Thousands attend funeral of Sabika in Stafford
new york — More than 3,000 members from the Muslim community in Stafford in the US state of Texas and Houston area attended the funeral of Sabika Sheikh, according to American media reports.
The solemn ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon at an Islamic centre in Stafford, which is not far from Santa Fe High School, where the massacre took place.
A number of Santa Fe students attended to pay respect to their classmate who was only with them for a semester, but left quite an impression.
Her host mother here talked about a shawl given to her by Sabika on Mother’s Day, which was hand made in Pakistan, the reports said.
Local dignitaries honoured her life, from Mayor Sylvester Turner to Congresswoman Shelia Jackson-Lee.
Congressman Al Green presented a boxed American flag with an inscription for her family to Consul General of Pakistan in Houston, Aisha Farooqui. It will be presented to her family in Pakistan.
As she did not have family members in Texas to help organise the service, the Islamic Society for Greater Houston planned and organised the funeral, according to reports.
“She doesn’t have any family here, but she has all of us and this whole community that is mourning,” said M.J. Khan, the president of the society. “We are all there to be her family.”
Sabika had been staying with a host family in the Santa Fe area. Her host father, Jason Cogburn, said Sabika and his family learned from each other, and his family even fasted with her during Ramadan. —