Students reflect on Gaza conflict at vigil
East Lansing High School student Lujain Mahmoud stands during a moment of silence at the candlelight vigil for those who have died in the conflicts in Gaza Wednesday evening at the rock on Farm Lane.
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About 20 community members gathered Wednesday night to pay tribute to the thousands of Israelis and Gazans suffering or dead as result of tensions in the Middle East.
The group circled the rock on Farm Lane, newly emblazoned with the words “Remember Gaza,” and lit candles in a moment of silence for those who have died.
The event served both to draw attention to and collect donations for those suffering in Gaza and Israel, said Ryan Strom, president of the Muslim Students’ Association.
There wasn’t a focus on politics, but on healing the wounds inflicted by both nations.
“My background isn’t even Palestinian,” said Afreen Syed, vice president of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. “It’s not even about that. It’s not about religion. It’s about losing basic human rights.”
More than 1,300 are dead and 5,300 are injured after Israel invaded and bombed Gaza, a report from the BBC stated.
One and a half million Gazans lack water, and only 2,000 hospital beds are available, according to the World Health Organization.
“Doctors can’t get in,” Strom said.
“There’s a huge shortage of supplies. Lots of people are suffering unnecessarily. Electricity is sporadic — people are lucky to get a couple of hours a week. It’s hard for individual families, but it’s really hard for schools and hospitals. Things like food and grain are all in short supply.”
Yael Aronoff, an assistant professor and expert in Israeli studies, said it’s important for students to come together to support initiatives focused on a peaceful solution.
“(It is) basically a tragic situation for Israeli and Palestinian citizens,” she said. “My hope would be that there would be … an atmosphere of empathy on campus for both sides.”
Although many of MSU’s Muslim students have a personal connection to the crisis, Strom said the loss is not theirs alone and the destruction of innocent lives should be significant to all MSU students.
“Any time you have those types of numbers, it becomes very important for people to be involved and see what they can do,” he said.
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john kane
(02/05/09 1:22pm)Report
this article is defiantly one sided…if you decided to state numbers you should also state those numbers if you want to stay objective:
Rockets fired at Israel from Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005: 7,000 +
Rockets fired at Israel from Gaza in 2008 alone: 3,700 +
Rockets and mortars fired at Israel from Gaza since the Operation began on 27 Dec 2008:
600 +
Number of trucks carrying humanitarian supplies into Gaza during the first week of the Operation: Over 1020 & 10 ambulances
Total Humanitarian aid sent to Gaza since 26 Dec 2008: Over 24,000 tons
try harder not to be pro Palestinians but pro Peace!!!
Sadiq Jafri
(02/05/09 3:16pm)Report
Number of Gazans killed in recent attack: 1300+ (1200+ citizens) number of Israeli’s killed 13 (2 citizens)… maybe if the killing wasn’t so one sided the article wouldn’t be so one sided… but then again Israel blood is more important then Palestinian blood right?
Ryan Strom
(02/05/09 6:29pm)Report
Hi John,
The vigil and the article was not trying to be Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Hamas, or Pro-Israel. We were not taking sides. I will be the first to admit that any violence, whether it be on the part of Hamas against Israel or on the part of Israel against Palestinians is horrible. This violence is especially tragic when hundreds upon hundreds of innocent civilians die as a result. The vigil was meant as a remembrance of these tragic deaths on both sides, as well as attempting to bring attention to the wide scale humanitarian crisis that is going on in Gaza (which by almost every third party report greatly outweighs the suffering of of any section of Israel as a whole (this of course is not meant to diminish the tragic firing of rockets into Israel, this is reprehensible as well.))