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Student debate team raises funds for Syrian refugees

All the funds raised by the Debate Club will be used to pay for the education of more than 20 refugee students.
All the funds raised by the Debate Club will be used to pay for the education of more than 20 refugee students.

Student debaters and their college friends at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have raised 50,000QAR to provide support for refugees forced from their homes by the conflict in Syria.

The money raised by the WCM-Q Debate Club will now be sent to buy urgently needed supplies for a refugee school located in the Diyarbakir region of Turkey, about 500 miles from the Syrian border. Delivered through the Qatar-approved Eid Charity, the funds will be used to provide full, on-going education for more than 20 refugee students, and educational necessities.

Pre-med 2 student, Sara Al-Quradaghi, who initiated the fundraising drive, said: “I wanted to do this because being sorry and angry isn't enough; we need to do something to help others and only then will we deserve to be future doctors. I would like to thank Dr. Sharkey, all the members of the Debate Club and all my fellow WCM-Q students for making this happen.”

The Debate Club raised the money as a result of fellow students sponsoring individual debaters. The club then held a debate on the motion: This house believes that the international community has failed those caught up in the refugee crisis such that the only equitable solution is for said community to begin the process of naturalizing the extant refugee population.

Fourth-year medical student Ahmad Almeer, president of the WCM-Q Debate Club, said: “The Debate Club is extremely grateful that so many people have given so generously to buy supplies for the Syrian refugees currently displaced in Turkey. We thank everyone involved who made this a success.”

The students drew lots to determine which side of the debate they would argue. Arguing for the motion were students Shehrya Khan, Alaaeldin Elsayed, Ahmed Daniyaal Rasheed and Dayyan Adoor, while arguing against the motion were students Irfan Helmy, Syeda Razia Haider, Amina Kunnummal and Ahmad Almeer. Under the British Parliamentary debate format, each side of the motion consists of four debaters further divided into two teams, one giving the opening argument and one the closing on each side of the motion. Of these four teams of two debaters, only one can emerge victorious. After a fiercely contested debate that drew plenty of cheers and boos from the lively audience, Daniyaal Rasheed and Dayyan Adoor, who gave the closing argument in favour of the motion, were declared the winners.

Debate Club vice president and first-year medical student Cleo Reyes said:

“The participants prepared thoroughly for the debate, practicing for about a month. Our aim was to put forward a high-caliber discussion, not only to inform the public about the refugee situation but also to evoke their sympathy and bring the topic closer to our hearts.”

Dr. Rodney Sharkey, associate professor of English at WCM-Q, said: “I am proud of the WCM-Q student community who, without fuss or fanfare, made this significant positive intervention in the lives of others less fortunate than themselves. It remains my great honor to be associated with these wonderful, thoughtful young people.”