5,000 Gather At Bandar Perda Mosque In Penang State To Show Support For Gaza

BUKIT MERTAJAM (Penang, Malaysia), Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Some 5,000 people from 50 Islamic non-governmental organisations in Penang staged a peaceful gathering at the Bandar Perda mosque compound here Sunday to show support for Palestians in Gaza who are suffering because of Israeli atrocities. Penang Islamic NGOs Alliance president Farizan Othman, who spoke on their behalf, said they wanted to send a clear message to the Zionist regime that the international community would not stand still until the regime ceased its atrocities and allowed the Palestinians determine their own destiny. "There are no suitable words to describe the barbaric Zionist regime which is slaughtering children, women, the elderly and residents in Gaza," she told reporters after the assembly ended. The protestors also made donations to buy urgently needed supplies for the people of Gaza. Meanwhile, a kilometre away, a demonstration organised by PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) was held in front of a McDonalds outlet to voice dissatisfaction over alleged support by the fast food chain to Israel. Checks by Bernama found the outlet had closed operations at midday and a heavy presence of security personnel. This is the second time the outlet closed operations, the last on Friday after a similar demonstration was held there. In KOTA BAHARU, Kelantan Education Department director Hussain Awang said the deparment had launched a donation drive in the 591 primary and secondary schools in the state to assist the Gazans. He said the drive would last three weeks and would involve some 380,000 students as well as teaching staff. In GUA MUSANG, South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar) chairman Abdul Aziz Derasid told Bernama that the authority succeeded in collecting US$3,286 (RM10,500) for the Palestine Humanitarian Fund since it launched a donation drive to help the beleagured Palestinians three days ago. The latest round of Israeli attacks on besieged Gaza has claimed more than 1,000 lives, mostly civilians including women and children and left thousands of others displaced. -- BERNAMA