Four of 10 Jakim personnel return home

SEPANG: Four of the 10 personnel of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) sent to the Netherlands to prepare the remains of MH17 tragedy victims for burial returned today, and spoke of their unforgettable experience.
One of them, Abdul Manaf Mat, the grand imam of the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, said they had to endure the transition from hot weather to cold and, being the Ramadan month, they had to fast for up to 20 hours.
"When preparing the remains for burial, my thoughts were just on fulfilling my religious obligation," he told reporters at the KL International Airport.
Abdul Manaf, who had headed the Jakim team, and the three other personnel were welcomed at the airport by Jakim director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha.
The 10 imams had been in Ukraine and the Netherlands since July 18.
Abdul Manaf said that in the Netherlands, bodies were prepared for burial at one place unlike in Malaysia where this was done at the nearest mosque.
The Jakim personnel were assisted by those from the Religious Corps of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) as well as the Muslim community in the Netherlands, he said.
Four Jakim personnel,would remain in the Netherlands until the preparation for burial of all the Malaysian Muslim had been completed. – Bernama