RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Quiet scenes of grief and unity were evident at Couva on Monday afternoon, as hundreds gathered to bid a sombre farewell to Amina Mohammed, a 68-year-old grandmother whose life was cut short in a violent home invasion on Saturday evening.
The love and kindness she had shown throughout her life brought together family, friends, and strangers to honour her memory. Many of her former staff at Rentokil Limited, where she worked as a supervisor before her retirement eight years ago, gathered to share their agony.
An hour before her body arrived at the house, the streets surrounding the Mohammed family’s home were already lined with vehicles as mourners came in.
Chairs were placed on the roads and sidewalks to accommodate the crowd.
Mohammed’s only son, Ahmad Saleem, and daughter, Fatima, grieved quietly as they received condolences from those who came to honour their mother’s memory.
Speaking to Guardian Media, nephew Brian Baig said they were heartbroken.
He described his aunt as a kind, generous, and peaceful woman whose violent death had shaken them to the core.
“We are struggling to deal with this,” he said.
Imam Maulana Ahmad Khan of the Couva Masjid led the Janazaa prayer. People offered collective devotion as they prayed for forgiveness and peace for Mohammed and all Muslims.
Saying it was a dark day in the nation, Baig said, “It is sad to know a lovely, quiet, caring, and peaceful grandmother could die violently,” he said.
Fellow Muslim Shiraz Khan complained about rising home invasions, speaking of another recent home invasion in Carlsen Field where his neighbour lost his life. He described the Mohammed family as a “perfect Muslim family.”
Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh also attended the funeral, condemning the attack as a failure of the state to protect its citizens.
“Here is a law-abiding, peaceful lady who, in the sanctuary of her home, was brutally murdered. Her husband, after 46 years of marriage, must now grapple with this unimaginable loss,” Indarsingh lamented.
On Saturday evening, the night of the attack, Mohammed had been dishing out food for her family when the thieves, dressed in dark clothing and masks, broke in.
Her husband Nazem, who was watching the news, was tied up by the intruders as they demanded cash and jewellery. After managing to free himself, he discovered his wife’s lifeless body on their bed.
An autopsy revealed she died from stab wounds to her neck.
She was laid to rest at the Couva Muslim Cemetery.
