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The father of murder victims Asfira Riza Syed (11) and Faizan Syed (6), and their mother’s husband Seema Banu Syed (37) crouched on the ground next to their open coffins, stroked their faces and cried in his funeral in Dublin on Friday. .
Sameer Syed led the mourners as the three were buried in a single plot, in the Muslim section of Newcastle Cemetery in Dublin. The oak casket of his wife Seema was lowered first, followed by the white caskets of his son and daughter.
Gardaí continues its investigation into the three deaths after their bodies were found at their home at Llewellyn Court in Ballinteer on October 28. The children died from strangulation, while the precise circumstances of Syed’s death remain unclear.
Although his family, in the Mysuru city area of Karnataka, India, had attempted to have the bodies repatriated for burial, it was Mr. Syed’s wish that they be buried in Ireland. The funeral prayers at the Islamic Cultural Center in Clonskeagh and the burial were broadcast live to the family.
The bodies had been washed and wrapped according to Muslim tradition at the Islamic center on Friday, before being placed in coffins and brought to the mosque, for Salat-al-Janazah, or funeral prayers.
The short service, led by Imam Hussein Halawa, took place shortly after 1 p.m. During it, the sound of children in the central Muslim national school playing outside could be heard.
Two hearse carried the coffins on the 30km journey to Dublin’s West Cemetery, where Syed with others lifted the coffins and threw them to the ground, for a second Salat al-Janazah, led by Imam Jameel Mutoola of the Irish Mosque Suffi. Mourners took off their shoes for prayers in Arabic.
Several members of An Garda Síochána, dressed in civilian clothes, remained near the entrance to the cemetery during the funeral.
The coffins were carried from the small parking area to the grave site and placed side by side, parallel to it. Here they were opened up and mourners, which included members of the Muslim community, residents of Ballinteer and Indian Ambassador Sandeep Kumar, were asked to step back as Mr. Syed crouched beside them.
He unwrapped the white shroud that covered his wife Seema’s face, leaned down to touch her, kissed her fingers first, and prayed. He repeated this process, first with Asfira Riza and then with Faizan, increasingly annoyed. When the coffins were closed again, several mourners came forward to help him to his feet.
After the coffins were lowered one by one into the graves, the mourners threw three handfuls of earth on the last coffin, from Asfira Riza, in accordance with Muslim tradition. The full grave was then covered with roses, daisies, and carnations.
Iman Mutoola and Umar Al Qadri, chairman of the Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council, led other prayers, in Arabic and English.
As the mourners dispersed, Mr. Syed remained on his knees at the head of the tomb, with his eyes closed and his hands outstretched in prayer, for several minutes.
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