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Suleman Din in New York
After much waiting, the Ahmed family laid Shajeda Ahmed to rest on Tuesday evening.
The 12-year-old had disappeared along with her sister Jubeda and cousin Rahela Begum off the shore of Rockaway Beach on July 23. They were at the Queens beach for a family outing, wading along the shore, when a strong riptide carried them far out to sea.
Police found Shajeda's body on Monday afternoon, after they were alerted by a 911 call. She was the only girl remaining to be found.
Police divers discovered the body of Jubeda, 16, on Saturday, floating one mile from where she was last seen.
Rahela Begum, 14, was found minutes after she disappeared, almost four miles from where she went into the water. Rescuers could not revive her, and she was buried on July 24.
Shajeda's body was brought to her hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, where a janaaza namaaz (funeral prayer) was read for her in the street adjacent to Masjid Jalalabad, just as the Bangladeshi Muslim community had done for Jubeda and Rahela only days before.
The drownings garnered much press coverage, and the Ahmed family occasionally displayed the stress of having to mourn the tragic deaths publicly.
They prayed for days to Allah that he might return their missing daughters from the Atlantic, and openly declared their need for closure on the tragedy.
Relatives close to the parents worried that the incident would cause their mental health to decline.
After hearing the news, Ansar Ahmed, father of Jubeda and Shajeda, said he wished to bury his daughter as soon as possible, in accordance with Muslim rites.
Recent media reports painted Rockaway Beach as "the most dangerous beach in New York", but the family wasn't pointing fingers, relatives said, though the girls were in the water before any beach lifeguards were on duty.
"We're not angry at anyone," said Asmat Ali, an uncle of the girls. "When Allah decides that it's your time to go, it can be anywhere. Nothing can stop it."
Ali said the family hoped that further safeguards to protect swimmers would be established on the beach for the future.
"This shouldn't happen to anyone else," he said.
Earlier Reports: Rockaway drowning case: One more body found Funeral end to a family holiday
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