Assalamualaikum warahmatullah..

This might be rather delayed, due to the shock and trauma, most of us in Japan are surviving day by day. Aftershocks are felt everyday, and the epicentres are migrating. A quake of magnitude 7.0 has 70% chance of occuring in the next 2 days. Nauzubillah. May Allah protect us all.

Alhamdulillah.. and thank you for the doas from all muslims around the world. We really appreciate the concerns and doas at this time of need. Especially for most muslimahs, they are terrified and foreigners who don't speak Japanese very well are traumatized. At this moment, the most that is needed is spiritual and emotional support.

I have been living in Ichikawa-shi for nearly 7 years (Chiba prefecture), about 250 km from the epicentre of the initial quake off Miyagi prefecture. The Friday quake really took us by surprise, and even in this part of Japan our houses rattled and our belongings toppled from the upper shelves. Pipes burst, roads cracked and sunked. Lifelines, were at a hold, especially mobile networks were suspended and only landlines were available soon after the quake. Most depended on the internet to convey msgs and check the current situation of family and friends (especially Facebook). Only Allah knows how the people of Tohoku were effected. Innalillahirojiuun. Rabbi yassir walatuassir ya karim. La hau la wala kuwwataillah billah.

Currently, the authorities are still trying to gather more information on the extent of the damage. At this moment, the most needed apart from food, and water are spiritual and emotional support.

The MSF assessment team are in Sendai (Miyagi) and have reported that at this moment medical needs are met. Please refer to their website and liase with them accordingly.
http://www.msf.org/msf/articles/2011/03/japan-quake-msf-team-assesses-quake-battered-area.cfm

The Islamic Circle of Japan has already started a relief cell to aid the Tsunami victims. InshaAllah.
http://www.icoj.org/

Otsuka Mosque,Tokyo can also be contacted for inquiries on relief aid. http://www2.dokidoki.ne.jp/islam/benri/m_otsuka.htm

As I write this, my house has rattled several times due to the aftershocks. May Allah protect us, and give us patience and strength and May Allah bless all of you for the doas and prayers. Jazakallah..

Wassalam.

Tengku Zetty Maztura , MBChB Sheffield, Ph.D. Tokyo.

*Some Malaysian students have fled to other areas and return home to Malaysia. However, this is not possible for all due to financial constraints. The Malaysian embassy have contacted the students in Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate. Alhamdulillah they are at evacuation centres.