Father to crash driver: We forgive you

THE father of Jihad Darwiche has posted a remarkable video of forgiveness to the driver who killed his little boy.

THE father of Jihad Darwiche has forgiven the driver of the SUV which killed the eight-year-old in his classroom.

In a video recorded in the hearse carrying his young son’s coffin, the distraught dad said forgiveness was “the way a proper Muslim acts in a time of calamity and tribulation”.

Facebook post by Mohammed Shaar (left) about his son Jihad Darwiche. The family has given consent for Jihad Darwiche to be identified. Picture: Facebook

“They (the family) are telling everyone out there — forgive her, it’s an honest mistake — it could’ve happened to any one of us. It could happen to him, happen to me, happen to you,” the father’s translator, who was driving the vehicle, said.

The father said his son’s death was a tragic accident and he even invited driver Maha Al-Shennag, who is facing a raft of charges over the accident, to sit down with his family for a meal.

“She is welcome to come sit with the family, have a meal and talk about how they can move forward with this problem, what’s happened,” the translator said.

“The threats to the lady and abuse is not from them, no retaliation is coming from the family of the boy.

“They have forgiven, if anything, they want to sit with this lady and talk with her and tell her we forgive you.”

Jihad Darwiche who died during the crash. His family have given permission for him to be identified

The father, who has consented to his son being named, paid tribute to his son’s close friend who was also killed.

“We can’t forget another angel has gone back to his creator,” he said.

The video was recorded as the hearse travelled behind a police escort from Lakemba Mosque to the cemetery.

Earlier mourners had crammed into the mosque, some praying on the steps outside, in a final farewell to Jihad