YEKATERINBURG, July 5 Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday at the Abu-Khanifa mosque in Yekaterinburg to see off a six-year-old boy whose guardian is accused of killing him, a correspondent reports.
The farewell ceremony began in the center of Yekaterinburg at 9.00 Moscow time. Despite the weekday, about 200 people gathered on the territory of the mosque, they had bouquets of flowers and toys in their hands — they were not allowed to place them near the deceased, as this is contrary to Muslim customs, but they promised to take them to the cemetery.
The farewell was originally supposed to last three hours, but due to hot weather it had to be reduced to one hour. All those who came were given bottles of water. Medics and police officers were on duty at the mosque.
The body of the child, covered with a green veil, according to Muslim traditions, was placed under a canopy not in a coffin, but on a special stretcher board. At the head is a tombstone with the name and date of birth. December 2022 is indicated in place of the date of death — it is still not known exactly when and how the boy died.
«Thanks to everyone: to all the search teams, to everyone who was worried, to everyone who was with Daler. I know that everyone is grieving,» the boy's cousin Shamsiddin Bobiev, who could not hold back his tears, addressed the audience.
At parting, in addition to the servants of the mosque, an Orthodox priest also spoke, who noted that in order for a child to feel good in a foster family, only a little compassion is needed and love.
When all the words were said, a Muslim prayer to the deceased sounded over the territory of the temple, and then the body was taken to the car. The child will be buried at the Muslim cemetery in the village of Gorny Shield near Yekaterinburg.
The search for the missing six-year-old boy, who, according to the foster mother, left the apartment in an unknown direction, began in Yekaterinburg on June 26. More than 1.5 thousand specialists and volunteers were looking for the boy. Three days later, the child's body was found in a bag in a metal garage.
It turned out that the boy died a few months ago, and his adoptive mother hid it, continuing to receive monthly payments for his maintenance and guardianship. Also, according to the Investigative Committee, the woman systematically beat the child. A case of murder of a minor, torture and fraud was initiated against the guardian, the court arrested her.