Mohammad’s Birthday

Yesterday was Mohammad’s 24th birthday. That is, it would have been if he would be alive.

Mohammad died last December 26; he was 23 years old.

Mohammed was riding a motorcycle on that Sunday afternoon on the DUKE, wearing a helmet, and keeping on the left, as usual, as he was a careful driver.
The circumstances of the accident and his death are not clear. The photos of the accident show that the motorcycle was completely squeezed under the car from behind from the impact, and the police had difficulties pulling the motorcycle out from under the car. Mohammad’s body lies outside of but parallel to the safety railing at the left side of the road; he lies on the stomach, and his arms are positioned as if he is protecting his head, as if he is lying down with a headache.

There are many questions unanswered:

The car driver stated that he had parked the car on the left side of the highway. Was he really parked there– by itself an offence – or had he missed the nearby junction and was driving backwards at great speed? If he was parked, were his break lights functioning? Why did Mohammad not see him? It was broad daylight, afternoon, with bright sunshine.

What was the driver doing when the accident happened and right afterwards?
And why does Mohammad lie on the other side of the low safety railing in an orderly fashion? With his arms across his head? Was he thrown into such a position? A highly unlikely outcome of the accident.

Was he instantly dead? Or did he still live after the accident and crawled into that position himself, to succumb to his head and leg injuries? Over the safety railing? Very unlikely as well.

Was he carried there and placed in that position? By whom? He was a big, heavy young man. Who called the police?

Mohammed was the eldest son of an Iraqi Palestinian family who have sought refuge in Malaysia from persecution in Iraq a few years ago. The parents received death threats, they feared that Mohammed or another of their children would be kidnapped for ransom, or to disappear forever.

They are registered with UNHCR Kuala Lumpur and wait for their resettlement since a few years.

I had known the young man, as it was he who came to the MSRI office regarding some support for his mother’s medical treatment. He was also the one to bring his youngest sister to the school and back to the house, before going to work.
He was engaged to a very nice Malay girl, whom I finally met for the first time at his funeral. They wanted to get married in 2011, and she was set to follow him to whatever country he would be resettled in.

I accompanied the family during the whole day of the burial, from claiming the body at the morgue of HKL, to the mosque where the body was washed and prepared for the burial, to another mosque for prayers, and last to the cemetery on the outskirts of KL. There were about forty men with the father and brothers of Mohammad. I accompanied Mohammad’s mother on that day in a journey that no mother should have to make. His sisters, nieces and fiancée were also there. I knew of the bad health of the mother, and I feared that she would break down.

I was a witness to the strength of a mother who has to bury her son. Who called her firstborn to wake up and come back, to acknowledge her presence, to reminisce his life with her. She sat on the ground next to the grave after the burial and did not want to leave her son. She talked to him, pleading. Trying to accept, struggling to understand.

But she did not break down. I think that comes later.

Mohammad’s family is still waiting for the police to investigate the accident to find out what happened and whose fault it was. The autopsy report, which was promised to take 1 or 2 months is also not ready yet. RM 80.00 were paid in advance for the report. There was an error in the Death Certificate, which had to be rectified. Time of death was given as a.m., instead of p.m.

The family feels that the Malaysian authorities, the police, hospital personnel, JPJ officers are dismissing their case because they are foreigners, refugees even. They think that the authorities involved are not taking them seriously, are biased against them, and wait for them to be resettled and go away so as not to have to take any action.

Without the police investigation report and the autopsy report the family cannot find out the facts about the accident. Without knowing all the facts they cannot come to terms with their loss. Without these reports, the driver of the accident car will not have to face up to and account for his actions during and after the accident.

The father walked around with red, teary eyes yesterday.

Mohammed would have celebrated his 24th birthday, yesterday.