The Observer, Volume L, Issue 23, 3/29/19

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Case Western Reserve University volume L, issue 23 friday, 3/29/2019

Observer CWRU mourns with New Zealand Nathan Lesch Staff Reporter Dozens of students and community members congregated along Kelvin Smith Library (KSL) Oval for a candlelight vigil this past Thursday to show solidarity and respect for the victims of the recent New Zealand mosque shootings. The vigil was organized by the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and included speakers and a tribute to the victims. The shootings occurred on March 15, when 50 people were killed in two mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. An additional 50 people were injured. Thursday evening’s overcast skies reflected the somber attitude of those attending the vigil. Although most came in pairs or small groups, these cliques were abandoned to form a large circle, symbolizing unity and solidarity inside KSL Oval. Ibtesam Ghazy, a second-year biology, nutritional biochemistry

and sociology major and president of MSA opened the event and introduced the speakers. Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Gardner Patterson spoke following Ghazy. Patterson expressed sadness over the attack and showed administrative support for the vigil. Ramez Islambouli, an Arabic lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures followed Patterson. Islambouli highlighted the significance a response to tragedy can have. “When tragedies happen … boundaries are broken … [and] we come together as family.” Islambouli also spoke about the power of love. “Love is the best weapon against hatred,” he said. After Islambouli, a man from the Cleveland community spoke about his friend who was killed in the shooting and about the terrible randomness of such tragedies. Then, students from five different organizations around Case Western Reserve University read aloud the names of the 50 victims.

The event ended with a moment of silence for the first-year student, Justine Boyle, who recently passed away. In those final minutes, the lamppost light seemed to mimic the candles’ color, and the sense of solidarity and togetherness was especially strong. Organizing the event was hectic, noted Ghazy, given that it occurred right after spring break, but holding it was imperative. “This vigil was important to show our respect for the people who lost their lives, and to stand up against bigotry that necessitated the attack that created this,” said Ghazy. Omar Mahmoud, Ghazy’s co-president, described the vigil best. “[It was a] moment of solidarity against hatred.”

Advocate for women’s education in Israel speaks at CWRU On Monday, March 25 Case Western Reserve University hosted a presentation by Amal Abu Alkom, an advocate for women’s education in Israel. She was accompanied by Gabe Axler who translated Alkom’s words from Hebrew to English. The talk began with Axler giving attendees a quick overview of the plan and a brief background about himself. Axler is originally from Chicago but moved to Be’er Sheva, Israel where he was working with an entrepreneurial group. It is there that he met Alkom and began his role as translator. He has been working with Alkom now for three or four years, helping to bridge the gap between non-Israelis and Hebrew speakers. Alkom speaks Hebrew and Arabic, while Axler speaks Hebrew and English. After his introduction, Axler gave attendees an overview of the location and

community that Alkom comes from. Israel is a majority Jewish country. About 75 percent of the population is Jewish and about 20 percent of the population is Arab. According to Axler, the Arabic Bedouin community in Israel makes up about three percent of the total Israeli population. He said the Bedouin community is “the periphery of the periphery” when defining where it stands in the country. He noted that it is also the fastest growing community in Israel with around eight children per family. The Bedouin people in Israel live in the Negev region, are Sunni Muslim and are traditionally nomadic. They have many traditions that have been passed down through generations and are spread throughout the Middle East. This is in stark contrast to the highly modern Israeli cities north of the Negev. Axler described the classification of Israeli cities as 10 “clusters” based off of wealth and the fact that all the Bedouin villages are classified under cluster one, which is the least wealthy. The Israeli Bedouin community has

faced a rapid transition in recent years, which has shown itself in the shifting of societal roles as young people gain access to information through technology and previous generations do not need to pass down traditional information as much. Many geographically remote or distant villages are unrecognized and thus do not get government funding and resource allocation to modernize. The Bedouin population in particular has many villages that are not recognized. The educational landscape in the region is also below that of most of modern Israel. The dropout rate of 36 percent is three times the national average. Only about 30 percent of schools offer competitive matriculation exams. Alkom began her presentation by speaking about her story and early life. She grew up in a small village called Wadi Na’am in the Negev. Alkom grew up living in a tent and had to walk to a well to get water. She could only do homework during the day because they didn’t have electrical lighting. The vil-

lage had a population of 37,000 but only one doctor. Alkom smiled as she remembered the memory of when she was a young girl and spent her lunchtime sitting outside the village doctor’s office and eating. In fourth grade, she began to dream of becoming a doctor herself. She got an old lab coat and made a makeshift stethoscope and became known as the girl that would “become a doctor.” Alkom held onto this hope until the end of eighth grade. Upon finishing primary school, she realized that girls didn’t get to attend secondary school. The boys would have to travel a significant distance in order to attain further education. Her hopes of becoming a doctor were shattered. Alkom, however, did not give up. Even though she was only 13 or 14 years old, she approached the lowest echelons of her community’s tribal leaders and went up the ranks, appealing for a chance to further her education.

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pg. 9 Where to buy clothes at CWRU

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Nihal Manjila Staff Reporter

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The Observer, Volume L, Issue 23, 3/29/19 by The Observer - Issuu