Slain Ottawa sisters mourned, brother charged in killings
Beyond drifts of snow at the gates of Ottawa Muslim Cemetery on Sunday, grief-stricken mourners said farewell to slain sisters Asma and Nasiba A-Noor, who in life touched many by their devotion to family, community and the Qur’an.
Only 32 and 29, the sisters were remembered at their funeral as “inspiring and influential” members of the Somali community. Nasiba taught Islamic Studies to girls at the Tarbiyah Learning Centre.
More than 1,500 mourners attended their funeral, and many said the sisters were bright, popular, and too young to die.
Ottawa police were called to the McCarthy Road home around 9 p.m. Friday. Detectives say their lives were cut short by their 29-year-old brother Musab A-Noor, 29, who is charged with first and second-degree murder in the
killings.
He was arrested after he was spotted by the railway tracks not far from the McCarthy Road crime scene. He was treated at hospital for minor injuries, then taken to a cell in the bowels of the Elgin Street police station.
A funeral was held at the Jami Omar Mosque in Ottawa Sunday December 18, 2016 for sisters Asma A-Noor, 32, and Nasiba A-Noor, 29 who were killed Friday night. Their brother, Musab A-Noor, 29, has been charged with first-and second-degree murder in their deaths. Men carry the casket of one of the sisters out of the mosque to an awaiting van to bring them to rest at the Ottawa Muslim Cemetery. Ashley Fraser/Postmedia.
His first court appearance was scheduled for Sunday morning, but A-Noor was the only one who didn’t show up. He refused to leave his cell and court heard that he’s suicidal. He was to be taken from police headquarters on Sunday to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre and kept on suicide watch until a Monday appearance in mental-health court.
The funeral for the slain women, attended by more than 1,500 mourners — including many of Nasiba’s former students — was one of the largest in Bells Corners history.
At the service, Anver Malam, imam and founder of the Jami Omar Mosque, described the sisters as eloquent and bright, and said the community has been stricken by “grief and pain” in light of this “tragedy.”
“When someone dies like this, it’s a moment of reflection,” Malam told mourners.
A funeral was held at the Jami Omar Mosque in Ottawa Sunday December 18, 2016 for sisters Asma A-Noor, 32, and Nasiba A-Noor, 29 who were killed Friday night. Their brother, Musab A-Noor, 29, has been charged with first-and second-degree murder in their deaths. Men carry the casket of one of the sisters out of the mosque to an awaiting van to bring them to rest at the Ottawa Muslim Cemetery. Ashley Fraser/Postmedia.
Moments after the two caskets were carried out of the mosque, Malam told the Citizen that the sisters were so keen on not only studying the Qur’an, but teaching it.
Then he added: “The key message is that if anyone needs mental-health help, they should seek it. And if anyone sees strange, or abnormal behaviour, don’t just ignore it. Talk about it and seek help for mental health, and try to find the problem,” he said.
The Islamic leader also said that if society doesn’t “address the root causes” of mental illness, “it’ll keep coming back.”
Malam also said Ottawa is going through “difficult times” and that “lack of education” and “broken homes” are only added to one’s “state of mind.”
Suad Mohamed, who knew the sisters for the past 10 years, said she’s heartbroken.
“Both of them were the nicest people you would ever meet,” Mohamed said. “There are people that live in the city that are contributors, contribute to the good of the city. They were that kind of people that you can really say that about, and not just say it because it’s something people say when people die.
“Really, they were the definition of good citizens. … It’s too bad that they had to die so early.”
Police were called to the McCarthy Road home around 9 p.m. Friday. Heavy snow didn’t help with the routine of combing for evidence outside the home and at the nearby train tracks, where the accused was arrested.
With files from Joe Lofaro
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Source:Ottawa Sun