Page 10 The Skanner April 27, 2016
News
Attempts to Create Muslim Cemeteries Meet With Backlash
DUDLEY, Mass. (AP) —
On the site of a long-idle
dairy farm, leaders of
a local mosque hope to
build a final resting place
for about 500 Muslim
families — to the dismay
of many residents of this
quaint town in central
Massachusetts.
In arguments cemetery
developers and activists
decry as thinly veiled
bigotry, neighbors say
they fear burial prac-
tices could contaminate
groundwater
because
Muslims traditionally do
not embalm bodies and
bury their dead without
coffins. They also cite
concerns about noise,
vandalism and increased
traffic on the narrow
road where the ceme-
tery would be built. One
resident said he worried
he would have to put up
with “crazy music” like
the Islamic call to prayer.
Similar
sentiments
have been expressed
by people in communi-
ties around the country
where Muslim cemeter-
ies have been proposed,
including Farmervsille,
Texas; Walpole, Massa-
chusetts; Carlisle, Penn-
sylvania; and Farming-
ton, Minnesota.
In some cases, oppo-
nents have succeeded in
defeating the new cem-
etery projects, while in
others, Muslim groups
have appealed and judg-
es have cleared the way.
In Farmersville, near
Obituary: Jean Blocker
October 17, 1935 - April 22, 2016
Jean Blocker
Services will be
held on Monday, May
2, 2016 at Vancouver
Avenue First Baptist
Church, 3138 N. Van-
couver Ave., Portland,
OR 97227.
Viewing will be held
at 10:00 a.m. and ser-
vice at 11:00 a.m.
Final resting place:
Willamette National
Cemetery.
AP PHOTO/ELISE AMENDOLA
Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
AP PHOTO/ELISE AMENDOLA
Opposed say it’s about land use, burial practices but activists say the backlash is thinly veiled bigotry
In this April 12, 2016 photo, Amjad Bhatti, president of the Islamic
Society of Greater Worcester, poses inside the mosque in Worcester,
Mass. He and other leaders of the mosque are hoping to build a
Muslim cemetery on farmland in Dudley, Mass., but residents are
vigorously opposing the project.
Dallas, some residents
were openly hostile
during meetings on a
proposal to build a Mus-
lim cemetery on a 35-
acre site just outside the
city. Farmersville is not
far from Garland, where
police fatally shot two Is-
“
during a meeting in Au-
gust.
City leaders were so
bombarded with com-
plaints that they pub-
lished an informational
guide on the city’s web-
site, assuring residents
that there is “no train-
In this April 12, 2016 photo, Desiree Moninski, stands on land
located across from her house in Dudley, Mass., which is the site
of a proposed Muslim cemetery. Regarding the land once farmed
by her grandparents, Moninski said she and other opponents have
legitimate concerns that have nothing to do with Islam. “I grew up
here. It’s farmland, and I’d like to see it stay that way,” she said.
“We were absolutely
flabbergasted, to be hon-
est, to see that kind of
opposition,” said Ismail
Fenni, a representative
of Al-Marhama Islamic
Burial, which wants to
build a cemetery in Wal-
drawing a round of ap-
plause.
Jason Talerman, a law-
yer for the Islamic Soci-
ety, said he believes the
opposition is rooted in
Islamophobia.
“They like to say it
All we’re trying to establish is a place for a final resting place
for the loved ones of the Muslim community members. No other
activity is going to be happening in a cemetery except what is
customary for a cemetery
lamic State followers last
year after they opened
fire outside a cartoon
contest lampooning the
Prophet Muhammad.
“People don’t trust
Muslims. Their goal is
to populate the United
States and take it over,”
Barbara Ashcraft said
ing facility planned for
this site ... no terrorist
activity associated with
this site ... no plans for a
mosque at this site.”
Diane Piwko, a Farm-
ersville resident and
business owner, said she
worries the cemetery
— proposed for prime
property
overlooking
a lake — won’t be main-
tained and will become
an eyesore at the en-
trance to the city.
“I am not basing any of
my decision on why I’m
against the cemetery on
religion,” she said. “I base
it on bad business prac-
tices.”
Muslim leaders have
been taken aback by the
level of resistance.
pole, south of Boston.
“All we’re trying to es-
tablish is a place for a fi-
nal resting place for the
loved ones of the Muslim
community members,”
he said. “No other activi-
ty is going to be happen-
ing in a cemetery except
what is customary for a
cemetery.”
In Dudley, the proposal
from the Islamic Society
of Greater Worcester
has been met with angry
comments at local meet-
ings.
“You want a Muslim
cemetery? Fine. Put it
in your backyard, not
mine,” Daniel Grazulis
said during a zoning
meeting in February,
under the guise of, ‘Oh,
we’re just trying to pro-
tect our water supply,’
but it’s thinly veiled,” he
said.
Desiree
Moninski,
who lives across the
street from the site, once
farmed by her grandpar-
ents, said she and other
opponents have legiti-
mate concerns that have
nothing to do with Islam.
“I grew up here. It’s
farmland, and I’d like to
see it stay that way,” she
said.
“A lot of people moved
here because it’s peace-
ful and quiet. I just don’t
want a cemetery here,
See MUSLIMS on page 11