Teary homecoming for angkasawan

SEREMBAN: A flight delay stopped astronaut Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor from seeing his brother Sheikh Mustapha one last time before he was buried.

Dr Muszaphar comforting his sister-in-law Haryati Mohd Redza.Dr Muszaphar, who rushed home from Moscow where he was under quarantine after returning from space, was scheduled to arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 2.10pm yesterday.But bad weather held up his flight in Moscow which caused him to miss his connecting flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur.He had to take the next flight which arrived at KLIA about 5.30pm. He went straight to the state mosque where his father, Datuk Sheikh Mustapha Abdul Shukor, was waiting before he was taken to the Tuan Haji Said cemetery where his younger brother was buried just hours earlier.It was an emotional scene at the cemetery when Dr Muszaphar hugged his mother Datin Zuraida Sheikh Ahmad and consoled his brother’s wife, Haryati Mohd Redza.

The family recited prayers at Mustapha’s grave before Dr Muszaphar, who planned to return home today to visit his brother in hospital, sprinkled petals and scented water on the grave.Dr Muszaphar said that although he was sad with his brother’s passing, he accepted it as a test from Allah.“I have to be strong for my family’s sake, especially my mother.”He dedicated his space mission to his brother “Ajil” whom he described as “a catalyst for his spirit and backbone of his success".“It can be said that Ajil was my fanatic fan. Since the start of my participation in the space programme, he had given me solid support,”

Dr Muszaphar said.Mustapha, 32, a project planner, fell unconscious after knocking into a pillar outside a restaurant last Friday in Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur. He died at 6pm on Saturday without regaining consciousness. Some 250 family members, relatives and friends attended the funeral. Sheikh Mustapha said he spoke with Dr Muszaphar in the morning and it was decided that the funeral would proceed without him.“He was calm when informed of the death. He asked me to take care of his mother.”Sheikh Mustapha said his astronaut son would stay for a few days to attend the official homecoming reception before returning to Moscow for an inauguration ceremony scheduled for Nov 9.

Haryati, 28, said her husband was looking forward to Dr Muszaphar’s return.“He was really excited and was talking a lot about the space programme. “However, a few days before the accident, he was very agitated and kept asking where abah (father) was,” said Haryati.She said Mustapha had initially said that he did not want Dr Muszaphar to go to space.“It was as if he knew that they would never meet again,” said Haryati, who has two children with Mustapha, aged 3 and 2.At the airport, Dr Muszaphar was whisked into a waiting Proton Perdana moments after stepping out of the VIP arrival hall.

Waiting for him was a group of Umno Youth and Putera Umno members, who formed a barricade around him, and some 50 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia students. As photographers jostled for pictures, Dr Muszaphar, asked for comments, said: “I feel very empty, very sad but this is God’s will. What comes from Allah must go back to Him.”

The New Straits Times