The tsunami disaster that struck Aceh on 26 December left Acehnese students at Al-Azhar as grief-stricken and propertyless as their compatriots back home, writes Gamal Nkrumah The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional economic grouping of 10 Southeast Asian countries, bore the brunt of the cataclysm that devastated Indian Ocean rim countries last month. In Cairo, Acehnese students at Al-Azhar frantically tried to communicate with their families back in the Indonesian province of Aceh much of which was ravaged by the tumultuous waters. The low-lying coastal areas, in particular and even the capital Banda Aceh, now lay waste. Said Mubarak, 25, lost all his family except for a brother who was not in Aceh when disaster struck. "I trust in God. My faith is my consolation," Mubarak said. "We are all going to die some day," he added. There are some 300 Acehnese students in Cairo, mostly studying at Al-Azhar University, and nearly all have lost at least one member of their family or a friend. Some 60 Acehnese students at Al-Azhar have lost close family members in the wake of the tsunamis. All, however, have been affected one way or another by the cataclysm. About 24 Acehnese students at Al-Azhar have lost their entire families in the cataclysm. Fear has hung as one terrifyingly big question mark over the fate of the families and friends of these students in the wake of the dreadful cataclysm. They have been left utterly bereft of anything save their faith. Aceh, in the far northwestern corner of Indonesia perched like a tropical paradise of the northern tip of the country's largest island Sumatra, was the land where Islam was first introduced to Indonesia. The Acehnese, to this day, are among the most devout of Muslims in Indonesia -- itself the world's most populous Muslim nation. The white-and-red Indonesian flag that flew half mast above the Indonesian Embassy in Garden City, Cairo, was no longer flapping when mourners gathered in the embassy grounds throughout the first week of January. The pitiful sight of the distraught Acehnese students who assembled at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo was heart wrenching. Others had come to pay their condolences to the Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Bachtiar Ali who lost 15 family members in the tsunami catastrophe. The ruinous earthquake and the gigantic tidal sea surges, or tsunami, triggered chaos and mayhem and left in its wake a trail of death, disease and destruction. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, and the Indonesian province of Aceh the worse-affected area in the far- flung country. Coastal livelihood in Aceh was devastated inflicting a terrible social and psychological burden on the affected communities. And, the tsunamis that caused such a loss of life and destruction in the Indian Ocean rim countries had a wide range of political ripple effects. However, most of the students in Egypt are very reluctant to be drawn into discussions about politics in Aceh. They would not elaborate on the political aftershocks of the tsunami. No student interviewed by Al- Ahram Weekly ventured to talk about GAM, the common acronym for the Free Aceh Movement, the separatist armed opposition group that seeks independence from Indonesia. Aceh province has been closed to outsiders for more than two years. Tensions were running high in the war-torn province long before disaster struck. In an unprecedented development, the Indonesian authorities and GAM have tacitly connived to assist the work of the international emergency relief agencies. Both the Indonesian government and GAM have refrained from taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Aceh or of making political capital out of the cataclysm. As far as the Acehnese students in Egypt are concerned, the safety and well-being of their families and friends back home take precedence over political questions. Pronounced the world's worst natural catastrophe, the tsunamis that hit Aceh had an especially disastrous impact on the economy of the war-torn Indonesian province. Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, the two largest cities of Aceh lay in ruins. The infrastructure of the province was badly damaged. Even though Aceh is one of the main oil-producing parts of Indonesia, it has traditionally been economically sidelined and its people complain about the chronic underdevelopment of their province. Today, they are among the worst- affected victims of the tsunamis in southeast Asia. So far both the Indonesian government and GAM have held the peace in Aceh. It remains to be seen if the current hiatus caused by the tsunamis will set the tone for their wider relationship. The Acehnese students in Egypt, most of whom are acutely aware that they are the leaders of the future, declined to comment on the political future of Aceh. Moftaheddin Abdul-Wahid, who lost his wife and daughter in the cataclysm, hurriedly completed his papers and flew home to Aceh to mourn his dead family. He was looking forward to returning to Indonesia with his young family after completing his studies in Egypt. But his dreams were so horribly shattered and he returns to the land of his birth to pay his last respects to the dead. What pained him the most is that he could not even bury his beloved wife and daughter. Since disaster struck Acehnese students have been making frantic phone calls only to be greeted by dead silence. Many people are still missing in Aceh -- a United Nations estimate puts the number at 100,000, most are feared dead. Seven students at Al-Azhar couldn't stand the suspense anymore and flew to Indonesia to find out the whereabouts of their kith and kin. While many bereaved families mourn their dead, others try to accommodate relatives rendered homeless by the tsunamis. Many of the relatives of the Acehnese students in Egypt have joined the new class of penniless and homeless dwellers in Aceh. Amna Yusra, 24 years old, told the Weekly that his cousin was missing. "We do not know if he is alive or dead." Yusra, who studies theology at Al-Azhar said that his family had lost all their property. "We lost everything," he said. "Special prayers are being held for our relatives, friends and all the victims of the tsunamis," he said. "Five years ago I said good- bye to my mother, and I left Indonesia to study in Egypt, but I never thought that I shall not see her again." Faith, it seems, has saved the day for many. "My faith in God enables me to accept everything. My faith in the Almighty has strengthened my resolve to be a good Muslim especially after this disaster," said Yusra. "I do not know what the long-term impact of the disaster will be on the political situation in Aceh. Much will depend on the manner in which the Indonesian authorities handle the relief and reconstruction processes," Ahmed Faisal told the Weekly. "Aceh has never had peace. Not since the days of Dutch and Japanese colonial rule. We have historically been accustomed to trials and tribulation." The Asian diplomatic community has lent a helping hand to the Acehnese students. ASEAN Night, an annual get-together organised by the eight ASEAN embassies in Cairo for their families and staff, was a sombre occasion this year. When the ambassadors and diplomatic staff members of the embassies of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mynmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam met on the floating restaurant Nile Dragon on Friday, a minute silence was observed in remembrance of the dead. Senior officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present including Deputy Assistant Minister for Asian Affairs Ambassador Maher Baddar and Minister Plenipotentiary Hoda Naguib, director for ASEAN at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ASEAN Night 2005 raised 30,000 Egyptian pounds. "These came from donations collected at the event as well as a charity auction. Four air tickets sponsored by Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and Thai Airways as well as a golf membership sponsored by JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club were auctioned to raise more than 25,000 Egyptian pounds," explained Tan Hung Seng counsellor of the Singapore Embassy in Cairo and chairman of the deputy chief of missions of ASEAN countries in Egypt told the Weekly. Sudar Mawan, counsellor for information at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo said that the money raised, some of which will be donated to the Acehnese students in Cairo, was handed over to the Indonesian ambassador in Cairo and is essentially earmarked for the victims of the tsunami cataclysm in Indonesia.
