Badajoz Mayor Denies Muslim-Only Cemetery Section, Sparking Controversy

The mayor of Badajoz does not object to ceding land, but not exclusively for Muslims, because in the city’s cemeteries there are graves of various faiths. He also believes that it is not appropriate for the Muslim community to manage this space, as this competence is devolved to the municipality.

The imam of the Badajoz mosque, Adel Najjar, who was not surprised by Fragoso’s statements, recalled in a statement that a 1992 law authorizes the burial of Muslims in Spain.

"For many years, the Muslim community has made an effort to comply with all the rules related to Islamic burial, by signing an agreement with the health department of the Council," he specifies in the statement, deploring moreover the refusal of the municipality, for 21 years, to grant the request for the creation of Muslim sections. "We are the only Spanish community to be denied this right," he points out, before calling for coexistence to end the differences.