RIYADH, 6 August — Riyadh Deputy Governor Prince Sattam and Prince Bandar ibn Salman ibn Mohammed representing Prince Abdullah, the regent, joined thousands of people from all walks of life and nationalities at the funeral prayers for Dr. Maneh Al-Johani, secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, whose mortal remains were laid to rest in the Naseem graveyard yesterday.
Dr. Johani died in a car accident on Sunday after he returned to Riyadh from London after learning about a burglary at WAMY’s headquarters on Friday. Funeral prayers for the deceased were held at the Al Rajhi Mosque in the Rabwa area yesterday.
Senior officials and employees of WAMY, including assistant secretary-general Dr. Saleh Al-Wohaibi, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Quayid, former assistant secretary-general, also joined the funeral prayers. There was a large turnout at the burial ground in Naseem following an announcement earlier in the day about Dr. Johani.
Later, speaking to Arab News, Dr. Wohaibi said the mourners came from all over the Kingdom. Besides the Saudis, they included Arabs, Africans, Pakistanis and Kashmiris, whose cause the late Dr. Johani had espoused from WAMY’s platform. “It shows the popularity of WAMY and Dr. Johani’s own personality that drew people from Jeddah, Makkah, the Eastern Province, Abha and Arar. By turning up in large numbers, the people made a clear and loud statement that WAMY and Dr.Johani worked for the cause of Islam as well as for the oppressed, the needy and refugees. It was an emphatic recognition of the role that Dr. Johani played as WAMY’s secretary-general,” Dr. Wohaibi observed.
Describing the gathering of mourners as unprecedented, Abdul Malik Mujahid, general manager of Maktaba Darussalam, said: “Never in my life have I seen such a huge crowd of mourners. I am broken-hearted. But we have to accept Allah’s will. It is a great loss for the Islamic world. What distinguished Dr. Johani as an Islamist was his sincerity and devotion to the cause of Islam, his simplicity and high-mindedness that impressed all those who knew him. And I had met him hundreds of times in his office, at home and in my house. No amount of words could describe the depth of my feelings over this irreparable loss.”
Meanwhile, Abbas Afesh, Dr. Johani’s brother-in-law and head of WAMY’s Dawah committee, said his head was severely fractured following the impact of the accident. “The skull had broken in two. As for the car, it was damaged beyond recognition.” Abbas quoted an eyewitness as saying that Dr. Johani’s Mercedes, which was racing at high speed, rolled over several times on the King Khaled International Airport Road following the tire blowout. Abbas wondered whether Dr. Johani had any premonition over what was in store for him. “My brother-in-law, who disliked TV and video, had bought a video camera for his children. (He had 16 children — seven girls and nine boys). He played with them and spoke warmly. He said this was a gift for them to remember. This kind of conduct was unusual, given his busy engagements.”
A WAMY source told Arab News that Dr. Johani, who was engaged in several activities, besides his own work as secretary-general, often used to start late to catch airline flights. So he was given to speeding in order to make up for lost time.
According to a study conducted by the traffic security department, tire bursts are a major cause of serious traffic accidents in the Kingdom.
The study noted that during the 80 days of summer holidays in the year 2000, 146 accidents were caused by tire bursts. There were 75 overturns, 62 crashes and nine head-on collisions that resulted in 22 deaths and 113 injuries.
