The Michigan State University community is mourning the death of a visiting fellow.
Tariq Thabet was a Fulbright Scholar at the university, studying economic development and entrepreneurship in developing countries as part of the Humphrey Fellowship Program. His research focused on empowering small business owners in places like Gaza, where he was from.
According to the Kyle Hess, the program manager for the Humphrey Program, Thabet also worked with the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, where he fostered entrepreneurship in the Greater Lansing Area. Thabet's goal, per Hess, was to take his experiences and knowledge gained in the U.S. and bring it back home to Gaza to better his local economy.
Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, Thabet was known for his genuine smile and warmth, and used to attend prayer at the Islamic Center of East Lansing.
According to the center, Thabet and 15 members of his family in Gaza were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 29. A vigil at the Rock at MSU is planned for Tuesday evening.
WKAR's Megan Schellong spoke with Islamic Center of East Lansing Trustee Thasin Sardar to learn more about Thabet's legacy.
Interview Highlights
On Tariq Thabet
Tariq came from Gaza, as you may know, which is effectively under siege by Israel for several years. And you could never tell that from the smile on his face. He was warm, always smiling. You could not tell that he came from a place where he was enduring a lot of difficulty already. His goal here was to learn and give back to his people and his community back in Gaza. And to that end, he always had an upbeat, positive attitude to life and tried to make the most out of his time here in East Lansing.
On common misconceptions about Gaza
People overwhelmingly want this war to end. But the lawmakers are not equating, not considering all life to be equal. They're certainly taking sides here. That has been the case for decades. So people need to inform themselves.
On the legacy Tariq Thabet leaves behind
Tariq came here to learn and equip himself with skills so that he can help his people in return. So I feel we can honor his life and legacy by helping his people in more ways than he would have wanted to. And that is by calling for an end to the cycle of violence. We need a ceasefire right now. Perhaps we can all collectively call our lawmakers and tell them enough is enough. No more killing of the people in Gaza who have nothing to do with the conflict. No more Tariqs need to pay their lives.
Interview Transcript
Megan Schellong: This is Morning Edition on WKAR. I'm Megan Schellong. The Michigan State University community is mourning the death of a visiting fellow. Tariq Thabet was a Fulbright Scholar studying at the university as part of the Humphrey Fellowship Program.
He and 15 of his family members were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Thabet was known for his genuine smile and warmth, and used to attend prayer at the Islamic Center of East Lansing.
Thasin Sardar is a trustee at the center. He joins us now to honor Tariq Thabet. Thasin Thanks for joining us.
Thasin Sardar: Thank you Megan.
Schellong: First off, how are you feeling?
Sardar: I feel saddened that the precious young man's was cut short. Even worse is the fact that his entire family has perished in this bombing. His little kid, his wife, older parents, grandparents. None of whom had anything to do with this so-called conflict [but they] have had to pay a huge price.
I'm deeply saddened to see the multi generations of the Thabet family being taken out in a strike for no fault of theirs.
Schellong: What's happening right now in Israel and Gaza is horrifying. When we look back at Tariq's life, can you tell us what he was like? I mentioned, you know, his genuine smile and warmth. Tell us a little bit more about Tariq.
Sardar: Tariq came from Gaza, as you may know, which is effectively under siege by Israel for several years. And you could never tell that from the smile on his face. He was warm, always smiling. You could not tell that he came from a place where he was enduring a lot of difficulty already. His goal here was to learn and give back to his people and his community back in Gaza. And to that end, he always had an upbeat, positive attitude to life and tried to make the most out of his time here in East Lansing.
Schellong: Was there anything Tariq told you that he had been hoping to accomplish during his time here in East Lansing?
Sardar: One thing he certainly missed was his wife and kids. He told me on more than one occasion, "oh, I wish they were here with me to have this pleasant time here in the Greater Lansing area." So I know he missed his family during his entire stay here.
Schellong: What is a common misconception that is being circulated in the news right now that you would like to dismantle?
Sardar: The biggest misconception is how the war is being sold to the people in the U.S. We have 1,400 Israelis that were killed. And almost 10 times as many people in Gaza have been killed. And people are not showing empathy for, I should say, the lawmakers, not the people, because the people overwhelmingly want this war to end.
"You could not tell that he came from a place where he was enduring a lot of difficulty already. His goal here was to learn and give back to his people and his community back in Gaza. And to that end, he always had an upbeat, positive attitude to life and tried to make the most out of his time here in East Lansing."
But the lawmakers are not equating, not considering all life to be equal. They're certainly taking sides here. That has been the case for decades. People need to inform themselves.
A high-ranking State Department official [Josh] Paul, who resigned in protest against the U.S. policy there. So did a top UN official in New York, he resigned as well, calling this a genocide that's happening. So let us call what it is. It is a form of genocide. And no more civilians need to die. Let's treat all life as equal.
Schellong: What legacy does Tariq leave behind?
Sardar: Tariq came here to learn and equip himself with skills so that he can help his people in return. So I feel we can honor his life and legacy by helping his people in more ways than he would have wanted to. And that is by calling for an end to the cycle of violence. We need a ceasefire right now. Perhaps we can all collectively call our lawmakers and tell them enough is enough.
No more killing of the people in Gaza who have nothing to do with the conflict. No more Tariqs need to pay their lives. No more Tariq's children need to pay their lives. So I hope this violence can be brought to an end. And our lawmakers have the power to do so. Let's call our lawmakers and honor Tariq's life and legacy by ending the cycle of violence.
Schellong: That’s Thasin Sardar. He’s a trustee at the Islamic Center of East Lansing.
He joined us today to honor MSU Fellow Tariq Thabet who died in an airstrike in Gaza.
The vigil for Thabet is tonight at 6 [p.m.] at the MSU Rock.
Thanks so much, Thasin.
Sardar: You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.