Muslims Seek Part Of Cemetery To End Salt Lake City Burials

Boise’s Muslim community is asking the city to set aside a small part of Morris Hill Cemetery as Idaho’s only Islamic burial ground.

Muslims say their community is growing and a local Islamic cemetery would help them carry out their religion’s strict burial rites. There are an estimated 800 Muslims in Boise and more than 1,200 statewide.

“Death is like birth,” said Mahmoud Itani, a Muslim who is working with Boise to create the burial site. “It’s as important as birth. We have to prepare for it.”

They are asking for a half-acre site that would hold more than 50 graves.

City officials say the request would not cost taxpayers any money and is in accordance with others areas at Morris Hill Cemetery for Jews, Catholics and other religions.

Boise’s Muslims must take their dead to Salt Lake City, the nearest Islamic cemetery, at a cost of up to $6,000, Itani said.

That can take up to 48 hours. Family members also must travel there for the burial. The time delay runs counter to a central belief in Islam.

Muslims believe the body must be buried quickly, because, within moments of death, it is surrounded by an angel and other dead Muslims.

They begin immediately to question the dead about their life on Earth and whether they believe in heaven or hell.

A local cemetery would cut burial time to a few hours and the cost could be as low as $800, Itani said.

Muslims say they need a separate burial area so graves can be positioned facing Mecca, Islam’s most sacred city. In Boise, the graves would be dug at an angle of 24 degrees east of north.

Muslims bury their dead in the earth, not in a coffin. In order to meet regulations, each grave will be lined with a concrete vault.

The Boise Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees the cemetery, has approved the Muslims’ request. The request will go to the City Council.