Local Muslim community calls for Islamic cemetery
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PROMINENT members of Inverclyde’s Muslim community are calling on council bosses to allocate space for a cemetery dedicated to the Islamic faith.
The team at Inverclyde Muslim Centre on Greenock’s Laird Street are campaigning for the provision of an area that would be used to build a graveyard.
Centre committee members Mohammad Akhtar, Hammed Akhtar, Abdul Wahid, Abdul Wajid, and Rana Saleem, say the centre would be able to provide a mortuary, transport, washing facilities, and gravedigging facilities - and they just need Inverclyde Council to provide the land.
Mohammad said building a Muslim cemetery will have a very positive impact on people of the Islamic faith who live in local communities.
He told the Telegraph: “This is very important for us and for our faith.
“The Muslim community in Inverclyde is growing, and this shows that we are responding to the needs of the community.
“All of the other big Muslim communities in Scotland have cemeteries.
“We can’t share cemetery space with other faiths as we have a certain procedure that we have to follow.”
Muslim burials use unbaked bricks, bamboo, or timber, and there are two types of grave that can be implemented.
At present, Muslim members of the Inverclyde community who want a traditional Muslim burial have to be laid to rest in Cathcart in Glasgow.
Mr Akhtar said building a Muslim
cemetery in Inverclyde would encourage Muslims to stay in the area, and would attract Muslim families from other areas.
He added: “Muslim people will be more likely to stay in Inverclyde for longer if they know they can be buried here.
“We hope it would bring more families to the area too.
“There are more facilities for Muslim people here now.
“We want to do everything we can to bring more Muslim families to Inverclyde and to help all communities learn about different faiths.”
In April, Mohammad and the team welcomed dignitaries from all over Inverclyde to the centre in Laird Street for an event to mark Iftar, the fastbreaking evening meal after Ramadan.
Guests included Inverclyde Provost Drew McKenzie, councillors Robert Moran and Paul Cassidy, council officers, community councillors, and community police officers.
At the event, Mohammad spoke to
guests about the need for the cemetery in the area, and about all of the services the centre provides.
He and the team took on the building in 2018 and now offer activities including Sunday school, a youth club, and football sessions.
The centre started as one room and has grown to seven rooms which facilitate a lot of different activities.
Around 11 people volunteer at the centre, and welcome people across 17 different nationalities.
Mohammad thanked the Inverclyde community for all the support that has been provided to the facility since its inception.
He said having a Muslim cemetery in Inverclyde will complement all of the good work that’s being done in the centre.
An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “We would be happy to meet with members of the local Muslim community to discuss the matter and find out more about their requirements.”