Latest news with #SulemanDawood
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
A mosque, in memory
Atlantic Voice He lost his son and grandson in the Titan tragedy. Then he quietly paid for a new mosque for the community that helped him mourn. At an early morning Eid al-Adha prayer service, the sun shines through the stained glass windows in the Shaheed Suleman Dawood mosque, formally the Mary Queen of Peace Rossiter/CBC Caroline Hillier Jun. 10, 2025 As international media crews clustered along the St. John's harbour front in June 2023, fixated on broadcasting the Titan catastrophe to the world, there was a quiet mourning taking place in another part of the city. Two of the passengers aboard that ill-fated submersible, which imploded off the coast of Newfoundland during a descent to visit the Titanic wreck, were a father and son, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood. Their family had flown in from London. As a search for survivors became a recovery effort, they turned to the only mosque in St. John's for a funeral service. There, they prayed through their profound loss beside people they'd never met before, and found solace. 'In the Muslim community, there are no strangers,' said Hussain Dawood, the father of Shahzada and grandfather of Suleman. 'Even though you don't know them, they could be from the other side of the world, but you're one community.' The funeral sparked a lasting relationship and grew into something much larger: a long-awaited expansion for the city's growing Muslim community that many involved see as pre-destined. In 2023, the Titan submersible implosion grabbed the world's attention. But there's another side to the story you might not know about: How the family of two of the victims found solace with the St. John's Muslim community, and ended up making a generous, and much needed, gift. That's all in The Best of Planners, a documentary from Caroline Hillier. That expansion, now on the cusp of opening, is named in honour of the Titan's youngest victim, who was 19 years old: the Shaheen Suleman Dawood Mosque. Just as the funeral went mostly unnoticed, the origin story of this mosque is largely untold, despite the intense media scrutiny surrounding the Titan disaster, even two years later. Friendship from tragedy Hussain Dawood is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and a deeply religious man, who finds comfort in believing his son and grandson are both in heaven. 'My creator was so gracious to bless us with two beautiful souls and it was a gift. And it's his right to take it back,' Dawood said during a video interview with the CBC from London, U.K. Dawood often references teachings from the Quran when explaining how his Muslim faith helps him understand grief, life and loss. 'You never get to the bottom of it because it's too deep, but it's a book of wisdom,' he said. That wisdom has helped him cope with the tragedy of the Titan. The submersible, built and owned by the private company OceanGate, offered $250,000 US tours to the Titanic wreck. But it had been built out of carbon fibre, an unconventional material for such deep-sea dives. On its 14th dive to the Titanic, the Titan imploded shortly after the June 18 launch. Hussain Dawood speaks to CBC News about the aftermath of the Titan tragedy and how the world came together. All on board — including OceanGate's CEO — were killed instantly. In that, Dawood sees mercy. 'I don't think any of the five even knew what was happening. It is so instantaneous. It's too fast for the brain to process,' he said. In the Muslim faith, funerals are held shortly after death, and so it was important to the Dawoods to make arrangements as soon as possible. Hussain contacted the existing mosque in St. John's, and Syed Mansoon Pirzada. Pirzada, the longstanding president of the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador at the time, arranged the prayer and spread word through the community, but not to the media. 'He took it upon himself, and he and his very gracious wife, and they looked after us and they arranged everything,' said Dawood. 'We spent quite a bit of time with them…. we made sure that they were comfortable,' said Pirzada. 'Mr. Hussain Dawood was poised in the face of this loss, and Mrs. Dawood, her tears were non-stop flowing and it was heartbreaking to see,' said Amnah Pirzada, Syed's wife. 'We were sitting with them and talking to them and holding their hand sometimes.' Amnah remembers being touched by the funeral service. 'It was beautiful and quiet and I think they felt that peace. It gave them a bit of closure,' she said. Even after the Dawoods departed St. John's, they and the Pirzadas kept in touch. When both families find themselves in the same city — be it Dubai or Karachi — they meet up. From cross to crescent St. John's first and only mosque at the time of the funeral, Masjid Al Noor, managed to accommodate all the mourners. But that is far from the building's normal operations. The mosque was built in 1989 for the 100 or so Muslim families living in the area at the time. In the decades since, that community has grown exponentially. Now numbering more than 10,000 members, the mosque regularly overflows for Friday prayers. Worshippers use the kitchen, and sometimes the lawn, covering these extra spaces with their prayer mats. Prayers for big celebrations, like Eid, are held at sporting complexes. Fifteen years ago, the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador hatched plans for a new mosque, raising funds and even buying land. But those plans stumbled and eventually stalled due to city regulations and other setbacks. But then came a call from a real estate agent, with an unusual offer: a former Catholic church, Mary Queen of Peace, was on the market. And it might just fit their needs. The church, too, had ties to tragedy: it was initially sold off in 2022, along with other Catholic properties, to pay settlement suits for victims of the Mount Cashel orphanage. The sexual abuse of children there, at the hands of the Christian Brothers that ran it, exploded into the public eye in 1989. Legal proceedings are still working their way through the courts. After the initial sale of Mary Queen of Peace, plans to renovate it faltered, and it was this second chance at the property the association leapt on. 