Malaysians overseas hold special prayers for flight MH370

The Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 incident has not only brought Malaysians of all races and religions closer but it has also sparked support and empathy from the Malaysian community overseas.

If special prayers (solat hajat) were held nationwide for the safety of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board the missing flight, Malaysians overseas, including Malaysian students' societies, showed their solidarity by holding similar prayer sessions for the recovery of the Boeing aircraft.

Muhammad Luqman Nasaruddin, 26, who is currently doing his PhD at Queens University, Belfast, United Kingdom, said that 30 Malaysian students as well as other members of the Malaysian community held a special prayer last Monday night.

Organised by the Queens Malay Club (QMC) at the Malaysian Students Centre in Belfast after maghrib prayer, the prayers were held in the hope that the Beijing-bound flight would be found soon.

"We pray for the passengers and crew to be found soon and for Allah to make it easy for all efforts, including the search operations, and the family members," he told Bernama by email.

Sheffield Malaysian Students Association (SMSA) also held a special prayer last Tuesday night at the St Andrew Multi-Purpose Hall, said its Islamic Affairs Officer, Zakhuan Rashid in a statement.

In South Korea, the Malaysian Students Association held special prayers last Tuesday night at four universities, namely Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Inha University and Seoul National University.

According to Azril Wanchik, 32, husband to the Counsellor of Training and Education at the Malaysian Embassy, Malaysians in South Korea were hoping and praying that all passengers and crew on board the flight would be found and safe.

"One of the passengers on the flight is my office mate. Prior to coming to Seoul, I was an officer in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)," he told Bernama.

He was referring to Mohd Sofuan Ibrahim, 33, who had just been assigned to Beijing, China for six months as second secretary at the ministry's branch office there.

In Doha, Qatar, Malaysians working with Doha-based Al Jazeera Television station also did their bit spiritually apart from updating the latest news on the missing aircraft.

Senior engineer at Al Jazeera's English Channel, Mohd Zahed Abdullah, said that there were 24 Malaysians working at the TV station.

"Spiritually, we share the concerns of all Malaysians and offer our prayers and sympathies to families of the passengers and crew members," he said.

The Malaysian community in Doha also held special prayers for the flight which had gone missing for six days.

Flight MH370, which vanished about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41am on Saturday, was due to land at the Beijing airport at 6.30am the same day.