Palestinian compares virus lockdown to Israel’s occupation

JAKARTA, Indonesia

A Palestinian immigrant living in Malaysia has said the latest stay-at-home order to curb the spread of coronavirus reminds him of life under Israeli occupation.

Muslim Imran, chairman of the Palestinian Cultural Organization of Malaysia (PCOM), said restrictions on movement and living under curfew were part of his and thousands of other Palestinians' daily life back home.

"This is nothing new for us. Many of us live under Israeli occupation and curfews," said Imran.

He said that for Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza uninterrupted electric supply is a far-fetched dream due to Israel's sanctions on fuel.

The man, who moved to Malaysia in 2003 at the age of 17, recalled how Israeli forces restricted Palestinians from visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Despite residing at close proximity to the mosque, he added, citizens under the age of 50 had to obtain prior permission to pray.

"Every day in Palestine we experienced things worse than MCO [Movement Control Order]," said Imran.

He said that as a result of the restrictions, many Palestinians live below the poverty line and more than 50% are unemployed.

However, Imran said that he understands that life under lockdown is also not easy for Malaysians as public transportation and people’s movement are restricted.

"We, Palestinians, pray that this pandemic will soon pass," he added.

Palestinian refugees lost their jobs

With the new lockdown measures, Imran said, the Palestinian diaspora in Malaysia has been hit hard economically.

"There are more than a hundred people who lost their jobs," he said.

Imran said there were some 5,000 Palestinians in Malaysia. Of them, 3,000 are students and another 1,000 refugees, while the other are expats with various professions.

The doctoral candidate at the University of Malaya said many refugees came to Malaysia after the Iraq war erupted in 2003. The wave of refugees then re-emerged after the Syrian War broke out in 2011.

He said his organization is actively supporting Palestinian refugees in need.

"We give assistance to families in need. So far, we have provided food stamps and packages to hundreds of Palestinian households," he said.

Malaysia imposed the first phase of lockdown on March 18 and later extended it.

*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo