The man mourning 170 loved ones

Hundreds of Muslims rushed to five mosques in the center of Myanmar, as the calling prayer in Sagaing last Friday was called.

They were eager for the last Friday prayer for Ramadan, a few days away from the EID’s festival, which would display the end of the holy month.

Then a fatal earthquake occurred at local time 12:51 (06:21 GMT). Three mosques, including the largest temples, collapsed, and Myoma killed almost everyone.

Hundreds of kilometers away, SOE NAY OO, the former IMAM of Myoma Mosque, felt the earthquake of Mae SOT in the Thai border village.

The next day, he knew that 170 of his relatives, friends, and 170 people were died mainly in the temple. Some were the main characters in the nearby Muslim community in the city.

“I think about all the people who have lost their lives and the children of the victims. Some of them are young children.” “I can’t shed tears when I talk about this.”

More than 2,700 people died in the earthquake and died near Sagaing and Mandalay, the second city of Myanmar. As the rescue team continues to pull the body from the debris, the number of deaths is expected to rise.

The area was famous for being an ancient Buddhist temple, but the city was also a great hometown of the Muslim population.

According to a person from Monday, Min Aung HLAING, a leader of this country, about 500 Muslims died in prayer in the temple.

Sagaing’s witnesses said that the road to the BBC was the worst hit in the city. Many other houses on the street have also collapsed.

Hundreds of people found a shelter next to the road. Now I am afraid of returning home if I am homeless or aftershocks. Food supply has been reported to be lacking.

Only in myoma, more than 60 people said they were crushed by collapse, and more scores died in Myodaw and Moekya Mosque. More corpses were still turned off on Tuesday.

According to SOE NAY OO, there is a sign that worshipers tried to escape.

He is currently escaping from Myanmar and lives with his wife and daughter in MAE SOT, Thailand. A coup in 2021.

He said that there was a body found outside the hall in the area where worshipers were washed on their own. Some have also been found to hold the hands of others.

Among the many loved ones, SOE NAY OO LOST was one of his wife’s cousin. He said her death was “the most painful thing I endured.”

SOE NAY OO said, “She was the most love to us.” Everyone in the family loved her. Loss is unbearable to us. “

One of his wife’s cousin, a respected businessman who made Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, died.

“He always called me NYI LAY [‘little brother’ in Burmese]… When I married my wife, he said that we were a family now, and he always treated me like his younger brother, ”said SOE NAY OO.

“He was always there for us whenever we needed him. I lost loved ones like that brother.”

Some of the dead friends who died remembered a strong work ethical and amazing talent in reading the Qur’an, including SOE NAY OO’s former assistant IMAM.

The principal of the local public school, the only female manager of Myoma Mosques, also died. She was often remembered by SOE NAY OO as a generous soul who paid an employee program in her pocket.

He said he experienced a new wave of sorrow whenever he heard about others in a dead community. “I feel desolate. It always comes to my heart.

“Although they were not relatives, they were always welcoming me, followed my prayer, and together.”

The fact that they died in Ramadan is not lost to him. “You will say that all who have left have returned to Allah’s house. They will be remembered as martyrs accordingly,” he said.

Like other areas of Myanmar, which are influenced by the earthquake, the community is struggling to deal with numerous bodies.

It was complicated by the ongoing fight between the military Junta and the resistance group. Sagaing’s Muslim Cemetery has been closed to the public for several years, close to the controlled area of ​​the rebels. The army continued to bomb the region, depending on the earthquake.

According to SOE NAY OO, the Muslim community of Sagaeing City had to move the dead body to Mandalay by crossing the Irrawaddy River using the only leg that connects the two cities.

Their bodies remain in the largest temple in Mandalay for the store. Some were not buried within 24 hours per Islamic tradition.

“It’s the saddest thing for Muslims to not be able to bury the family at the end of the trip,” he said.

Survivors have tried to help rescue even if they cope with the trauma. “Some of our community told me to do it for them. Honestly, when they talked to them, they could not explain the loss in words.”

SOE NAY OO is difficult to be far from his previous congregation. good night Many other people from Myanmar who moved abroadHe feels guilty of survivors.

“If I’m still this mom, I would have gone with them at the time of the earthquake. I can accept it peacefully. Otherwise, I can at least be on the ground to do what I can do.

“I can’t go back now. It’s painful to think about it.

SOE NAY OO has begun stupid. “I feel this sad and frustrating feeling I have now, I didn’t feel it like this in my life. I’m a person who will rarely cry.

He added that he could not sleep for several days. His worry has been expanded by the fact that he has not yet heard some of his family’s opinions, including his brothers and sisters in Mandalay.

SOE NAY OO has been suspended from Thai human rights groups and helps to adjust Sagaing’s rescue efforts to share information from the city’s contacts.

He estimated that at least 1,000 Muslims in the region were still in need of help.

“Every time someone on the ground asks for help, you can feel relieved and help.”