SHORT TAKES: The Day It Went ‘Boom’

By: M.Zulkifli

At the old main campus of the International Islamic University Malaysia in Petaling Jaya where I read law more than three decades ago, there was a segregated dining section with a variety of food stalls including Malaysian fare, middle eastern and the American donut chain, Dunkin Donut. 

This area was understandably always busy, especially after classes with brothers and sisters getting their breakfast or lunch, and catching up on the happenings of the day. 

One fine afternoon, while we were buying our chicken mayo sandwiches and Boston Kreme donuts, and discussing the latest Lord Denning quote, a loud booming sound rippled across the campus. 

The buildings literally shook for a good few seconds, and everyone was in panic mode.

Everyone, except a group of Bosnian students who went about chomping on their croissants, as the locals recited some doa and ran for cover.

After the bout of panic simmered down, we got to know later that the thunderous sound was caused by a sonic boom. (A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound – Wikipedia.)

It’s both funny and sad, but we also thought that the Bosnians didn’t flinch because they were used to the sound of bombs falling around them.

But that’s what made our years at IIUM in the 90s more profoundly meaningful. 

We had students from war torn and troubled countries amongst us. And it developed a sense of empathy and genuine sympathy for those who’re been tested by Allah in a different way.

There were Bosnians, Albanians, Somalis, Chechens, Afghans etc, and we got to learn so much by listening and learning from their life experiences. While they felt fortunate to be given the opportunity to further their studies in a country like Malaysia, we could sense that their heart and soul were always back home. 

One of the memories that has stuck with me until today was seeing these foreign students walking around campus with shortwave transistor radios in hand, searching desperately for a signal so that they could get breaking news from their respective countries. To know if their families are safe, or otherwise. 

And for us, it became a constant reminder to always be grateful for all of Allah’s blessings and that fact that we live in a peaceful land of abundance.