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SINGAPORE – The sound of wailing air raid sirens fills the air daily amid the escalating Iranian war, but more than 40 Singaporeans studying in Middle East universities are hoping for the best and choosing not to come home.
Fears of not being able to return and hopes of finishing their studies are some of the reasons for them being hesitant about leaving.
One such student is Ms Siti Fatimah Abdul Rashid, 22.
She first moved to Irbid in Jordan in 2023 to pursue a degree in Islamic jurisprudence, a field of Islamic science that studies interpretations of syariah or Islamic law.
“On Feb 28, I was woken up by emergency sirens,” she said in a video interview with The Straits Times.
Ms Siti said this was not the first time she has heard emergency sirens in her neighbourhood.
The emergency siren, sounded by the Irbid government to warn citizens of overhead missiles, is a signal to stay indoors or find shelter.
Once the danger of falling debris from intercepted missiles is believed to have passed, another siren is sounded to signal to residents that it is safe to come out, Ms Siti added.
“This time, it’s much worse than I’ve ever experienced,” she said.
She added that the sirens can be heard three or four times daily. In the past, such as during the Israel-Palestine conflict, sirens were sounded only once a day, or every two days.
Ms Siti said: “I have heard it every day since
the first US-Israeli strike on Iran
.”
