Tears flowed like a river from the faces of nine-year-old Laila Subhan and her brother Saleem, seven, as the bodies of their slain family were laid to rest yesterday.Sitting in the laps of relatives as they witnessed the janazah (muslim funeral) for their father Beryco Subhan, 48, sister Sherifa, 15, and brother Musa, four, at times seemed too unbearable for them.
The janazah was held a stone's throw away from the family's Ackbar Trace, Fyzabad home where their cousin, 38-year-old Silvan Alladin, stabbed them to death on Thursday night. It was even tougher on the children as their mother Rasheeda Alladin, 34, who survived a slash to the throat, was still warded at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital, unaware of her children's death.
A sobering message from Sherifa's principal, Mufti Waseem Khan of her Darul Uloom school in Cunupia, reminded mourners that death knocks on the doors of everyone.He said the only consolation to the tragic deaths was that true believers never die, but go closer to God."Every person and thing has a time in this universe and that time will come to an end. Whether it is when we are young, old, sick or healthy, it will come to an end.
"It is sad to know that they have gone in this way; we wish them the best and ask Allah to shower His mercy on them."Offering words of condolence, MP for the constituency, Transport Minister Chandresh Sharma said such brutality has been seen in other countries around the world, but in recent times it had shaken T&T. He said the only way to save the country from similar tragedies was to bring back spiritual values back into communities.