Shukri Yahya Abdi, a beautiful 12 year old Muslim girl, was found dead on 28th June 2019, allegedly murdered, in River Irwell in Greater Manchester.
The bite marks found on her body lent credence to Shukri and her family’s complaints of bullying to the school over which nothing was done. These included racial harassment, name calling, being the butt of jokes and being made fun of.
At the inquest into Shukri’s death earlier this year in Manchester Town Hall, it was revealed that on the day of her death some girls had followed her, shouting racial abuse. Furthermore, an unnamed girl and one of the alleged perpetrators of her killing had confessed to threatening to kill Shukri while another had laughed while the poor girl drowned!
While Manchester Police are treating the death as a tragic accident due to drowning, the Muslim community and others are not convinced or satisfied with this designation and call for a full murder investigation into this cruel and callous killing.
Our sister Shukri died in barely 6 feet of water, and despite her inability to swim, her family are adamant that their loving daughter was a responsible and level-headed girl rarely prone to the kind of reckless or impetuous action that would lead her to venture into perilous activity.
We are heartened by the fact that the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, celebrities such as John Boyega, and the daughter of Malcolm X (may Allah be pleased with him), Ilyasah Shabazz are calling for justice. We too demand justice for Shukri Abdi and her family as we would for any victim of a crime following the Qur’anic teaching
“O you who have believed, persistently stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah even if it be against yourselves, parents or relatives…” [Surah Nisa, 135].
There can be no true peace for her family until there is justice. The Lewisham Islamic Centre urges anyone with information about this tragic killing to please come forward and to try to right a most heinous wrong. We also encourage everyone to sign this petition:
We ask Allah Almighty to grant sabr (the best kind of patience) to the family and loved ones of Shukri Abdi to bear this heavy loss, and we beseech Allah Almighty to bless our beautiful sister Shukri Abdi with Jannah al Firdaws with the best and most honoured of people to have walked this earth.