Hundreds of people from across the UAE turned up to pay their respects to a woman who died while giving birth to twins — leaving behind her newborns and husband — after a social media appeal urged residents to attend her funeral.
Sudanese expat Marwa’s friend Aya said the family was blown away by the support the community showed them. “The prayer hall was so full that some people were praying outside,” she said. “People came from different emirates. Many were people who read it on the news. We really felt like Marwa was so blessed that the whole UAE became her family.”
There was heavy traffic towards the Al Qusais Cemetery Mosque in Dubai after Asr prayers. Cars were parked on one side of the E11 highway as people made their way into the mosque to join the funeral prayers. Even an hour after the prayer, people kept flowing into the cemetery and the mosque to pay their respects.
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‘Felt compelled to come’
Syrian expat Marwa Mohammed said that she had driven to Dubai all the way from Abu Dhabi just to attend the funeral. “When I read the message that she died giving birth to twins and she had the same name as me, I just felt compelled to come,” she said. “I left the house at around 1pm because I wanted to beat the traffic. I arrived at the cemetery around 3pm and then sat there praying for her.”
On Friday morning, social media account Janaza UAE posted that the woman did not have any family members here and called on residents to attend her funeral prayer. “She has no family here except her husband. Be her family and brothers,” the appeal said.
However, Aya clarified that Marwa did have two sisters in the UAE. She said the three sisters lost their parents a few years ago and did not have any male blood relatives. “Marwa was really a beautiful soul,” she said. “I cannot believe she is gone.”
She added that the newborns were in the care of Marwa’s sister right now. “God willing, she will continue to care for Marwa’s children like her own,” she said.
Indian expat Bilal arrived almost an hour after the prayer was over but he made his way to the mosque. “I came straight from work and I thought I would reach on time but there was so much traffic to get to the graveyard that it took me 45 minutes to cover 1.5 kilometers,” he said. “I usually try to attend funeral prayers regularly but seldom is it so crowded. I watched the ambulance with her body whizz past me on the hard shoulder as I sat in traffic. I briefly considered following the ambulance on the hard shoulder but I felt it would be disrespectful to her memory.”
Bilal didn’t know Marwa or her family but he felt that compelled to come. “I knew that even if she didn’t have many relatives, the UAE community would show up as her family,” he said. “I also wanted to come as a brother to this woman to let those who she left behind know that they are never alone in this country.”
Source: Khaleej Times
