“She Was All Of My Dreams”: Watch Aiia Maasarwe’s Family Bring ‘The Project’ Panel To Tears
"Now I have to do that all alone," said Noora, the murdered woman's sister. "To accomplish my dreams and her dreams as well."
In early January this year, Aiia Maasarwe, an international student studying at La Trobe University in Melbourne, was murdered.
Maasarwe’s death sent shockwaves across the nation. Her murderer was apprehended within days; the ensuing trial covered closely by the media. When her family visited from Israel, they were welcomed with arms as wide open as Australia could make them.
Now, Maasarwe’s murderer has been sentenced, and the young woman’s father and sister have appeared on The Project to tell their side of the story.
In the heartbreaking interview, Maasarwe’s father Saeed called her death the world’s loss, and described his daughter as a loving, sensitive person, whose memory he would carry with him for the rest of his life.
“Even [Aiia’s] best friend in Melbourne here was very grateful that she got to meet her,” said Noor, Maasarwe’s sister. “And to learn from her. She was very grateful for that.”
Later, the pair were asked whether they had forgiven Maasarwe’s murderer. While her father revealed that he did not want to see the man in any kind of mental pain, her sister revealed that she was still angry.
“You can’t just forgive him,” said Noor. “She was a very big part of my life. She wasn’t only my sister. She was my best friend. She was all of my dreams. And now I have to do that all alone. To accomplish my dreams and her dreams as well.”
But ultimately, both members of the Maasarwe family acknowledged that Aiia would want them to be happy.
“She didn’t want us to stay in the dark and be sad,” says Noor. “She would be very sad if she see that. She wants us to be happy and live in the moment and enjoy our life, just as she did.”
Watch the full interview below: