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Project No. 04/2016 - Light Camp 5 - Memorisation of Al Quran Al Karim by blind students

Posted in Projects in Gaza

Project No. (04/2016)
Light Camp (5) - Memorisation of Al Quran Al Karim by blind students.

Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) and Al Fitrah foundation in cooperation with Dar Al Quran Al Karim Wa Sunnah (DQWS) and the Palestinian Ministry of Education - Gaza Strip held the ceremony for the Light Camp (5).


DQWS honored the students who memorised new parts of Al Quran & the winners in the Second Ramadan competition for memorisation of Surat Ali-Imran. More than 100 blind persons with their families participated in this event.


15 blind students in Light Camp (5) memorised Surah Ali-Imran
150 blind persons in Gaza Strip competed in "Second Ramadan competition for blind persons in memorizing Surat Ali-Imran.

Project No. 04/2016 - Light Camp 5 "Memorization of Al Quran Al Karim by blind students"

Posted in Projects in Gaza

Project No. (04/2016)
Light Camp 5 "Memorization of Al Quran Al Karim by blind students"
Funded By:
- Viva Palestina Malaysia.
- Al Fitrah Foundation.
Targeted Group: 61 blind students.
Targeted Area: Gaza Strip.
Period: 50 days
They memorized Surah Al Imran, the second longest Quranic surah, within 39 days!

They will next compete in the second Quran competition for blind persons in Gaza Strip, funded by VPM in upcoming weeks.

The Light Camp 5 will end in the next few days, but the Light of Quran will shine their hearts, till the Day of Judgement

Our heartfelt thanks to all donors who contributed to the project and who sponsored the blind students, enabling them to memorize some parts of Al Qura'n Al Karim, in accordance with the prophet Mohamad's Hadith:- "the best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it"

‪#‎VPM‬
‪#‎AlFITRAH‬
‪#‎Light_camp_5‬
‪#‎Gaza‬
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‪#‎Palestine‬
‪#‎Malaysia

Closing Ceremony for VPM project No. 05/2016 - Enjoy and Learn Swimming

Posted in Projects in Gaza

120 Palestinian Kids were offered free swimming lessons in a summer camp that was funded by VPM & the Italian Center for Cultural Exchange in Gaza.

They graduated from the course after 20 days of swimming lessons.
The project was implemented by North Gaza Cultural Center, and supervised by Rowad Society for Social Development.

Our extreme gratitude to VPM donors who generously contributed to the project. It was therapeutic to the stress & suffering of children living under blockade.

‪#‎VPM‬
‪#‎GAZA‬
‪#‎Gaza_Strip‬
‪#‎Palestine‬
‪#‎Palestinian‬
‪#‎Italy‬
‪#‎Rowad‬
‪#‎kids

Micro-credit projects to financially empower families in Palestine

Posted in Projects in Gaza

Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) has been involved in multiple humanitarian projects in Palestine. Our signature project is micro-credit financing of family projects often led by women who are widowed (martyred husbands) or whose husbands are unlawfully imprisoned in Israel.

The first interest free, shari’ah compliant loan was disbursed during Viva Palestina Life Line to Gaza convoy in October 2009. But a carefully audited micro-credit program only began in 2012 under the close supervision of our VPM representative in Gaza.

A total of USD 122,000 have been disbursed, providing USD 1,000 – 2,500 per family. 84 projects have been financed ranging from economic start-ups (grocery store, book shop, computer outlets), handicraft start-ups (embroidery, sewing), animal breeding (chickens, sheep, beekeeping cells) and agriculture (fruit and vegetable planting). 80 projects were in Gaza and 4 in West Bank.

65 projects (77%) are fully operative. 11 projects (13%) were destroyed in the 2014 attack on Gaza. There were 8 failed projects (10%). 12 new projects have been identified for funding this first quarter. The beneficiaries have repaid USD 48,800 worth of loans which are further rolled for new projects.

The success of the micro-credit scheme in Palestine has been much attributed to our generous donors who believed in financial independency and sustainability of the Palestinian families. Strict criteria of selection to benefit the worst hit families and close supervision are crucial to ensure best practices are adhered to.

We hope the success of this micro-credit project would encourage more donors to come forward and invest in the economic recovery of Palestine in tandem with other efforts to liberate her from occupation.

 

Musa Mohd Nordin, Norma Hashim, Hani Thuraya
Viva Palestina Malaysia

BDS Malaysia on planned FIFA Congress 2017

Posted in Other News

BDS Malaysia salutes the decision of the Malaysian government to maintain its stance of not allowing representatives of Israel to attend any meeting in Malaysia including the planned FIFA congress in May 2017. This is in line and in the spirit of BDS Israel, an international call by civil societies across the globe to boycott and isolate Israel for its continued oppression of the Palestinians. 
(http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/08/165129/better-malaysia-not-host-fifa-congress-says-zahid)

BDA Malaysia wishes to remind everyone that Israel has kept Palestinians under a brutal military occupation and they have been subjected to countless atrocities for decades, including genocide and ethnic cleansing. Israel has also flouted international law on many occasions and continues to maintain an apartheid policy despite repeated condemnations by the international community.

The sacrifice of not being able to host the FIFA congress is minuscule compared to the sufferings of millions of Palestinians living in Israel, under occupation in the West bank and under siege in Gaza. Then there are those in diaspora unable to return to their land and homes despite being granted that right under international law.

