Muslim Family’s Graveside Meal Sparks Outrage and Cultural Debate in Brussels Cemetery

In this video, we see several members of a Muslim family sharing a meal, sitting on tombs in the middle of the multi-denominational cemetery of Evere, in the Muslim section. On the menu: bottles of water and a tray of food placed on a funeral slab. This video, which would have been made last June during Eid al-Adha, has shocked many internet users. Some denounce a "picnic" in a place of contemplation, while others speak of "desecration".

Contacted by phone, Véronique Levieux (PS), alderman in Evere, told 7 sur 7 that she "had already raised this issue with the director" of the Intercommunal Burial Service, which groups 12 Brussels municipalities, including Schaerbeek, Evere, Saint-Gilles and Brussels, and who had assured her "that they were taking measures against this type of behavior at their level". Isabelle Thomas, director of the Intercommunal Burial Service, said she was "shocked" by the images. However, she took care to specify that it is a cultural practice "specific to the Syrian community". "We must not lump it together with Islam. It has nothing to do with religion. As a manager, we don’t agree with that, but well, it’s part of their culture," she assured.

The site manager adds: "It’s normal that this shocks. We are in a multi-denominational cemetery, it is the specificity of our cemetery, but there are things with which we do not agree. What matters is the respect of all." This practice violates the rules of the cemetery, as indicated on the website. "Let’s all work together to make the cemetery a place of peace. For this, please speak softly, do not walk on the graves, do not take meals, do not smoke," it reads.

This type of practice has already taken place within the cemetery. "We have already had cases like this one. When we see it, we intervene and ask them to clear up. Unfortunately, the cemetery is so large that we are not able to monitor all visitors. We are not there 24 hours a day. On weekends and public holidays, we are not there either. When we are not there, we cannot react remotely. For this particular case, we were not there," explains the director, however assuring that measures are taken to avoid this type of behavior.

And to conclude: "We had already seen these images and we have done what was necessary about it. We have staff on site. We have a security guard who also comes. When people refuse to comply, we call the police, even if we prefer not to go that far, because it is a cemetery, a place of contemplation."