A NIGHT of horror will forever haunt the three survivors of the petrol-bomb.

Respected former Muslim Imam Abdul Aziz Chishti, his son Muhammad Shafique, 34, and his daughter Siddiqah, 28, will never come to terms with the fact that they survived, yet eight others died in May 2002.

Mr Chishti, a proud and polite man, has amazed many by his resilience. He in turn has been humbled but grateful for the support he and his family have had - from police, friends and neighbours and the people of Huddersfield.

Born in Pakistan, Mr Chishti was from a respected family. His father was a highly-educated man.

He said: "He was the most educated man in the whole area. He served in the Army and then became an accountant .

"He passed his GCSE in 1922, the first in the village to do so. People called him Babu Sahib, which means highly educated man.

"I came here in 1986 from London and Huddersfield has been my home since then.

"I had originally come to England as a visitor but the mosque wanted me to work as a religious teacher and to lead the prayers.

"I used to lecture on different topics and taught people about Islam. I had done the same thing in Pakistan where I was a teacher in a high school. I taught there for 18 years, teaching physics, chemistry, biology, maths and English."

Mr Chishti's wife and children came over from Pakistan in 1988 and all set up home in Birkby.

He started work at the mosque in the former Teapot Chapel in Birkby.

He said: "Everyone was very helpful and that never stopped. I feel that whenever a person is new to a community in Huddersfield people are always helpful.

"I spent five years working at the mosque and they were happy years."

Mr Chishti's oldest son Hamid, 40, found it hard to settle in Huddersfield and now lives in Milton Keynes with his wife and children.

After leaving the mosque, Mr Chishti became a lecturer at Wakefield College teaching Urdu to A-level students, moving a year later to Dewsbury College.

He was also persuaded to study at the University of Huddersfield.

"I enrolled on a two-year course which led to a post-graduate certificate in education."

Mr Chishti's health had deteriorated but he was still able to help out at a Mosque in Ravensthorpe, where he was described as "the perfect teacher".

And he still retained a valuable role in the community, serving for 10 years on a Kirklees forum, representing the Muslim community.

"When the fire happened, there was a great deal of public sympathy. I had no idea why it had happened. I had never had any dispute with anyone, I got on with all the people in the community."

His son Shafique - who was badly burned in the blaze - was 17 when he arrived in Huddersfield. He enrolled at Huddersfield Technical College to study English and IT.

Said Shafique: "I then went on to a four-year business and finance course at the University, graduating with a degree in business studies in 1996.

"I worked with social services as a clerical officer and then moved on to the Early Years Unit. Three years later I moved up to be a childcare information officer and now my job involves arranging crèches and childcare.

"After the fire I had five months off but wanted to return to keep busy.

"The memories are always there but our strong belief in our faith has helped us. I have seen people who are not close to us really affected by the tragedy.

"Friends could not come to see us because they could not bring themselves to talk about it. I know of others who did not go to work because they were so affected.

"I still see my family in my dreams. Living in the same street brings back the terror of what happened. It is sometimes hard to believe it really happened."

The third survivor has probably suffered more than the others.

Siddiqah Aziz, 28, lost her mother and her sister in the arson attack - a terrible blow to a Muslim woman.

But she has been shown to be a woman of enormous courage as she saved her father and made desperate attempts to save the others.

Miss Aziz told how she had been woken by screams in the early hours of May 12, having gone to bed just after midnight.

She shared a bedroom at the back with Nafeesa and four of her daughters, She was woken by screams.

She went out of the bedroom on to the landing, where she saw smoke coming from the hall and sitting room.

She said: "I could see the smoke coming through the front door and the window was cracking.

"I went in the kitchen to see if anything was burning. Then I saw my Dad and I took him out."

Once Mr Chisti was safe in the back garden, Siddiqah bravely went back into the house - where the hall and sitting room were full of fierce flames.

Siddiqah said: "I came back for the others. I came into the lobby and there was all fire and I couldn't go through.

"It burnt my face, it was really hot. I couldn't breathe."

Siddiqah was taken to hospital but escaped serious injury.

Now she spends much of her time in her new home in Birkby or on quiet walks, trying to forget.

The family's other son Majid (24) lived in the house opposite the arson-damaged home.

He is studying accountancy at Manchester University. He is different to Ateeq; very quiet, keeping himself to himself.

Shafique said: "Ateeq was always outgoing, Majid more quiet but we could all always enjoy a laugh and a joke."

Related stories