Palestinian athletes, as with all other Palestinians, are subject to Israel's injustice. Palestinian national footballer Mahmoud Sarsak was detained for 3 years without trial or charge. Zakaria Issa, a national striker was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment in 2003. Muhammad Nimr, a striker in the Palestinian youth football team was detained from 2007 to 2009. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/how-israel-derails-promising-careers-palestinian-football-stars

Additionally the Palestinians are denied their right to free travel, needing Israeli permission to enter or leave. Their daily lives are a web of checkpoints, ID cards and permits. Commuting is time-consuming, and very difficult, due to often arbitrary decisions by individual Israeli soldiers. Daily training is an extreme challenge for Palestinian athletes and training facilities are severely compromised. For example, Mary Al-Atrash, who is representing Palestine in the 2016 Rio Olympics, is only able to train in a 25 meter pool, instead of a standard-sized 50 meter pool, due to restrictions on her movement. It has been estimated that Palestinians lose 3 million working hours per day to travel (American Anthropological Association Task Force Israel Palestine, 2015).

In 1970 South Africa was formally ejected from the International Olympic Committee and banned from virtually all international sports till the end of its apartheid policies in 1990s. Advocates for Boycott South Africa argued, “no normal sport in an abnormal society”, that is, as long as the regime prevented everyone from participating equally in society, it should be excluded from participating equally in the international arena.

Sports, especially football, widely accepted as a global sport, is closely tied to national identity, thus making sporting isolation a bitter pill to swallow, as shown with South Africa. Therefore, the international community must stand firm and show Israel that Israelis do not deserve to have a place among the civilized people of the world, as long as their government continues their current policies and practice.

Israel must honor its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully comply with the precepts of international law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall 
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194

Prof Dr. Mohd Nazari Ismail
Chairman
BDS Malaysia

Project 9/2016 - Ramadan Food Basket

Posted in Projects in Gaza

VPM Project 9/2016
In the last days of Ramadan 1437, VPM and their partner NGOs completed Ramadan food basket for Palestinian poor families in West Bank and for Palestinian refugees in the camps in South Turkey.
Out heartfelt appreciation to all donors who contributed to the program. Jazakallahu khairan kathira.
‪#‎VPM‬
‪#‎Gaza‬
‪#‎West_Bank‬
‪#‎Turkey‬
‪#‎Palestine‬
‪#‎Ramadan‬
‪#‎Ramadan_Karim‬
‪#‎Eid_Mubark‬
‪#‎Happy_Eid‬
‪#‎charity


Press Release: Response to former IGP Musa Hassan

Posted in VPM

7 July 2016 / 2 Shawal 1437

We are utterly surprised and extremely dismayed at the suggestion of the former IGP, Musa Hassan, linking the recent spate of Malaysian involvement in terrorist activities with their taking of the Palestinian cause to the extreme (Former IGP tells police to take IS threat seriously. FMT, July 5, 2016 http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/07/05/former-igp-tells-police-to-take-is-threat-seriously/

 

It is a very simplistic notion on the radicalization of Muslims, resident in different parts of the world and sweeping across different social strata. The contributory factors are undoubtedly multi-factorial and to conflate them with legitimate fervor for the just Palestinian cause is very naive and reductionist.

 

Among other reasons, IS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) has a very savvy and sophisticated online and social media presence which lures their victims towards their grandiose theology of the utopian global caliphate, ruled by Shari’ah law which claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. Once locked in, they are brainwashed into thinking the kafir harbi (non-believers) and the hypocrites among the Muslims can be legitimately killed because of their infidelity and aggression towards the Islamic state.

 

It cannot be denied that a miniscule number of the Muslim radicals support the Palestinian cause but the majority of pro-Palestinian activists are lay Muslims and non-Muslims who empathize with the legitimate struggle of Palestinians against the unjust and illegal occupation, colonization and subjugation of the Palestinians by Zionist Israel. IS and al-Qaeda et al has been virtually silent on the Palestinian struggle. IS has done absolutely nothing positive for Palestinians on the ground. Instead, their war has been against all infidels and Muslims who do not subscribe to their extremist theology, as the recent terrorist attacks in Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia has testified. The Zionist state of Israel has been spared of their theology of hate, vengeance and murder.

 

The Palestinian cause is grounded on universal human rights and is supported by all peaceful and reasonable people who categorically oppose all forms of racism, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. This is in stark contrast to the extremist and hostile theology of IS which has hijacked, abused and infinitely harmed the image of Islam.

 

The former IGP’s sweeping statements which lacked any substantial evidence is mischievous and irresponsible since by extension it would mean that those who support the Palestinian cause are potentially extremists or worst, terrorist. This surely adds to Israel and her allies attempts to defame Palestinians and Palestinian activists worldwide as terrorists.

 

We urge him to retract his ill thought statements. Notwithstanding, our activism would continue unabated and we call upon all Malaysians to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian popular resistance until Israel:

1.      Ends its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantles the Apartheid Wall;
2.      Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3.      Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

 

 

Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin

Chairman, Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM)

 

Prof Dr Mohd Nazari Ismail

Chairman, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, Malaysia (BDS)

 

Assoc Prof Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor

Chairman, MyCARE Malaysia