May 15, 2019 is a day that changed many lives forever.
For IU junior Noor Hussein, what happened across the world that day hit close to home. Noor’s younger sister, Lamyaa Hussein, is a sophomore at Purdue University who had traveled abroad for her second semester to New Zealand. Lamyaa’s plans for that Friday were to get together with a group of her friends to join in for Friday prayer at a mosque in ChristChurch. But after a hard day in class, she opted against going to the mosque and to instead take a “rest day.” Only 10 minutes away and moments later, Lamayaa was suddenly on lock down at her temporary home.
Lamayaa called her family on Friday afternoon, which was their Thursday night– to deliver the horrific news of the terrorist attack that took place. A gunman killed 53 people and injured 50 more at two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand. Noor’s phone exploded with numerous calls and text messages from close friends of hers and her sisters about the news. The most terrifying part aside from the phone call from her sister was the live video that was being shared on social media.
Noor Hussein talks about the live video she watched that day.
The alleged attacker Brenton Harrison Tarrant posted a disturbing video on Facebook live that ran for nearly 17 minutes which showed himself walking into the mosques and opening fire. This video was viewed about 4,000 times before it was removed, with Noor being one of the many who watched.
In response to the video, Twitter and other platforms began started sharing support to New Zealand and those affected in the massacre with the hashtag “PrayForNewZealand.”
https://twitter.com/hudalasagna/status/1107328855809773568
The following Thursday, the IU Muslim Student Association held a vigil in remembrance of those affected by the New Zealand shooting. About 100 IU students piled into the room filling every single seat and every open wall. Members began the vigil with a moment of silence and then followed with speeches on the act of terror. One of the many speeches included Noor, who explained how this massacre affected her and her family.
Noor Hussein speaks at the vigil about how the shooting affected her and her family.
As the vigil ended, attendees where encouraged to discuss how IU students can better support their muslim counterparts and how IU should provide a better space for Muslims on campus. One of the problems that was constantly brought up was about the room at the IMU that Muslims were given to pray. The space is described to be very small and very dark. In fact, IU Middle Eastern Student Organization member Zaid Fouzi calls the space a “glorified closet” and says that IU has lacked empathy and recognition towards the Muslim community.
Fouzi says that the majority of Muslim’s on campus don’t usually pray in the room because it does not represent a “safe and friendly” space for worship. Instead of using the closet space, Fouzi, along with other members, participate in weekly Friday prayers at a different room at the IMU that they request for. The prayer service lasts about 30 minutes and all are welcome.
Fouzi and other members come together every Friday to pray.
The biggest issue to Fouzi is that there are too many people who have misconceptions of their religion and culture, and for these reasons, face discrimination, hate crimes, and bullying. He believes that if people are willing to learn the real meaning behind their religion and culture, that they would no longer see them as “other.”
The IU Muslim Student Association and the IU Middle Eastern Student Organization continue to be overwhelmed by the tremendous support and love that the community provided at the vigil and are in hopes that the support doesn’t stop. They believe the support has brought the community together like never before. Many events are hosted by these organizations and urge any and all people of any race, gender or religion to get involved.
