US Dar AlNoor mosque leader’s death is ruled suicide

After a 200-car procession to the Stafford County cemetery, the mourners stood politely in line in the oppressive July heat for a turn to shovel clay on the blue casket bearing Mohammad Mehboob’s body. But some did not want to wait for the shovel, so they grabbed at dirt to sprinkle it across the coffin, the dust swirling and then settling on their sweat- and tear-streaked faces.

The men who formed the lines and the women who maintained a respectful distance were relying on their faith to bring a semblance of order out of chaos. Mehboob’s body had been ritually bathed and wrapped in cotton; Muslim prayers for the dead had been murmured (continue reading...)