Israel-Gaza war: Malaysian students in US face prejudice, name-calling as protests sweep university campuses

Malaysian students in universities in the United States are facing disruption to their campus lives with the eruption of pro-Palestinian protests.

Some have even been harassed, with many having names called.

Azida Ahmad Azmi, a graduate student at Columbia University, New York, said the escalating situation seemed hard to avoid, especially in her campus where the first protest broke out.

“The encampment [at my university] started around a week ago. I know two friends who were arrested,” said Azida, sharing her first-hand account of being surrounded by the turmoil.

“The protests have definitely [had] a huge impact on how my classes are conducted.

“The university has announced that all students are now allowed to attend classes virtually as the campus has heavy NYPD (New York Police Department) presence which intimidates students.

“A lot of final [sit-down] exams have also been converted into take-home finals,” said Azida, who has been observing the protests and taken photos as part of her photojournalism portfolio.

Almost 50 universities in the US, many of them Ivy League institutions, have seen pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including Columbia University, University of California Los Angeles, Yale University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

AP reported that over 100 people were arrested in Columbia University on April 18.

So far, over 1,000 people have reportedly been arrested nationwide.

Protesters are demanding for a ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza as well as for the university authorities to financially divest from Israel.

Some universities have warned protesters against encamping on school property, and even threatened expulsion.

The plight of Palestinians is an issue close to Malaysians’