Just a few hours after converting to Islam, a 29-year-old Ukrainian lady passed away in Dubai earlier this week, according to a well-known social media account on the nation's funeral rituals. As seen in the images posted by janaza_uae, a large number of Emiratis and foreigners showed up at the Al Qusais Cemetery Mosque on Friday to perform funeral prayers for the widow. The woman, identified as Daria Kotsarenko, also had no family or relatives in Dubai, janaza_uae said in a post on X on Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief, love, and support. Daria arrived in the UAE as a tourist and eventually started looking for a job, according to several social media sources. During her search, she encountered not only career opportunities but also the beauty of Islam. A widely shared document indicated that Darya was a Christian who converted to Islam in Dubai on March 25. Her death — just a few hours after she embraced Islam — was believed to have been caused by a heart attack. As a new Muslim in Ramadan, she was fasting when she died.

Show of support

Darya's story had touched many, leading to a massive crowd at the funeral prayers for her on Friday. This act of solidarity isn’t new to UAE residents. There had been previous instances where crowds of faithful were seen at the funeral of new converts in a show of support. One such example was in November 2022, when a 93-year-old woman named Louis Jene Mitchell, also known as Um Yahya, died soon after converting to Islam. At that time, she was in the UAE with her son. The same social media account, janaza_uae, shared her story of conversion and the details of her funeral. This news drew attention from the residents of Abu Dhabi, who turned up in large numbers to attend her funeral. Lt-Gen Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, previously praised such efforts, saying that this is a great example of Emirati values.