UWC student Hajar Kagiso Al-Tha’irah Ahjum Mathee shares a light moment with her mother Kadija Ahjum after she returned home following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

Imagine being stranded on a boat in the middle of the open seas, cut off from your family, with no sense of time, but just uncertainty, while surrounded by armed soldiers and frightened fellow passengers. This became a reality for a University of the Western Cape (UWC) student Hajar Kagiso Al-Tha’irah Ahjum Mathee after the Global Sumud Flotilla she was travelling on on the way to Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces in May.

Ahjum Mathee, who is pursuing a Master's degree in Bioscience at UWC, is back home in Cape Town after participating in the international humanitarian initiative along with some 430 activists from across the world.

Between 18 and 20 May, the Israeli military intercepted and boarded vessels in international waters - about 268 kilometres off the Gaza coast.

Activists on board were detained and taken to Ashdod in Israel, where many were later held in prison facilities before being deported to their home countries via Turkey, following growing international pressure.

UWC student Hajar Kagiso Al-Tha’irah Ahjum Mathee and her mother Gadija Ahjum at UWC’s main campus after she returned home. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

Sharing her experience while flanked by her mother, Gadija Ahjum, the 22-year-old - the youngest of the activists and one of only six South Africans onboard - described the experience as anxiety-inducing and fraught with uncertainty. She said those onboard, many of whom had their wrists bound with cable ties and were forced to sit in crouched positions, never knew what would happen from one moment to the next.

“It’s an experience where you are constantly on edge because you never know what is going to happen next. If you upset one of the soldiers, you upset them all. Even your existence seems to annoy them. Hearing a soldier say things like, ‘I feel like killing someone today’, really affects you psychologically,” she said. 

She described how Israeli soldiers pushed her around, tore her headscarf into pieces and assaulted many of those on board. She said several other Muslim women also had their hijabs confiscated. She said the women Israeli soldiers were a lot rougher and violent than male soldiers, and also noted that European activists received a lot more harsh treatment and beatings than others.

UWC student Hajar Kagiso Al-Tha’irah Ahjum Mathee and her mother Gadija Ahjum infront of UWC’s library. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

“They pushed you around more and would leave you sitting in stressful positions for hours in the sun, while playing the Israeli national anthem on repeat. Every time a soldier walked past and saw you move, they would tighten the cable ties around your wrists so much that you lose the feeling on your hands, and would hold your neck down so that you don't move your head around,” she said. 

Although she is still processing much of the psychological trauma that she experienced, Ahjum Mathee has no regrets and said she would join a flotilla mission again if given the opportunity, as it aligned with her values of standing up for global justice and supporting the liberation of Palestinians.

“Palestinians have been crying out and pleading for assistance for decades while facing ethnic cleansing and oppression. So, give me some ointment for my bruises, but I would go again tomorrow,” she said.

Ahjum Mathee said taking part in the mission resonated with her multiple identities as a Muslim, a South African, a UWC student, and a young woman.

“Every part of my identity was telling me that I needed to stand up for global justice. I couldn’t continue watching the atrocities that are happening. I felt I needed to take a more hands-on approach,” she explained of her decision to join the mission.

Gadija Ahjum, a radio presenter at Radio 786, said she marvelled at her daughter's “strength, resilience and determination” in upholding universal values such as justice, human dignity, kindness and compassion.

“When she told us she was going [on the flotilla], it was a statement from her side. She didn’t require permission from us as parents,” she said. “It is that expression of commitment to those values that I marvel at.”

@uwconline Back home. Back with family. Back at UWC. Hajar Ahjum-Mathee shares what this moment means to her and the message she has for the UWC community that supported her throughout. #IAmUWC ? Emotional Epic - SILVANA INSPIRA