“This is a tragedy, but it is not the end of the story,” Wasan Rafat ’27 exclaimed to a crowd that gathered around the steps of Memorial Church to mourn the over 10,000 recent victims of Morocco’s recent 6.8 magnitude earthquake and Libya’s devastating floods.
The vigil on Tuesday, September 26th, was a joint effort between the Society of Arab Students and the Harvard Islamic Society. It honored the Moroccans who fell victim to the earthquake, killing nearly 3,000 civilians and severely damaging the Atlas Mountains and surrounding regions. Libya also faced catastrophic flooding due to Storm Daniel, killing and displacing thousands of people and wreaking havoc on the country.
Rafat, a Libyan first-year, solemnly reflected on the flood’s impact, touching listeners with her vulnerability. “Thousands have lost their lives, including in my family, and it has left me feeling heartbroken and helpless. It’s hard not to let the guilt overwhelm me as I stand here today in Harvard Yard, as my extended family is suffering.”
While Moroccan student Rym El Mahil ’24 fortunately did not have family directly impacted by the earthquake, she echoed the gravity of Rafat’s words. “I also obviously feel for the people of Libya, because to me, they’re my brothers and sisters. It’s still just a sentiment that you feel of dread and sadness,” she said.
In an interview with the Independent, Jana Amin ’25, president of the Society of Arab Students, shared that in light of the tragedies impacting Morocco and Libya, she has found it challenging to feel excitement for President Claudine Gay’s “joyous inauguration.” “I think I’ve been reminded, especially walking through the yard this week … that there has been so much effort and time and energy poured into President Gay’s inauguration, which was wonderful … I kind of wonder, with so many people gathered, is there a way to also shed light on some of these crises that are affecting other community members?” she asked. “It makes it much harder to celebrate a historical moment on campus when there’s so much struggle happening around the world.”
Immediately following the tragedies, multiple events were coordinated to raise funds and awareness. Following the Moroccan earthquake, the Society of Arab Students shared a fundraising initiative, in which they would be collecting donations through Venmo or Zelle to be donated to El Baraka Angels Association and the Association Amis du CHU Mohammed VI, “two grassroots organizations providing disaster relief on the ground,” read the circulated flyer.
Mahil noted a lack of faculty support for the fundraising. “As far as I know, I have not really seen anything from the faculty level talking about the earthquakes and the floods … Students tried reaching out and asking professors to put up flyers in their slides, and they said they said that they didn’t want to get ‘political,’ even though it’s a natural disaster,” Mahil explained. “It’s very telling, I think, of just Harvard’s involvement. Sometimes when it comes to natural disasters in countries that are Muslim majority countries … our issues are sort of just swept under the rug a lot of the time.”
Amin emphasized the lack of university-wide support is concerning, given that this a universal social and climate-related issue. “I have been so disheartened by how little I have heard about Morocco and especially Libya over these past weeks … This isn’t just about Libya or Morocco. This is about the pollution of our earth that has led to a rising tide globally. This is about the under-representation of Libyans and Moroccans of the College and across the University …This is about our collective capacity to care,” she stated at the vigil.
Rafat, in an interview with the Independent, proposed solutions to the institution’s apathy. “I think that [Harvard] should probably have more school-wide fundraisers. I don’t think [fundraising] necessarily needs to be something that falls on the Arab Society or HIS because that places an undue burden, I believe, on those groups.” She emphasized how the tragedies in Morocco and Libya are symptoms of a larger problem affecting us all. “Not only is this something that affects North Africa, but [the flood and earthquake] really does illuminate the really devastating effects of climate change,” she said.
Mahil questioned whether this lack of support has to do with the small Moroccan population at Harvard, expressing her belief in being one of few Moroccan students on campus.
Similarly, Rafat expressed that she is one of the only Libyan students at Harvard. “I don’t really talk about how I’m feeling in terms of the floods in a school context, simply because I don’t really know who to talk to about that … I don’t really feel camaraderie, just given the fact that I don’t really know many other Libyan students.”
Moreover, Mahil mentioned how the cultural differences between North African and Middle Eastern culture has caused her to feel isolated in group spaces. “I’ve kind of felt excluded from at least Arab spaces. North African culture doesn’t fit into the Middle Eastern majority that exists on Harvard’s campus … It’s this new wave of recognition that I feel like we’re getting, and so that’s kind of just interesting trying to navigate since we are different, fundamentally.”
However, students have found support within the University’s Muslim Chaplaincy. Chaplain Abdur-Rashid and Chaplain Samia Omar explained to the Independent how they have coordinated multiple efforts to check on and address student needs. “We advised our student community on ways to support affected students through specific religious and spiritual practices, which included outlining specific prayers to be performed for those affected directly and indirectly,” they said. “We also made it very clear that the Muslim Chaplains are a campus resource for any student affected by the crisis, and we urged affected students to reach out to us directly if necessary.”
An email sent from the Chaplains to the Harvard Islamic community on September 12th read, “When we witness such events occurring, we have a moral and spiritual responsibility to pray for all those who have lost their lives, loved ones, and/or property. It is our duty as fellow believers to pray for the victims, their families, and for those who may still be trapped under rubble or trapped because of water.”
The Arab and Muslim student community also does its best to be there for one another through these struggles. “People instantly just jumped into just talking about, ‘What can we do? How can we raise money? How can we get that money to people?’” said Mahil.
In response, immediate progress was made in providing assistance to one another and raising funds. “I have been so inspired watching our community support each other through this crisis,” said Amin at the vigil, “We have raised almost $6,000 for earthquake relief in Morocco, and [we have] just launched our fundraiser for Libya this past weekend. Please consider donating to @SASHarvard to support.”
To continue garnering support, The Signet, Ghungroo, and the Society of Arab Students held an arts showcase, “Sur Sagar,” on September 23, with proceeds going to earthquake relief in Morocco. “This event was basically in an effort [to bring] everyone together and talk about things that we actually care about, which is helping people in any way that we can,” said Hana Rehman ’25, co-director of Ghungroo and co-organizer of Sur Sagar.
The event had an impressive turnout, exposing many students to an issue that the wider University has seemingly neglected. “[The earthquake] is an urgent and pressing issue towards which not a lot of attention is being given. [Sur Sagar] is an event that will bring a lot of attention to the crisis, and hopefully will generate a little bit of help,” said Rehman.
Rafat encouraged students to help communities in need, even if they are not their own, by spreading awareness and giving back. “The key takeaway I have from this is that I have an extremely privileged position and that we all do as well. We have the potential to help raise awareness regarding this issue, and the first step is to acknowledge the suffering that is currently going on, which since you’re here, seems to be complete,” she stated at the vigil.
“The next step, and the most important one, is to take action, to help. Donate if you can … help fund emergency kits, food relief aid, and temporary shelters for families who have lost their lives and their livelihoods. If you cannot donate, then spread the word. Every action is meaningful, and anything you can do matters.”
Layla Chaaraoui ’26 (laylachaaraoui@college.harvard.edu) is a Moroccan-Muslim student on campus who feels deep sadness for her community and is grateful for the support she has received thus far.
Taybah Crorie ’25 (taybahcrorie@college.harvard.edu) is a Muslim student angry about climate change who asks you to donate generously and give your North African friends love and a listening ear.