Palestine with the ongoing war now entering its sixth month. The impact of the conflict is devastating, with essential services such as electricity being cut off by Israeli forces, which makes it hard sometimes to contact his family.
Moreover, getting food has become increasingly difficult due to the economic crisis. He also stated that in Palestine a bag of flour weighing 25kg which was RM50, has now increased to RM500. This exponential increase has drastically altered the way people live and shopped, as even basic necessities have become unaffordable for many.
Additionally, the destruction of shops and businesses has further worsened the situation, leaving communities with limited access to essential goods.
In this matter, Shila took the initiative by gathering her friends, all of whom were housewives, to assist Palestinian students. Together, they brainstormed ideas to locate Palestinian students at the IIUM first in November 2023.
The war’s disruption led to the disclosure of banks, leaving families unable to send money. Upon meeting the students, it became apparent that they were experiencing extreme hardship, resorting to borrowing from one another to ease their hunger and financial strain,” said Shila.
On behalf of the students, Anas was grateful to all Malaysians who contributed to him and the entire Palestinian community financially. “We’ve grown to love Malaysia so much that it feels like our second home country and don’t worry about me because I have supporters,” said Anas.
The IIUM community is encouraged to donate here to support the people of Palestine.***
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