SACRAMENTO  — The harrowing pictures from the Israel and Hamas war have left many emotionally distressed, including nursing Sacramento State University nursing student Amanda Aikawa.

"It's stressful," Aikawa said. "And, of course, you know the impact on human lives is very distressing."

What You Need To Know

  • Sacramento State held a roundtable event for students and the community to ask questions about the Israel-Hamas conflict

  • Several members of the communty came out to attend the event

  • Associate Professor of Humanities and Religious Studies Harvey Stark and Director of the Iranian and Middle Eastern Center Sahar Razavi organized the event after receiving many requests for answers on the situation

  • Sometimes the discussions got heated

She, along with many students and the wider Sacramento community, gathered at a roundtable event by the university to allow people to ask questions and provide some clarity about the war.

The topic is a hard one, Aikawa said, to talk about.

Would you feel comfortable talking about the war with others? 

"Probably not currently," Aikawa said. "Because I feel like I have a lack of knowledge to be able to speak on the subject."

Associate Professor of Humanities and Religious Studies Harvey Stark and Director of the Iranian and Middle Eastern Center Sahar Razavi organized the event after receiving many requests for answers on the situation.

"What I really want my students to know is that this conflict isn't primarily about religion," Stark said.

Razavi mentions that many people in the West believe much of the fighting in the Middle East is because of religious beliefs, but often, it's due to many other issues.

Many of the issues surrounding the war between Hamas and Israel stem from the West wanting to draw borders around the end of World War 1 to establish new countries in the Middle East, such as Israel.

"We see something out in the world where people are fighting and we say let's draw some borders on the basis of ethno-national identity and transfer populations according to those borders, and that must solve the conflict," Razavi said.

Even though, at times, discussions became heated.

Audience members like political science student Jordan Rivers were pleased to have a space to discuss openly such an intense situation.

"We pride ourselves on being a diverse campus," Rivers said. "That should also include diversity of opinion and thought and making sure everyone feels included."

Aikawa, overcome with emotion by the end of the session, said the conflict had taken on a new light for her.

"I'm kind of sensing how people feel in the room," she said. "And to know whatever I'm feeling is just a drop in the bucket, of just the pain in this room, in this world."

And while she still has many questions, Aikawa said she's thankful she feels more educated and understanding of others.