The Waswahili Community Trust UK
(Wadhamini wa jumuiya ya Waswahili)

Funeral Care General

As we all know that Britain is a multi-cultural society, where different groups are living side by side. This is a situation in which we need mutual tolerance to achieve intergration in the society.

But integration has been used in speeches and in the press with a variety of meanings. The narrow perspective of integration is that of a part fitting into a whole, whether the fit is deliberately planned or the result of a gradual process.

For example, in the United States, it is used to show schools are integrated in which white and African-American pupils are mixed. It is also sometimes used loosely as a synonymous for assimilations.

We can therefore see that there are different perspectives and interpretations of this concept of intgration. But, however, the general consensus amonst many people is that integration is regarded as a desirable goal to be achieved in promoting good race relations in a multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-racial, and multi-ethnic society.

Therefore, as a goal to be achieved in the United Kingdom, we prefer the definition of integration as being:

" Not a flattening process of assimilation but as equal opportunity accompanied by cultural diversity, in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance. "
Home Secretary, the Rt. Hon. Roy Jenkins, 23rd May 1966.

This brings us to the religion as being one of the most important characteristics of cultural minorities and a very sensitive one too. So the religious needs of different communities in a multi-cultural society such as ours are very important.

Althogh it must be said that some Muslims prefer to take the body back home. This is outside the jurisdiction of our trust. We are unable to helh in this matter.

In the United Kingdom, our needs in this respect are to have facilities for worship and burials. In some areas Muslims are facing difficulties in getting facilities for burials according to their faith, whereas in others local authorities have provided separate burial facilities for the Muslims.

Salient Points Related to Muslim Burials

As with other religious groups for a Muslim death is the end of the present life followed by a life hereafter. For Muslims death is not final, but a temporary separation from the beloved persons, who will be brought back to life on Day of Judgement.

According to Islamic faith, mankind should be respected whether alive or dead. Similarly, a a Muslim's faith should be respected when he or she is alive and should be buried according to his faith when he is dead.

The Muslim community therefore strongly feel the need for separate facilities in the following specific areas:

Separate Plots

It is felt that there is a need for separate plots of Muslims within the existing municipal cemetries where the burial could take place according to Islamic faith. We are please to see that some some local authorities already provide separate plots for Muslims in their areas but many others do not meet this very importand demand.

Positioning the Body Towards Mecca

Muslims believe that:

the body should be placed in the grave in such a way that the face is to the right, and
that the grave should be aligned in such a way that the face is towards Mecca, that is the South East of Britain
thus the grave should face North East to South West with the head at the South West end and means digging Muslim graves in such a special way to meet this very im portant requirement of burial.

White burial cloth known as sanda in Swahili

Muslims use the white burial cloth to wrap the body in after washing it, as stated above this is called sanda.Then the body is placed in a jeneza which is a bedstead for carrying a corpse to burial.

Some Muslims in the United Kingdom use coffin, in which the body is placed before burial. Others do not, they use bricks and planks of wood to protect the body from falling soil.

Burial Time

The Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) strongly urged Muslims to burry the dead without delay. The Muslims beleve this for two reasons:

one the the human feeling for the deceased, and
the other for a point of respect for the dead

It is therefore very important to deal with the administrative procedures very quickly to allow a body to be discharged from hospitals, in order to be sent to the Mosques for the burial preparation. Often the delay is relating as to who will meet the burial expenses.

Washing facilities

Some Muslim communities feel that this has to be the responsibility of the Mosques. Some of the Mosques already provide this facility and the new Mosques now being constructed have a special section to wash the body before burial. The volunteers from our community have always performed this important task both male female. However permission for erecting washing facilites in the Mosques has to be obtained from the local authority.

Funeral Prayer-Salat Al-Janazah

This is also an important part of the burial ceremony. This prayer take place in the Mosques.

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Asanteni

The Waswahili Community Trust UK (Wadhamini wa jumuiya ya Waswahili)