Editor’s note: All sources in this article requested anonymity for fear of retribution from the Qatari government.
Northwestern’s Qatar campus moved to remote operations for the rest of the week after NU-Q and national authorities issued shelter-in-place orders, following Iranian missile and drone strikes beginning Saturday.
The United States and Israel conducted a joint-military operation Saturday in Iran, targeting several large cities including its capital, Tehran, The New York Times reported.
Iran carried out retaliatory strikes across Gulf Arab states containing U.S. military bases, including Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha, Qatar, according to Al Jazeera.
Students at NU-Q’s campus expressed fear and uncertainty about the strikes. The air base is stationed about 16 miles from NU-Q, according to Google Maps.
NU-Q students reported hearing loud noises Saturday morning. Several students said they also observed smoke in the sky as the missiles came in waves throughout the day.
“I saw flares going up and a very loud boom,” a Communication senior said. “Then, there was a trail of smoke in the sky.”
Qatar issued several national emergency alerts throughout the weekend and Monday, which alerted people of safety measures.
The Communication senior said he initially thought the national message was just a test. However, the senior said he could see the strikes from the northwest side of the dorms where his apartment is located.
NU-Q sent community members a series of emails Saturday instructing them to stay indoors and sharing available food and wellness resources.
The first AlertNU-QATAR email was sent at 9:50 a.m. Arabian Standard Time, advising students to remain indoors until clearance due to a “potential security threat.”
A second AlertNU-QATAR email at 11:45 a.m. AST identified a “potential missile threat” and instructed NU-Q community members to continue to stay indoors and remain until “an ‘All Clear’ message is issued.”
NU-Q students said they have not yet received an email on specific evacuation protocol.
The University did not comment on specific questions about campus safety, mental health resources or relocation resources. At the time of publication, NU did not respond when asked about injuries at NU-Q or an evacuation plan.
A NU-Q Communication first-year said the strikes Saturday would stop for around two or three hours before starting again several times.
Following a longer pause Saturday evening, a NU-Q Medill senior said they felt the attacks return more frequently around 11:30 p.m AST.
“I saw flashes of light reflect off the building so that made me freak out,” the Medill senior said. “There’s a huge boom sound, the floors vibrate and then the windows are very vigorously vibrating.”
Several students said strikes could still be heard throughout the weekend and on Monday.
On Sunday at 8:27 a.m. AST, Qatar issued another national emergency alert after at least 11 reported explosions, according to Al Jazeera.
Iran also targeted other locations Monday, including Qatar’s energy facilities, civilian infrastructure and the international airport, according to multiple Qatari government spokespeople quoted in Al Jazeera.
A NU-Q Communication junior, who is currently studying abroad on the Evanston campus, said her friend told her the strikes were “the loudest that she’s heard” at around 1 a.m. AST on Tuesday.
Classes at the Qatar campus were initially moved online, according to a Saturday email from NU-Q Dean and CEO Marwan Kraidy. However, on Sunday at 10:09 a.m. AST, Kraidy notified the community that there would be a pause in operations, “including online classes.”
“While we had hoped for greater stability, current guidance indicates that precaution remains warranted. This pause is intended to allow our community to prioritize safety and avoid unnecessary strain during a period of uncertainty,” Kraidy wrote in the Sunday email.
Kraidy sent an additional email Monday at 6:03 p.m. AST notifying the community that NU-Q will continue to remain in remote operations through the rest of the week, but faculty will communicate with students directly on class arrangements.
Having just come off Spring Break, which ended Saturday, the Communication senior said he had been working on upcoming assignments during the missile strikes. He said Qatar’s National Emergency Alert System alarms made it “distressing” to complete his work.
The Communication junior who is on the Evanston campus said students flying back from Spring Break told her they could not return to campus with the Qatari airspace closed.
On Sunday, the U.S. Department of State upgraded Qatar’s travel advisory status to “Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” due to the “risk of armed conflict.” At the time of publication, Qatar’s airspace remains temporarily suspended by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
The University did not comment when asked about travel advice for students returning to campus.
The Communication junior on the Evanston campus said her “heart just sank” when she woke up at around 3 a.m. CST on Saturday for suhoor, the early morning meal that Muslims eat before dawn to prepare for their daily fasts during Ramadan.
She said her phone was “blowing up” with WhatsApp messages from friends and different group chats expressing anxiety from the strikes.
“You’re expecting a month of peace and tranquility, so to see destruction and chaos happening is so much more jarring,” the Communication junior said.
Free packaged meals for iftar, the meal Muslims eat to break their daily fasts during Ramadan, would be provided by the dining halls, according to an email sent by Qatar Foundation student housing. The email added that additional wellness and spiritual support would also be offered to support NU-Q students.
An NU-Q Medill sophomore said students have been supporting each other through communication platforms such as WhatsApp. A member of several online chat groups, he said students share updates and information about the strikes.
Some students voiced mixed reactions about the University’s communication efforts and Evanston students’ responses.
From Evanston, interim NU President Henry Bienen sent an email to the NU-Q community, writing that NU-Q was “in the hearts and minds” of NU community members in Evanston and Chicago.
The Medill senior said she appreciated Bienen’s email.
“Sometimes, it feels like we’re a little disjointed, and we’re not really connected to the main campus,” she said. “So them just recognizing we’re going through this was really nice to see for a change.”
The Communication junior said being on the Evanston campus made her feel disconnected from the strikes happening in Qatar, describing the student response on the Evanston campus as disappointing.
“There’s no sort of compassion or empathy for what (NU-Q students) might be going through,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re part of the same student community, but it just doesn’t feel like that in moments like these.”
The Communication senior expressed disappointment regarding NU-Q’s communication with students, noting how his friends from other schools in Education City received individual phone calls to check-in on their mental health. Those at NU-Q, on the other hand, received a “generic email,” he said.
Education City is the Qatar Foundation’s campus that hosts several other academic institutions, such as Georgetown University and Carnegie Mellon University’s Qatar campuses.
During their time at NU-Q, several students said there have been multiple instances of strikes. However, the Medill senior said she feels more anxious currently because these strikes have continued for a longer period of time.
“There’s just this lingering fear that, ‘What if they’re not able to intercept a missile?’” she said. “‘What if it falls in Education City?’ ‘What if it falls above a dorm?’ I don’t even know the protocol, honestly.”
The Medill sophomore said he feels a sense of uncertainty, especially following increased communication from embassies and President Donald Trump’s announcement of plans to continue strikes on Iran for up to four to five weeks. He noted that he felt like the conflict would “escalate.”
The sophomore said he did not know when the next emergency notification would pop up on his phone, or when they would be cleared to return to normal operations.
“We don’t know when this is ending,” he said.
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