Sadness and dejection dominate the Islamic community in Oss. A 24-year-old man from their ranks died in an accident in Uden on Saturday evening. A death prayer in the mosque at the Industrial Park East is attended en masse on Tuesday afternoon. “He was a very good boy,” says Enes Çetin, spokesperson for the mosque.
There is no longer a parking space at the Mescidi Cuma mosque this afternoon. “His death has caused a stir. I expect two to three hundred people,” says Enes. According to him, normally twenty or thirty people attend afternoon prayers. “It has a lot of impact because he was so young. He was always cheerful, friendly and hard working. This is indescribable. It is very intense. It affects many young people.”
“His mother was of course very sad. I have not yet been able to speak to his father,” says mosque goer and former director Mustafa. “He was a quiet boy. I always saw him in the tea room. He always asked how I was doing.”
The coffin is brought outside, because there is not enough space inside. Everyone stands around it, according to good custom. “This is the least you can do,” says 31-year-old Mehmet. “It is very important to be present at someone’s last prayer. Many people take time off.” The death of the 24-year-old hits him hard. “This is a wake-up call. Tomorrow is not certain. I have two brothers of around that age,” sighs Mehmet.
According to him, the funeral will take place later in Turkey. The victim lived in Oss, but according to mosque visitors he moved to Uden with his father a few years ago. He died there on Saturday evening in a collision at the intersection of the N264 with the Wilhelminastraat in Uden. It is still unclear exactly how the accident could have happened. Local residents have been complaining about dangerous traffic lights for some time, they told Omroep Brabant on Monday.
The mosque has distributed a mourning message on social media and writes in Arabic: “We wish the deceased Allah’s mercy. May Allah have mercy on him and may his resting place be paradise.”