'We said that yes, we are interested. And then we started thinking about how much money do we have and how much funds we can collect so quickly,' said Pirzada. The Muslim association had an opportunity, but also a hurdle. Islamic law doesn't allow for loans that involve interest — like mortgages — and the association didn't have enough money to buy the building outright. images expandThe Muslim community in St. John's is diverse, made up of people from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and other countries around the world. Now friends, Pirzada told Hussain Dawood about the potential purchase, and complication, over a phone call. '[Pirzada] said that there is a church available, we have a limited time frame and he looked quite worried that they would lose this opportunity,' said Dawood, who is from one of richest families in Pakistan. Dawood offered to pay for the church. 'If this is what we can do to show our gratefulness for all that you've done… we'll happily participate,' Dawood said. 'That's what we did. So I just sent him the money.' Pirzada and the association were shocked about the generous donation. The sale went through in December 2024, for nearly $2.2 million. 'This was a gift from — not only a huge gift from Mr. Hussain Dawood's family — but also, I believe, that it was a gift from God to our community,' said Pirzada. Pillars of the faith Charity isn't just encouraged in Islam; it's mandatory. Hussain Dawood said his donation to the St. John's Muslim community was simply in line with the Quran. 'I did them no favour,' said Dawood. 'It's just working with the community for hopefully the betterment of all members of the community. And I consider it is their graciousness that they're giving my grandson's name to the mosque." As charity is a pillar of Islam, so too is the belief of destiny — signifying that everything is predetermined by God's knowledge and will. Though the failed attempts at building a new mosque through the years were frustrating, Pirzada believes that this church was destined to be a mosque. 'That's what we believe, that there's one plan which a person makes, or a human being makes. But there is another plan which is made by Allah, or God, and he is the best of the planners,' said Pirzada. Open for Eid After church pews had been lugged out and carpets rolled up, the Shaheed Suleman Mosque opened its doors for the first time on March 30, for Eid al Fitr, the celebration following the holy month of Ramadan. Over the course of two services, nearly 7,000 people come through the doors — where the cross handles have been replaced with Arabic calligraphy — to pray, and many offer extra prayers for the Dawood family and their loss. 'Yes, we are all destined to die. But sometimes our deaths can facilitate, can pave a ground for other people to become hopeful,' said Ayse Sule Akinturk, an executive member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Muslim Association. 'On the one hand, two souls are lost, you know, in such a tragic event. And then that sense of loss becomes a sense of hope for the entire community here.' The cross on top of the building has been replaced with a crescent moon. The former confession booth is now an audio-visual room, with new security system screens. Some history will live on, however, with a space dedicated to display parts of the building's Catholic past. 'Never in my wildest dreams' While the mosque reopened for Eid al Adha prayers on June 6, it remains under renovation and is not yet being used for daily prayers. The new space will also offer education and religious programs, to be named for Shahzada Dawood. And for the official opening of the Shaheed Suleman Mosque, there are celebration plans in the works to involve both local Muslim and non-Muslim communities. 'It's going to bring forth something very beautiful, with every prayer, whoever is going to attend the prayer, rewards will be sent to the entire family,' said Amnah Pirzada. There will also be a special invitation to that opening sent to the Dawoods. 'I would never in my wildest dreams have thought of going to St. John's and meeting such wonderful people over there,' said Hussain Dawood. That encounter has left its mark: with the mosque, and with him. 'Life is not black and white and it's not a straight line. It's full of complexities.' Credits Audio documentary produced by Caroline Hillier with help from Lindsay Bird and Liz Hoath. Photography by Mike Rossiter. Copy editing by Lindsay Bird and Mike Moore. Video produced by Stephanie Kinsella and edited by Katie Breen. Layout by Katie Rowe. About the Author Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 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The Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Reckless Titan boss' jaw-dropping question to me sent shivers down my spine… shameful cover-ups made it DOOMED to fail
