Memoirs of a survivor of Westgate Mall

by African Voices (September 21, 2013)

I walked into the Westgate Mall that Saturday morning as a happily married woman; with my loving husband by my side, shopping for my family. Ijaba Amaya at home and Alisha Idman in my womb. But Alas! I walked out of the Mall a widow, physically and emotionally traumatized and with a big question in my head: “WHY”?

A year down the line, I have struggled and accepted what happened and I live my life with gratitude and trust in Allah. No matter how many questions I may have asked, and continue asking, there can never be any satisfactory answers to them.
My heart does not have space for any hatred whatsoever; and I have forgiven those who inflicted the great loss and pain that I have gone through. Yes, I live it all to God, for vengeance is not mine.

Before this day comes to an end; I would like to sincerely thank God for the bad and the good, my family for being my backbone, my friends who stood by my side and people from all over the World for the words of encouragement and kind message of condolences….

Last but not least, I would wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the brevity of the men who courageously, armed with faith and good will came and rescued us. Wherever you are, whoever you are, remember that I will be forever grateful to you for the rest of my life.

In this painful odyssey over the year; there are people who touched my heart in very special ways and whom I would wish to dedicate special words to in the coming days.

Before this day ends, I beseech all of you to remember what happened in the Westgate Mall on that fateful Saturday. Let us not have hatred in our hurts, but instead learn to forgive and move on in our lives knowing truly that our dignity and pride shall never be destroyed under whatever circumstances.

Let us join hands and work towards peace and tolerance, for a better life in this world; for it is the only way forward.

I thank God for the good and the bad experiences in my life.

Mariam Yassin HY ‪@MariamYassinHY‬
September 21, 2014 ·