Demonstrations not the only way to show solidarity - Student groups
Malaysian students were not seen as aggressive in street demonstrations because they used social media platforms to draw global attention.
SHAH ALAM - Street demonstrations are not the only way to show solidarity against Israel's atrocities against Palestinians, even though it is a common practice among students in Western countries to capture their leaders' attention.
National Islamic Students Association (PKPIM) president Muhammad Dzul Aiman Zulkefly said Malaysian students were not seen as aggressive because they used social media platforms to draw global attention.
He said several social media campaigns have led to support from three European countries, namely Norway, Ireland and Spain for Palestinians.
"This situation is different in our country because Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's stance on the Palestinian issue is very clear and represents the entire population, especially students.
"We need to be more consistent and the social media campaigns like #IsraelCuak and #IsraelKoyak have gone viral worldwide, impacting its supporters.
"There's ample evidence on social media showcasing our support for Palestine, kick-started by student activists. We have also launched the hashtag #IsraelBacul to further pressure the Zionist regime," he told Sinar.
Previously, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that university students in Islamic countries did not react much to Israel's atrocities against Palestinians.
He also questioned why university students in the country did not voice their protests against the Zionist regime.
Meanwhile, National Student Consultative Council (MPPK) deputy president Mohamed Yusof Hassan Roslan said Malaysian students have been actively campaigning and boycotting since October last year, garnering support from students across all higher education institutions in the country.
He added that universities have never restricted the freedom to speak out about Palestine and have supported all campaigns conducted on campus, including on social media platforms.
"We have never remained silent on the matter. Since October, we have been actively campaigning on Instagram and Twitter (now known as X) to disseminate all the latest information regarding the Zionist regime's attacks on Palestine," he said.
Malaysian Muslim Students Coalition (Gamis) president Imran Sulaiman said there have been peaceful protest movements with several public universities, although they might not have received comprehensive media coverage.
"Although street protests among students are not very aggressive, they are still actively speaking out off-campus about the atrocities committed by the Israeli forces against Palestinians through their social media.
"We have held peaceful gatherings at the See Hoy Chan Building in Kuala Lumpur with students from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) and Selangor Islamic University (UIS).
"It might not have reached the local media attention," he added.
