Traumatised in a faraway land
The tsunami disaster that struck Aceh on 26 December left Acehnese students at Al-Azhar as grief-stricken and property less as their compatriots back home, writes Gamal Nkrumah
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional economic grouping of 10 Southeast Asian countries, bore the brunt of the cataclysm that devastated
Said Mubarak, 25, lost all his family except for a brother who was not in Aceh when disaster struck. "I trust in God. My faith is my consolation," Mubarak said. "We are all going to die some day," he added.
There are some 300 Acehnese students in
Fear has hung as one terrifyingly big question mark over the fate of the families and friends of these students in the wake of the dreadful cataclysm. They have been left utterly bereft of anything save their faith.
Aceh, in the far northwestern corner of
The white-and-red Indonesian flag that flew half mast above the Indonesian Embassy in Garden City,
The ruinous earthquake and the gigantic tidal sea surges, or tsunami, triggered chaos and mayhem and left in its wake a trail of death, disease and destruction.
Coastal livelihood in Aceh was devastated inflicting a terrible social and psychological burden on the affected communities. And, the tsunamis that caused such a loss of life and destruction in the
However, most of the students in
In an unprecedented development, the Indonesian authorities and GAM have tacitly connived to assist the work of the international emergency relief agencies. Both the Indonesian government and GAM have refrained from taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Aceh or of making political capital out of the cataclysm.
As far as the Acehnese students in
Pronounced the world's worst natural catastrophe, the tsunamis that hit Aceh had an especially disastrous impact on the economy of the war-torn Indonesian province. Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, the two largest cities of Aceh lay in ruins. The infrastructure of the province was badly damaged. Even though Aceh is one of the main oil-producing parts of
So far both the Indonesian government and GAM have held the peace in Aceh. It remains to be seen if the current hiatus caused by the tsunamis will set the tone for their wider relationship. The Acehnese students in
Moftaheddin Abdul-Wahid, who lost his wife and daughter in the cataclysm, hurriedly completed his papers and flew home to Aceh to mourn his dead family. He was looking forward to returning to
Since disaster struck Acehnese students have been making frantic phone calls only to be greeted by dead silence. Many people are still missing in Aceh -- a United Nations estimate puts the number at 100,000, most are feared dead.
Seven students at Al-Azhar couldn't stand the suspense anymore and flew to
Amna Yusra, 24 years old, told the Weekly that his cousin was missing. "We do not know if he is alive or dead." Yusra, who studies theology at Al-Azhar said that his family had lost all their property. "We lost everything," he said. "Special prayers are being held for our relatives, friends and all the victims of the tsunamis," he said. "Five years ago I said good- bye to my mother, and I left
Faith, it seems, has saved the day for many. "My faith in God enables me to accept everything. My faith in the Almighty has strengthened my resolve to be a good Muslim especially after this disaster," said Yusra.
"I do not know what the long-term impact of the disaster will be on the political situation in Aceh. Much will depend on the manner in which the Indonesian authorities handle the relief and reconstruction processes," Ahmed Faisal told the Weekly. "Aceh has never had peace. Not since the days of Dutch and Japanese colonial rule. We have historically been accustomed to trials and tribulation."
The Asian diplomatic community has lent a helping hand to the Acehnese students. ASEAN Night, an annual get-together organised by the eight ASEAN embassies in
Senior officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present including Deputy Assistant Minister for Asian Affairs Ambassador Maher Baddar and Minister Plenipotentiary Hoda Naguib, director for ASEAN at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ASEAN Night 2005 raised 30,000 Egyptian pounds. "These came from donations collected at the event as well as a charity auction. Four air tickets sponsored by Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and Thai Airways as well as a golf membership sponsored by JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club were auctioned to raise more than 25,000 Egyptian pounds," explained Tan Hung Seng counsellor of the Singapore Embassy in Cairo and chairman of the deputy chief of missions of ASEAN countries in Egypt told the Weekly.
Sudar Mawan, counsellor for information at the Indonesian Embassy in
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