Former imam mourns 170 loved ones lost in Myanmar earthquake
Hundreds of worshippers were killed as they gathered for their final Friday prayers of Ramadan, days before Eid celebrations
As Myanmar reels from the devastating earthquake that has claimed over 3,000 lives, a former imam is mourning the loss of 170 loved ones who perished when mosques collapsed during Friday prayers in Sagaing last week (28 March).
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday at 12:51pm local time, destroying three mosques, including the largest, Myoma.
Hundreds of worshippers were killed as they gathered for their final Friday prayers of Ramadan, days before Eid celebrations.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Among those grieving is Soe Nay Oo, the former imam of Myoma mosque, who now lives in Thailand. He lost relatives, close friends, and members of his former congregation in the disaster, reports BBC.
"I think about all the people who lost their lives, and the victims' children - some of them are young children," he told the BBC.
"I can't hold back my tears when I talk about this."
More than 500 Muslims are believed to have died in the quake, according to Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
Sagaing's Myoma Street, home to multiple mosques, was among the worst-hit areas, with collapsed buildings and desperate survivors seeking shelter on the roadside.
"There were bodies found outside of the main prayer hall, in the area where worshippers wash themselves," Soe Nay Oo said.
"Some were found clutching other people's hands, in what looked like attempts to pull them away from the crumbling building."
His grief is particularly heavy for one of his wife's cousins, whom he described as "the one who showed her love to us the most."
Another relative, a respected businessman who had performed the Hajj pilgrimage, also perished.
"He always called me Nyi Lay ['little brother' in Burmese]. When I married my wife, he said we are family now, and he always treated me like his own little brother," Soe Nay Oo recalled.
The principal of the local public school, who was also the only female trustee of the Myoma mosque, also died. She was remembered by Soe Nay Oo as a generous soul who would often pay for mosque programmes out of her own pocket.
The community's struggle has been further complicated by ongoing conflicts between Myanmar's military and resistance groups.
The Muslim cemetery in Sagaing has been inaccessible for years, forcing families to transport their dead across the Irrawaddy River to Mandalay for burial. Many bodies have not been laid to rest within 24 hours as per Islamic tradition.
"For Muslims, it is the saddest thing that we cannot bury our families by ourselves at the end of their journey," he said.
The fact that they died during Ramadan is not lost on him.
"All the departed have returned to Allah's home, I would say. They will be remembered as martyrs accordingly," he said.
Now, far from home, Soe Nay Oo grapples with survivor's guilt.
"If I were the imam still, at the time of the quake, I would have gone with them—that I can accept peacefully. If not, at least I could be on the ground to do anything that I can. Now I can't go back. It's painful to think about it," he said, breaking into sobs.
Despite his grief, he has paused his human rights work in Thailand to help coordinate rescue efforts in Sagaing.
"I feel relief only whenever somebody on the ground asks for help, and I can help them," he said.