ON June 18 2023, five passengers entered the deep sea submersible Titan on a mission to reach the final resting place of the Titanic. Two miles down beneath the ocean's surface, it suffered a catastrophic failure and imploded in a split second. 17 17 17 Those on board - which included 19-year-old British teenager Suleman Dawood - were crushed to death instantly. All around the world, people waited with baited breaths for news of the missing sub, which now lay on the seabed just like the ship it was trying to visit. It was seen as a devastating accident, a terrible engineering failure. But new evidence reveals it may have not simply been the result of bad luck. Instead, a string of safety failures and inaction in the lead up to the implosion made disaster a question of when, not if. And to many, the blame lies with one man and his ego - that of Stockton Rush, the American businessman who not only created Titan, but would go on to become one of its victims. Now, shocking new evidence reveals that the sub was already disintegrating long before that fateful day, as revealed in the upcoming BBC documentary Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster. 'We all know who the culprit is,' said Christine Dawood, whose son and husband were killed by the disaster. 'The culprit died with them. So who am I to blame?' A US coastguard investigation is now underway. Eerie moment underwater drone robot picks through crumpled wreckage of imploded Titan sub in haunting new footage The businessman Stockton Rush since a kid had felt the explorer's' urge, harbouring dreams of being the first person to step foot on Mars. With two ancestors having signed the Declaration of Independence, he was the closest you could get to American Royalty. And it wasn't long before he set his sights on the deep ocean. Experimental danger Using his status and connections, he was able to convince a handful of other businessmen to invest hundreds of thousands into his plan to regularly send people on trips to view the Titanic with their own eyes with his company OceanGate. But unlike other subs, which are built out of steel or titanium, Stockton was determined to make his out of carbon fibre, which was lighter and cheaper. Yet this material - combined with Stockton's hubris - would prove to be its downfall. Early in the project, Stockton decided to avoid registering his sub, ensuring that no one was able to regulate the sub or monitor its operations. To him, the rules and regulations were over the top and unnecessary. 17 17 17 This was despite the fact it was planned to carry five passengers more than two miles beneath the ocean's surface. But for Stockton, the risk was part of the fun, as revealed by a question he asked to underwater technician, Petros Mathioudakis. 'I was aware this was extremely risky and Stockton was very clear,' Petros recalled. 'He said: 'Do you have a wife, do you have kids?' I said nope. He said, 'Alright, you're in.'' Shockingly, this was far from the only time others noticed serious concerns with Stockton's callous attitude. With a second season of dives in the North Atlantic now underway, Antonella Wilby joined the OceanGate team in 2022. 'From the moment I stepped onto the ship, I had to sign a liability waiver,' she said. I'd be walking around and cables would be loose or unplugged Antonella Wilby 'Stockton was there in a room full of people, some of whom had paid a lot of money to be there. 'He said, we're registered in the Bahamas, and they don't do punitive damages, so don't even bother trying to sue me.' 'I wasn't even aware of how ridiculous and unsafe the operation was,' Antonella added. 'Even just the level of attention to detail in inspecting or prediving the sub - I'd be walking around and cables would be loose or unplugged. 'It felt like watching some really bizarre surrealist movie or something and I was the only one going, this is insane, right?' But Antonella was far from the only person to have serious concerns. Cracking carbon Back in 2019, Stockton was testing whether the carbon fibre hull would be able to withstand the pressure of the deep ocean at the depth of the Titanic - equivalent to two and a half tonnes bearing down on every square inch of the hull. Submersible pilot Karl Stanley was on this trip when he heard a concerning bang. Then, the lights went out. 17 17 17 'The supposed goal of the trip was to test it to the exact depth of the Titanic. We got 96 per cent of the way there,' he said. 'The cracking sounds were continuing, so we came to a decision to call it a day. 'I'm sure we were within a few percentage points of implosion.' On the surface, a crack was found - evidence that the carbon fibre hull was ripping itself apart. Stockton was forced to completely replace the hull. Yet once again, he chose carbon fibre, convinced that only minor modifications were needed to make the sub safe. Though further test dives were still plagued by numerous bangs and pops - the sound of the hull gradually breaking apart - Stockton confessed to one documentary maker that he solved this problem by putting in earplugs. Come 2021, and dives were once again underway. Businessman and adventurer Alfred Hagen was on board dive 61 when an even more serious incident occurred. 'Anybody who went down in it either knew, or should have known, how risky it was,' he said. 'They were either embracing that reality, or delusional.' The dive had been abandoned at just seven metres when, as the sub was hauled up the ramp, the end dome came clean off. Only four out of a possible eighteen bolts had been used to secure it on, and they had all sheared. Desperate to keep the incident quiet, Stockton tried to get hold of any photos taken of the broken sub. Yet despite these setbacks, OceanGate were able to celebrate six successful dives to Titanic depths that summer - and returned for a second season the year after. 17 17 17 Then, something would happen that doomed the sub once and for all. Alfred was once again back on board for Dive 80. This time, they made it to the Titanic. Death trap 'We were ascending, and we were fairly close to the surface,' he remembered. 