Students and faculty from St. Lawrence, SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson will be coming to Eben Holden for the Benefit Gala for Rohingya Refugees on Friday, Nov. 30.   The event is hosted by the Islamic Culture Club and Habitat for Humanity and begins at 6 p.m. The money raised by the event will be sent to aid the displaced Rohingya people of Myanmar.

The Rohingya people of Myanmar have been subject to increasing military violence ever since August 2017, causing many to flee over the border to neighboring Bangladesh.  

The Myanmar government stated that the military offensive is only directed at militant aggressors, but the United Nations described the violence in northern Myanmar as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” However the United Nations is unable to act because the Myanmar government has denied targeting citizens.   

The plight of the exiled Rohingya is the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis, according to the BBC. The refugees have been fleeing across the border to the Bangladesh town of Cox’s Bazar, which is now sheltering over 700,000 Rohingya people.   These refugees often lack the basic means of living, and the Benefit Gala will provide food and shelter for the refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

The event will feature dance and song performances and poem readings.   Student art will also be featured along the sides of the Gala, and there will be a raffle tickets sold.   

The event will have three keynote speakers: Damon Berry, Professor of Religious Studies, will be speaking about the history and facts about the conflict, Daniel McLane, Professor of Environmental Sociology, will be speaking about the impacts of climate change on refugees, and a representative from the Islamic Relief USA will be presenting their experience working in the camps with refugees and on the border of Bangladesh-Myanmar.

Many SLU students feel it is their duty to help the causes of these refugees in any way possible, and this gala is one of the ways to stand up for the Rohingya people.   “The Islamic Culture Club sees muslims around the world facing problems and religious discrimination,” says Aida Gueye ’22. “We feel responsible and feel very concerned about this, and want to raise this money to help them.”

The Benefit Gala for Rohingya Refugees will start at 6 p.m. in the Eben Holden conference room. South Asian and Middle Eastern Cuisine will be served, and students can pay for their ticket with dining dollars.   

All proceeds from the event will go to Islamic Relief USA to benefit the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Students who are unable to attend can still donate to the event’s GoFundMe and can find the link at thehillnews.org