University of Saskatchewan students calling for ceasefire in Israel-Gaza war

The Muslim Students’ Association at the University of Saskatchewan led the campus community in a walkout on Monday in support of Palestinian people caught up in the conflict in Gaza.

Monday’s event was part of a series of similar rallies organized by the students’ association.

Mohamad Alhmaydi is an executive member with the Muslim student group, and he says they are standing in solidarity with the children of Gaza and are calling for an immediate ceasefire in the region.

He said it’s important for students at a university where future leaders are being educated to take a stand and lead by example.

The group marched around campus chanting things like “ceasefire now” and “Palestine will never die.”

Mohamad Alhmaydi (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News)

“We called students and faculty and staff to come out today. If this were to happen here or anywhere, we’d wish that other universities and people at the university would stand up and speak up for the injustices that are happening,” Alhmaydi told CTV News.

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The 22-year-old, third-year computer science student is no stranger to war. He’s from Syria, where he said he was forced to leave and flee to Lebanon because of war. He lived in a camp in Lebanon for a few years before moving to Canada in high school.

“The university wants us to be the leaders of tomorrow, we want them to stand up and make a stand and be the leaders that they are today. If they want us to be the leaders of tomorrow, they have to stand for the world and lead by example,” he says.

There are about 150 students in the Muslim Students’ Association at the U of S.