'And then we heard a loud crack. It sounded like the ship breaking apart.' Stockton again insisted that such bangs were normal, and that every deep diving sub makes a noise like that at least once. But coastguard analysis of that moment shows that this could not have been further from the truth. What the sub was in fact going through was a process called delamination - or in layman's terms, the layers of carbon fibre were ripping themselves apart. Everybody that stepped on the Titan after dive 80 was risking their life Lt. Commander Katie Williams 'Their systems said there had been a fundamental change in the material of your carbon fibre and it was no longer structurally sound,' Lt. Commander Katie Williams of the US Coast Guard told the documentary. 'Delamination at dive 80 was the beginning of the end. And everybody that stepped on the Titan after dive 80 was risking their life. 'After then, every time you were going down to depth, you were further damaging that hull - eventually something was going to happen.' But when team members tried to raise concerns, they were laughed out the room, as Antonella found. 'I wanted to say something. I went to Amber Bay, the director of the administration, and I told her I was really concerned that they were going to continue diving," she says. 'Her initial response was: 'Yes, people are really concerned about you too - you don't have an explorer's mindset.' 'I also talked to Phil Brooks, the director of engineering. He said 'We'll do the next dive and we'll visually inspect it.' 17 17 'I said, something's gone really wrong here. They offered to send me home, and I said yes." 'People wouldn't even make eye contact with me,' she added. Amber Bay denies dismissing these safety concerns and claims she told Antonella to report her concerns to Brooks. Brooks says he has no recollection of Antonella expressing any concerns to him following dive 80. Stockton, as ever, was undeterred. Catastrophic implosion 'I think he pinned himself into a corner,' said Karl. 'If he admits defeat and failure, and then has to tell this to people that had given him so much money, what's the rest of his life going to look like? 'There's no possible way that Stockton didn't know how this was going to end,' he added. 'It was just a matter of is it going to fail with me in it, or other people?' And fail it did. On June 18 2023, OceanGate were back for a third season and, with the weather finally breaking, prepared to launch dive 88. Aboard was British explorer Hamish Harding, French Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet, and British-Pakistani businessman Shahzeda Dawood and his 19-year old son Sulema. Launching at 9.14am in the morning, the Titan began to descend for 90 minutes. Then, just 500 metres from the ocean floor, all communication was lost. Shocking new footage shows the very moment those onboard the support ship - which included Stockton's wife Wendy - heard, without realising, the moment the sub imploded. 'What was that bang?' she can be heard saying. 17 17 17 A message comes through from the sub. But it had been sent just moments before the implosion, taking longer to reach the surface than the sound itself. A whole seven hours after communication was lost, OceanGate finally notified the coastguard and a search and rescue mission was launched. Eventually they found the crushed remains of the doomed sub. Chillingly, they also find items of clothing - a piece of Stockton's sleeve, and business cards and Titanic expedition badges. With the coastguard's investigation set to be released later this year, many are beginning to wonder if the string of failures and oversights in the run up to the disaster could lead to criminal prosecutions. The irony is not lost on me that the Titanic sunk for the same reason Kristine Dawood 'When people are spending a quarter of a million dollars to spend time in a death tube, controlled by a game controller, that wasn't tested, by a guy that's telling you how he wants to be remembered for breaking rules, it's a message to the super wealthy that your money can't buy everything,' said Kyle. In response to the allegations, OceanGate have said they are fully cooperating with the official investigation and added that it would be inappropriate to comment before it reached its conclusion. But nothing will be able to bring back the victims to their families. 'The arrogance of the people in charge, when they think they're above everything - that's what really gets me,' reflected Kristine Dawood. 'Why is ego and arrogance more important than safety? 'The irony is not lost on me that the Titanic sunk for the same reason.'
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Ship footage captures sound of Titan sub imploding
Later this year, the US Coast Guard will publish a final report of the findings from its investigation, which aims to establish what went wrong and prevent a disaster like this from ever happening again. Speaking to the BBC's documentary team, Christine Dawood, who lost her husband Shahzada and son Suleman in the disaster, said it had changed her forever. "I don't think that anybody who goes through loss and such a trauma can ever be the same," she said. The ripples from the Oceangate disaster are likely to continue for years - some private lawsuits have already been filed and criminal prosecutions may follow. Oceangate told the BBC: "We again offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18, 2023, and to all those impacted by the tragic accident. "Since the tragedy occurred, Oceangate permanently wound down its operations and focused its resources on fully cooperating with the investigations. It would be inappropriate to respond further while we await the agencies' reports."
