Mumbai:
After a two-decade-long fight for a cemetery of their own, the city's Shia Muslim community have been given seven burial grounds across the city.
On Sunday, mayor Shraddha Jadhav handed over two cemetery plots -- one in Mulund (East) and the other in Kapaswadi, Juhu -- to community groups at a function in Imamwada.
Five other burial grounds, including plots in Jogeshwari, Malad and Govandi will be handed over to them at a later stage.
In Mumbai, one out of every five Muslim is a Shia and their numbers are estimated between 5 lakh and 7 lakh. Zulfikar Zaidi of Hydari Foundation, a community group said though their members have lived in the city for nearly 400 years, they did not have a cemetery of their own.
"This is first time in the community's history that we are getting our own cemetery," said Zaidi. "We were offered land in Mumbra for a cemetery, but mourners from the city found it difficult to conduct funerals there."
The city's Shia community includes groups like Dawoodi Bohras, Khojas and Iranians.
While these smaller sects have their own burial grounds, the largest group called Hindustani Shias did not have a cemetery of their own in the city. The community has been using the Iranian Shia cemetery -- Rehmatabad -- in Mazgaon, which used to have an average of two funerals a day.
Safdar Karmali, a member of the Khoja Shia community said that they have been agitating for more burial grounds for 20 years.
"Often, bodies of community members come even from Pune, and when we did not get possession of the promised burial plot in Mumbra because of CRZ rules, we met the state chief minister in August 2008," said Karmali.
Zainul Abedin of Maharashtra Shia Isna Ashari Jamaat, another community group said, "Since we had no burial space in the city, we have been asking the authorities to give us an abandoned Shia cemetery at Marine Lines."
"There have been no burials there for years and a family has encroached on the land," Abedin added.
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On Sunday, mayor Shraddha Jadhav handed over two cemetery plots -- one in Mulund (East) and the other in Kapaswadi, Juhu -- to community groups at a function in Imamwada.
Five other burial grounds, including plots in Jogeshwari, Malad and Govandi will be handed over to them at a later stage.
In Mumbai, one out of every five Muslim is a Shia and their numbers are estimated between 5 lakh and 7 lakh. Zulfikar Zaidi of Hydari Foundation, a community group said though their members have lived in the city for nearly 400 years, they did not have a cemetery of their own.
"This is first time in the community's history that we are getting our own cemetery," said Zaidi. "We were offered land in Mumbra for a cemetery, but mourners from the city found it difficult to conduct funerals there."
The city's Shia community includes groups like Dawoodi Bohras, Khojas and Iranians.
While these smaller sects have their own burial grounds, the largest group called Hindustani Shias did not have a cemetery of their own in the city. The community has been using the Iranian Shia cemetery -- Rehmatabad -- in Mazgaon, which used to have an average of two funerals a day.
Safdar Karmali, a member of the Khoja Shia community said that they have been agitating for more burial grounds for 20 years.
"Often, bodies of community members come even from Pune, and when we did not get possession of the promised burial plot in Mumbra because of CRZ rules, we met the state chief minister in August 2008," said Karmali.
Zainul Abedin of Maharashtra Shia Isna Ashari Jamaat, another community group said, "Since we had no burial space in the city, we have been asking the authorities to give us an abandoned Shia cemetery at Marine Lines."
"There have been no burials there for years and a family has encroached on the land," Abedin added.
Copyright restricted. Under license from www.3dsyndication.com
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