An eight-year-old girl who died after an attack in her home was “full of life” and is a “tragic loss” to the community, the local imam has said.
Malika Noor Al Katib died in the early hours of Monday after suffering stab wounds.
Imam Rashid Munir said her mother is gathering the “strength” to do “the last thing she can do for her own daughter” through an Islamic cleansing ritual before she is buried.
The schoolgirl was at home in New Ross, Co Wexford, with her mother when the incident happened on Sunday night.
It is understood that she had attempted to intervene when her mother was attacked by a man known to them.
She was taken to University Hospital Waterford but died from her injuries in the early hours of Monday.
Mr Munir told the PA news agency: “She was a great child, very jolly, very smiley. All the time she was laughing and she was looking forward to have a great future.
“I have a 10-year-old son, Mustafa, and whenever, since this incident happened, I see Mustafa he looks like Malika to me.
“She was a great child and she was very enthusiastic. She was full of life, and she wanted to achieve something great, but time – did not give her enough time.”
A man in his 30s was released from hospital on Tuesday and arrested on suspicion of murder.
Malika’s mother received treatment at University Hospital Wexford after the incident, and Mr Munir said she also has a long process of emotional recovery ahead.
He said: “As we know, she was wounded as well. Physical recovery, it might take a few days, maybe a few weeks. Obviously the doctors, they will be the best people to tell you about that. But psychologically she’s not going to recover for a long time.
“Obviously she lost her child and I want to keep her privacy at this time, but for any parent, this is not a normal, natural process, a natural course.
“Yes, it’s hard, it’s heartbreaking, if we’re going to bury our parents, but that’s the reality, and that’s a very natural course, but it’s very unnatural a mother, she’s going to bury her own child, single child. It’s not easy for her.”
The post-mortem examination conducted by state pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis took place on Tuesday, but the results will not be released for operational reasons, gardai said.
When Malika’s body is released back to her family, her mother will be a part of preparing her for her burial.
Mr Munir said: “That’s a very important ritual for any deceased in Islam. Somebody dies, and after that, we have to do the washing, what we call, in Arabic, ‘Ghusl’ washing and cleansing.
“And that must be done. We will see the situation and the condition of the mother if she is able, although I have advised her to go.
“For the first seven, eight years, especially for a mother, she does everything for her own child, from tying the laces of the shoes, to feeding her, to giving bath, changing the clothes, ironing the clothes, everything. So probably this is the last thing she can do for her own daughter.
“That’s what I advised her, to gather herself, and I don’t know where she’s going to bring that strength and power to give last bath to her own daughter and, Inshallah, we’ll try our best to bring her for the washing, along with her there will be Muslim sisters.
“Inshallah, they will be doing all the washing, which takes about 30 to 45 minutes, and right after that, Inshallah, we arrange the burial, and we bring the body to the Kilbarry cemetery in Ballybeg and bury her there.”
Mr Munir said the whole community is in “deep sadness”.
“I’m receiving phone calls from Wexford, from New Ross, from Malika’s school, from Malika’s principal, from their neighbours. They are all in pain. They are all feeling this tragic loss,” he said.
He added: “We are all going to miss Malika. This is a human loss.”
A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the inquiry and an incident room has been set up at New Ross Garda Station.
Officers are appealing to anyone who may have any information to come forward.
