Vigil for Gaza brings diverse crowd to U building

So many people crowded into room U100 for a vigil for Gaza last Tuesday that organizers had to open an entirely new room to accommodate the large turnout.

“We see so many people mourning on campus,” said Mona Shibli, president of the Arab Student Union at Moraine Valley. “You make eye contact with an Arab Palestinian, and you immediately get the urge to cry together, so we needed something to unify all of us.”

The vigil was held in the U building, in a room just off the cafeteria. Plastic candles and flowers lined the tables, and somber faces filled the room as a diverse crowd of students flooded in.

“At first we were seeing whether we needed more chairs. We ended up needing the whole other room,” Shibli said.

When the crowd was asked who wasn’t of Arab Palestinian descent, more than half raised their hands. Organizers expressed gratitude that so many people turned out to show their support.

There were 87 people in attendance, including faculty members, several administrators and Moraine Valley’s new president, Pam Haney. Outside the room, two campus police officers stood watching the event unfold.

The somber event began with a slide presentation by Shibli detailing the events happening in Gaza. She began by saying that more than 5,000 Palestinians had died in Gaza, 2,000 of them children. Shibli then shared several personal stories of the people there and the current living conditions in Gaza.

“Women are sleeping in their hijabs, their head scarves, so that if they die in their sleep they’re going to be covered in front of the non-mahram men, the men who are going to retrieve their bodies.”
President of Moraine Valley Arab Student Union, Mona Shibli

“Not only is it important to look at these numbers and these statistics, but it’s also important to think about the reality of the situation people are living in right now,” she said. “Women are sleeping in their hijabs, their head scarves, so that if they die in their sleep they’re going to be covered in front of the non-mahram men, the men who are going to retrieve their bodies.

“I saw a video of a father who was carrying his child’s limbs in plastic bags,” Shibli said. “Imagine carrying your kid’s body in plastic bags because there’s no other resources.”

About halfway through the event, Haney appeared overcome with emotion and was seen stepping into the hallway, tears in her eyes.

Two students led the group in a prayer. At the end, Moraine Valley counselor Souzan Naser took the podium to discuss her thoughts on the unfolding situation.

“We have really committed to have a safe space, to uplift your grief, to share in your frustrations, and to provide you with the kind of support that we’re hearing here today,” Naser said.

Naser explained how she and her colleagues understand the difficult time many students are currently facing.

“We know you are perhaps put in situations in the classroom where you feel like you have to insert yourself and maybe correct some of the rhetoric that we are seeing and hearing from corporate media, from U.S government and politicians,” she said.

Naser said the student counseling center is ready to help students who need to talk during this time.

“Please come see us. Don’t feel like you have to go through this on your own. We’re here to support you, to hold space for you, and continue to be in community with you,” Naser said.

“Please come see us. Don’t feel like you have to go through this on your own. We’re here to support you, to hold space for you, and continue to be in community with you,”
Moraine Valley Counselor, Souzan Naser

After the presentations, students gathered in conversation and signed a poster with messages offering their support to people living in Gaza.

A slide presentation was shared at the vigil with statistics and stories of those impacted in Gaza.

Sundus Madi McCarthy, the faculty adviser for the Muslim Student Association, said she was proud of the students who organized Tuesday’s vigil.

“Nothing makes me happier to see them act as leaders and to support their peers,” she said.

Shibli emphasized her hopes for the Moraine Valley community coming out of the vigil.

“I hope for people to educate themselves,” said Shibli. “I want to remind everyone that looking away from these issues, getting off your phone, getting off of TikTok, choosing to take a break, that is such a privilege. The people in Palestine can’t turn away from that. They’re living it, they can’t shut it off, they can’t stop scrolling, and that’s why it’s so important.

“And the least we can do for them is to continue spreading awareness and to amplify as many stories and narratives as we possibly can.”