REMEMBERING ALIJAH GORDON - fi-sabil-Allah

How ignorant I could be of Alijah Gordon of MSRI (Malaysian Sociological Research Institute) and her monumental efforts to save and ease the pain of Palestinian refugees?

It was towards the end of her lifespan I came to know her personally. It was the Letters column in the NST of August 15, 2001 that alerted me that MSRI was looking for sponsors for Palestinian children in refugee camps.

I volunteered and MSRI arranged an 11-year old girl by the name of Dina Miri in the Borg ash-Shemali Camp, Tyre, South Lebanon to be my god-daughter in December 2002.

Her father was bedridden and she had 4 siblings.Alhamdullillah, she is now happily married about 2 years ago.

Refugees fled from Palestine and living in a camp at its early state (R).

Alijah, born on March 29, 1929 was the eldest of four siblings. She began a few words like 'good girl' 'doll' at the age of 7 months.

With the Egyptian Ambassador to the UN, 1951 (R).

Alijah's 406-paged autobiography was published in 2003. My wife and I visited her on August 25 of that year and she was already bedridden. On the second page of the book we bought she signed and said " In-sha-Allah this will be followed by Part II - pray for me ...." She completed writing Part II. I got to check whether it has been published yet.

Alijah wrote 4 other books including 'In the Time of the Mishmish'. In the dedication page of 'The Real Cry of Syed Shaykh al-Hady' she penned a message (R) which I have yet to fulfill.

Moga Allah cucuri rahmat kapada jasad Alijah yang sentiasa berjihad semasa hidupnya.