Morocco Travel Ban Leaves Belgian Muslim Families Unable to Repatriate Deceased Relatives

The suspension of flights to certain destinations prevents Muslim families from being able to repatriate the remains of their relatives to Morocco for burial, according to the last wishes of the deceased. The parents have the choice between burying in the multi-denominational cemetery of Brussels or respecting the will of the deceased. Some families advocate a temporary burial in order to repatriate the body later, when the measures would be lifted, while others plan to leave the body at the morgue so as not to have to bury it in the following weeks. Impossible, if the number of deaths due to coronavirus were to rise.

Ludo Beckers, the director of the multi-denominational cemetery in Brussels, thinks of proposing a provisional burial to the families, shallow and in a zinc coffin necessary for repatriation. Faced with this exceptional situation, reflections are underway at the level of other cemeteries, including that of Antwerp, in order to find solutions that respect all sensitivities.

On March 16, the Executive of Muslims in Belgium had asked the bereaved families to make the burials in Belgium, on one of the plots of the cemeteries reserved for the Muslim community.

It also specifies that with regard to the last wishes of the deceased, common sense should prevail in the face of an exceptional circumstance.