UAE leaders, people pay respects as Shaikh Khalid laid to rest
The UAE is in an official three-day mourning period since Tuesday; flags flew at half-mast
Sharjah: Rulers of Emirates, shaikhs, top officials, and Emirati and expat well-wishers on Wednesday joined the funeral prayer and burial of Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi, son of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
Shaikh Khalid passed away in London on Monday and was buried in Jubail graveyard a little after 9am on Wednesday in Sharjah. The funeral prayer was held at King Faisal Mosque at 9am, not far from the graveyard.
The UAE is in an official three-day mourning period since Tuesday; flags flew at half-mast.
Shaikh Mohammad offers condolences
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai offered condolences to His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on the death of Shaikh Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, the son of Ruler of Sharjah, reports WAM.
While visiting the mourning Majlis held at Al Bade’e Palace, Shaikh Mohammad expressed his heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Dr Shaikh Sultan, praying to Allah Almighty to rest the deceased soul of in peace.
On Wednesday morning, police and security personnel directed mourners as well as regular traffic around King Faisal Mosque, its parking lot and surrounding streets.
Some cars were let through while most cars were redirected. A number of people walked to the huge mosque, once the UAE's largest.
People sat down inside the mosque's main hall ahead of the funeral prayer. The front part of the giant prayer hall was reserved for VVIPs who entered through a separate door at the front. Attendees stood in respect for shaikhs as they arrived. Security personnel in Emirati attire remained standing the whole time.
There was a virtual silence interspersed only by words of prayer or a greeting as people meet each other.
The sound of a helicopter landing in the lawn near the mosque reverberated through the prayer hall before silence blanketed the hall again.
At 8.58am, worshippers stood up and made neat rows moments before the funeral prayer. A few minutes later, as the prayer concluded, Shaikh Khalid' s bier, draped in a black cloth, was carried out for transport to the burial ground.
A convoy of cars and security vehicles flowed to the graveyard; some people made the distance on foot. Shopkeepers in the area stepped out to see the proceedings.
Shaikh Khalid was laid to rest in a simple unmarked grave, a mound of raised earth with small stones covering the grave.
As VVIPs streamed out after paying their respects, many residents marched in to also offer prayers for the deceased.
Condolences will be accepted at Al Bade’e Palace for three days after Asr (afternoon) prayer, which nowadays is held around 4pm.
UK-educated designer
Shaikh Khalid was a London-based fashion designer, with his label Qasimi being very popular.
According to his website, he moved to the UK when he was nine.
He was educated at Tonbridge School, where he was awarded an art scholarship upon entry, and went on to read French and Spanish at University College London, subsequently completing a degree in Architectural Studies at the Association School of Architecture.
It was here that he found his true vocation: designing clothes. He moved to Central Saint Martins, winning a place on the college’s prestigious BA Womenswear course, and launching his label Qasimi Homme several years later in 2008. Now stocked internationally, the designer had shown as part of London and Paris Fashion Weeks, and won accolades for his smart, sensitive exploration of socio-political subjects — particularly those pertaining to the Middle East — in his collections.