Islamic Community Planning to Hold Jenazah Prayers for Bronx High-Rise Fire Victims
The ritual is considered an essential part of the funeral service in the Islamic faith.
“When you die, we have to bring you and pray on you and ask Allah to place you, to accept you. This is very important, I cannot even describe it,” said Imam Musa Kabba of Masjid Ur-Rahmah mosque in the Bronx, according to CBS Global.
The Janazah will be held at the Islamic Cultural Center in Manhattan.
Funeral services for all 17 fire victims are being paid for through the Mayor’s Fund.
The bodies of those killed in the horrific Bronx fire were taken to an Islamic funeral home on Friday ahead of a mass funeral scheduled for this weekend, New York Post reported.
At least 14 of the 17 victims — many of whom were Muslim immigrants — were wheeled into the Paak funeral home in Queens to be cleansed and wrapped according to Islamic tradition.
Covered by white sheets, the stretchers carrying the bodies were moved one-by-one into an elevator inside the funeral home and then lowered to the basement level.
The communal funeral for the victims, who all had ties to Gambia, is set to be held at the Islamic Cultural Center in the Bronx on Sunday — exactly a week after the tragedy occurred.
Funerals for at least two of the victims — sisters Seydou Toure, 12, and Haouwa Mahamadou, 5 — were already held Wednesday at a mosque in Harlem.
Source: Agencies
