Muslim family seek exhumation of non-Muslim

[CFSKate]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11402870/Grandfathers-body-could-be-exhumed-after-relatives-of-Muslim-buried-alongside-complain-he-was-an-unbeliever.html

Local authority in Leicestershire tells the family of Shadrack Smith, 89, he might be moved to another plot after complaints from a Muslim family .

The article says "Burbage parish council confirmed that the cemetery is unsegregated" - if that is so, then I don't see how the Muslim family can win a legal battle, if it comes to that, but then a woman from the Smith family says

“I feel for the Muslim family because they obviously thought they were only going to have other Muslim families buried around them. But that’s not our fault."

I wonder why the Muslim family thought that, if the council is saying the cemetery is unsegregated?

I suspect the press have twisted this story massively. I can just see them rubbing their hands over this one, and making it into more than it is.

Granted the neighbouring plot might look a bit garish for some tastes, but it's not always going to look like that; soon enough the wilted flowers will be cleared away which will surely help? In the meantime I'm afraid you don't get to use a non-denominational space then start imposing other rules

Also agree that upsetting hundreds of Roma might not be the wisest move ...

I'm with LittleDucks here I think - looks simple on the face of it but there could well be more to it.

For instance, we don't know what the Muslim family were told informally about the plot. I'd be uncomfortable making judgements on this one on the basis of the limited information in the newspaper articles.

In most cemeteries I know of, there are rules about what decoration you can have on an ongoing basis, so presumably once the floral tributes from the funeral have gone there will be a set of rules about the gravestone and what can be left there?

I agree it's garish to my own set of cultural expectations of a grave, but so are many others which have nothing to do with Romany or Muslim or any other set of traditions.

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall at the editorial meetings, their heads must have been close to exploding........

I've just been having a read of the regulations. They will only be allowed a 3ft headstone and nothing fancy. I've seen traveller graves, I don't see them being happy with that.

Quarried stone memorials only measuring no more than 3ft by 3ft.

I've just been having a read of the regulations. They will only be allowed a 3ft headstone and nothing fancy. I've seen traveller graves, I don't see them being happy with that

Possibly not, MythicalKings - but if those are the regs they'll just have to keep to what's required in the graveyard they chose. After all it really does cut both ways ...

I think that the plastic tulips around the muslim grave look pretty tasteless.
Each to their own.

I not seen the regs yet, but it doesn't look like the travellers have a permament tomb stone yet. They might have a huge bunch of flowers, but they haven't YET broken the regulations.

It is inevitable that a non muslim will be buried next to a muslim in a community cemetry.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11406710/Grave-of-Catholic-Shadrack-Smith-will-not-be-exhumed-family-told-in-row-over-Muslim-burial-plot-next-door.html

The family of a Roman Catholic man have been assured he will not be exhumed.........

The council said in a statement that the first Muslim burial at the site took place several months ago, and that special arrangements were made for a swift burial, the orientation of the grave towards Mecca and a larger grave plot. Mr Khan's grave was the first in a row of plots that had not until then been allocated.

Why did that person get a larger plot though?

A member of Mr Khan’s family said that the row had been “blown out of proportion”

I saw this story raised in another place by a bunch of Islamophobes. The Telegraph seems to have copied a feature by a local paper.

It may be helpful to read this:

STATEMENT
10th February 2015
In response to the article published in The Hinckley Times (5th February 2015)

Dispute of grave plots after burial of Gypsy, a spokesperson for Burbage Parish Council said:

An inaccurate, divisive and inflammatory article printed in The Hinckley Times appeared to indicate that Burbage Parish Council has considered the
exhumation of a person recently interred at Burbage Cemetery – this is totally untrue and without foundation.
A number of years ago the Parish Council received correspondence from a
Burbage resident requesting that provision be made at Burbage Cemetery for Muslim Burials. The Council were able to accommodate this request by facilitating swift arrangements for burial, providing a particular orientation to the grave and providing a larger size grave plot. The first Muslim burial at Burbage Cemetery took place several months ago.

More recently a non-Muslim family with special requirements, which could be met by the provisions already put in place, were allocated the next grave plots within the same area of the Cemetery. Unfortunately a number of complaints followed and the Council initiated their correct procedures and considered the matter carefully.

Burbage Parish Council has sought to resolve this matter in a fair and transparent manner and has had extensive dialogue with both families concerned. We have also taken extensive legal advice on all matters associated with the issues raised.

Burbage Cemetery is a non-denominational, multi-faith facility and requests from all communities living in and around Burbage will be treated equally and fairly in line with our policies and the law.
At a meeting held 10th February 2015 the Council’s existing policy was confirmed.
“The Parish Council regrets any distress.”
ENDS

Ah, so the Muslim family could reasonably have expected that their plot was in an area to be used solely by Muslims?

but, as Mr Khan and the council say, what a bunch of.......the papers are.