St. John's Muslim community buries slain mother of 5, launches trust fund campaign
The St. John's Muslim community has bid farewell to a woman who was allegedly murdered earlier this month by her estranged husband, and is now turning its attention to the five young children she leaves behind.
Funeral services took place on Thursday for Nariman Abdul Alghafour, who was found dead in an abandoned house in Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove on the morning of March 5.
The RNC has charged her estranged husband, Ibrahim Alahmad, with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
On Friday, the 8,000-strong Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) announced it was launching a fundraising campaign in order to establish a trust fund for the children, who are ages six to 13.
MANL president Syed Pirzada said members of the association felt it was their obligation to help the children.
Nariman Abdul Alghafour is pictured here in this CBC file photo. The mother of five is originally from Syria, and was a mother of five children between the ages of 6 and 13. She was found deceased in an abandoned house outside of St. John's on March 5, and police have charged her husband with her murder. (CBC)
The online crowdfunding campaign will be accessible through MANL's website, and will be co-ordinated by a platform called LaunchGood, which has close links to the global Muslim community.
Any funds raised will be managed by MANL's executive, said Pirzada, and will be used exclusively to support the educational and financial needs of Nariman's children.
Pirzada said the children are essentially orphans, and have very few family connections in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Muslim community is trying very hard to keep the children together, said Pirzada.
So he's calling for an outpouring of support for the children, similar to what happening in London, Ont., in 2021 when four members of a Muslim family were deliberately struck and killed by a pickup truck. The driver of the truck was later convicted of first-degree murder.
Nariman Abdul Alghafour's body was discovered at this abandoned property on Liam Drive in Outer Cove on March 5. (Terry Roberts/CBC)
Pirzada said Muslims in this province are still comforted by the overwhelming show of support in 2017 after six Muslim men were killed inside a Quebec City mosque. In a show of solidarity, hundreds of people formed a "human shield" around the mosque on Loby Bay Road.
He said the Muslim community is once again in shock, and saddened, and in need of support.
"They have their whole lives in front of them," said Pirzada. "That's why we decided … we need to do something."
The family is originally from Syria, and came to Canada about a decade ago, but based on a paper trail of legal documents at provincial court in St. John's, the family was being torn apart by allegations of abuse.
Alahmad was under a court order to stay away from his family as charges against him for assault, forcible confinement and death threats worked their way through the legal system.
Ibrahim Alahmad is the estranged husband of the woman found dead on a secluded road in Outer Cove on March 5. He faces charges of, among other things, first-degree murder and kidnapping. (Ibrahim Al Ahmad/Facebook)
It's alleged Alahmad abducted Nariman from the Virginia Park neighbourhood of St. John's on March 5, after she delivered the children to school. He then allegedly drove five kilometres to Liam Drive in Outer Cove and entered an abandoned house, where he killed his wife.
A witness has told CBC that Alahmad entered a business next door to the abandoned house that morning, covered in blood and with injuries to his neck and wrist.
Alahmad is hospitalized and has made three court appearances by telephone since his since arrest on March 7. He has not said a word during those appearances, and is due back in court on March 27.
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
