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JACKSON, Miss. -- A Jackson mosque held a funeral for a Somali man its members never knew.Mahamoud Bulhun, 24, died after a car hit him along Highway 80 in Pearl on Oct. 5.
Bulhun's family could not be found, so he was going to be cremated in Rankin County. But the Islamic faith forbids its followers to be cremated.
In Bulhun's native Somalia, the predominant religion is Islam, which is why members of a North Jackson mosque felt it was important to take part in his funeral.
Prayers were read and members of the mosque turned his body to face east, towards the holy site of Mecca.
Bulhun's casket was then lowered into the ground.
"This individual was killed in a land far from his own, with no one to step up and represent him or to come forward on his behalf. So that obligation falls on all of us as believers in God, as human beings," prayer leader Shaheed Muhammed.
Bulhun was buried on the grounds of the mosque. Muhammed said the congregation is still searching for friends and family of Bulhun to let them know where he was laid to rest.
If you know anything about Bulhun or a way to contact his family in Somalia, call the Jackson mosque at 601-957-2598.
SOURCE: WAPT, October 26, 2007