pastor raises his voice about gaza …
Just received this about my friend Sivin Kit in Malaysia … God bless you, Sivin!
Quotable line: “A lot of people are still ignorant about the Palestine-Israel issue. It is not about religion or race but a humanitarian crisis.”
Saturday January 17, 2009
Pastor to speak on plight of Palestinian
By SALINA KHALID
A coalition consisting of Malaysian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has been formed to condemn the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Among those at the forefront of the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs Against Persecution of Pales-tinians (Complete) is Pastor Sivin Kit from the Bangsar Lutheran Church.
Concerned citizens: Complete committee members (from left) Azhar Steven, Azra Banu, Lia Syed and pastor Sivin Kit discussing the programme for tomorrow.
Their intention is to make everyone see this issue as a humanitarian crisis that concerns them.
“A lot of people are still ignorant about the Palestine-Israel issue. It is not about religion or race but a humanitarian crisis.
“Every day there are people dying there.
“It is not the time to sit idly and do nothing about the massacre of the innocents. It is time to do something,” said Sivin, who is one of the committee members of Complete, which was formed on Jan 5 and currently consists of more than 50 NGOs in the country.
To create awareness on the whole issue and to garner support from Malaysians, the coalition is launching the “Save the Palestinians” campaign tomorrow at the Bangsar Sports Complex in Jalan Terasik 3, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
“I will be available at the event to answer any questions and to state our stand on the issue,” said Sivin.
He added that not all the Palestinians were Muslims as a significant number were Christians and they were being killed just the same.
The “Save the Palestenians” campaign will be carried out on a long-term basis to provide assistance to the war victims, especially after the ceasefire.
“Various activities have been lined up for everyone this Sunday (tomorrow).
“It includes a photo exhibition, screening of documentaries, talks by leaders of various faiths and a personal account of life in Gaza by a Palestinian doctor.
“Everyone is invited. It is time that we do something about it,” added Complete secretary Azra Banu.
She said more than 2,000 people were expected to attend the event from10am to 5pm.
Another committee member, Azhar Steven will lead about 250 volunteers comprising university students to distribute fliers containing facts and figures about the war.
It also includes information about the history of Palestine and the Israeli conflict in efforts to further enlighten the public about the issue.
He said the volunteers would go to various locations throughout the city centre, including shopping complexes.
“We have printed about 100,000 fliers and expect to distribute up to 50,000 this Sunday,” he said.
Meanwhile, the funds Complete is raising will be channelled towards sponsoring medical treatment for the victims and eventually to bring the seriously wounded Palestinians to Malaysia for treatment.
“We are not only asking for money to pay for the medical treatment over there, we are also looking for sponsorship to bring them here including their air fares and treatment in Malaysia,” said Lia Syed, executive director of Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI), an organisation that has been providing aid and sponsoring programmes in the Palestinian refugee camps in the past 20 years.
For further information about coalition, visit http://completemalaysia.blogspot.com.
