Algeciras’ 12,000 Muslims Face Burial Crisis as City Lacks Islamic Cemetery

14 February 2021 – byPrince · 1 min read

Despite the large Muslim community settled in Algeciras, estimated at more than 12,000 people, the city does not have a Muslim cemetery. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the authorities have had to find a burial place outside the city for at least thirty people.

After the death on Monday of Fatima (a pseudonym), her family does not know where or when to bury her. The Muslim community of Algeciras is trying to find a place for her outside the city, as Algeciras does not have a Muslim cemetery.

According to the second imam of the Al-Huda mosque in Algeciras, Mohamed Mkadem, this problem is not new. For each Muslim burial, the deceased must be transferred to denominational cemeteries closest to Fuengirola, Ceuta or Jerez. The situation has worsened with the high death rate due to Covid-19, forcing the Muslim community to look for places in more distant cemeteries.

"On Tuesday, we buried a man in Ceuta. We are considering taking another body to Cordoba or Valencia," explains Mkadem, who specifies that Morocco does not allow the transfer of people who died from Covid-19. If the deceased’s family is destitute, a collection is made within the community to pay for the transfer of the body to Valencia (between 3,000 and 3,500 euros) or to Ceuta (about 2,000 euros). "All we need is a plot of land to bury the deceased," he added.

Category: Spain

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Algeciras Death