Solihull Council in the West Midlands have been considering whether to create a 5,000 plot cemetery for 'Muslims only',
in the village of Catherine-de-Barnes.
The proposed cemetery will have 63 parking spaces, and comply fully with Sharia law, which states Muslims are buried in their own section of land. The village is not happy with the plans.
The publicly stated complaints centre on traffic, misuse of the greenbelt, and that there is no sizeable Muslim population in the immediate area ..... any other topics of concern were left unsaid. The village has a population of just 613, and no Muslims, and even the nearest town of Solihull, has just 2.5 per cent of the population as Muslims (5,247).
What worries me about this is, are we now allowed to have 'Christian only' council run cemeteries? Generally not I suspect, as these are run by the local councils, and are supposed to welcome all faiths (Consecrated Church graveyards can stipulate Christians only). There are one religion cemeteries, but they are generally not publicly run. But as I understand it, for publicly run cemeteries, purchasing exclusive rights to a grave space, acquires only the right of burial in the grave for the period granted (usually 99 years). The ownership of the land and other responsibilities remain the property of the Council.
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| More Muslim Cemetery's Needed? |
The proposed cemetery will have 63 parking spaces, and comply fully with Sharia law, which states Muslims are buried in their own section of land. The village is not happy with the plans.
The publicly stated complaints centre on traffic, misuse of the greenbelt, and that there is no sizeable Muslim population in the immediate area ..... any other topics of concern were left unsaid. The village has a population of just 613, and no Muslims, and even the nearest town of Solihull, has just 2.5 per cent of the population as Muslims (5,247).
What worries me about this is, are we now allowed to have 'Christian only' council run cemeteries? Generally not I suspect, as these are run by the local councils, and are supposed to welcome all faiths (Consecrated Church graveyards can stipulate Christians only). There are one religion cemeteries, but they are generally not publicly run. But as I understand it, for publicly run cemeteries, purchasing exclusive rights to a grave space, acquires only the right of burial in the grave for the period granted (usually 99 years). The ownership of the land and other responsibilities remain the property of the Council.
So apparently the law is going to be ignored, to accommodate and segregate the religion of just one group. However this won't be the first time ... in 2006, the new, High Wood Cemetery in Nottingham, aligned all the plots facing towards the north-east to make it "easier" for Muslim burials .... Christians have to request the traditional burial aligned east west, if not they are buried aligned to Mecca. In Nottingham, Muslims made up less than five per cent of the region's 500,000 population in 2006.
Which brings me to the story of a Romany Gypsy family, who paid £2,500 for three plots at the multi-faith, unconsecrated cemetery, in Lychgate Lane Cemetery, Burbage, Leicestershire. They intended to use one of these plots to bury 89 year old Shadrack ‘Shady’ Smith in 2015, only for the relatives of a neighbouring plot to make a “strongly worded and vociferous” complaint before the funeral.
The cause of the complaint was that Mr Smith wasn't a 'believer' .... a Muslim believer that is.
Burbridge parish council asked the Smith family if they would swap plots, four days before the funeral, but they refused, saying it was too late and the arrangement had all been made. They also vowed to fight in court, as they didn't want him exhumed at a later date.
However the 'misunderstanding,' as the council called it, was that the Muslim family believed that Muslims were buried in plots reserved only for their religion .... wrong. The Ministry of Justice later confirmed that no exhumation would take place unless the Smith family approved it. Mr Smith was buried as planned.
Apparently, there is no voluntary integration by some groups, even in death .... oddly death is the only thing the whole human race faces, despite all other differences.
Which brings me to the story of a Romany Gypsy family, who paid £2,500 for three plots at the multi-faith, unconsecrated cemetery, in Lychgate Lane Cemetery, Burbage, Leicestershire. They intended to use one of these plots to bury 89 year old Shadrack ‘Shady’ Smith in 2015, only for the relatives of a neighbouring plot to make a “strongly worded and vociferous” complaint before the funeral.
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| 'Shady' Smith Plot |
The cause of the complaint was that Mr Smith wasn't a 'believer' .... a Muslim believer that is.
Burbridge parish council asked the Smith family if they would swap plots, four days before the funeral, but they refused, saying it was too late and the arrangement had all been made. They also vowed to fight in court, as they didn't want him exhumed at a later date.
However the 'misunderstanding,' as the council called it, was that the Muslim family believed that Muslims were buried in plots reserved only for their religion .... wrong. The Ministry of Justice later confirmed that no exhumation would take place unless the Smith family approved it. Mr Smith was buried as planned.
Apparently, there is no voluntary integration by some groups, even in death .... oddly death is the only thing the whole human race faces, despite all other differences.
Welcome to Britain 2019. Get used to it.
ReplyDeleteWe live in interesting times for the UK and Europe. Thanks for the comment(s).
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