Proposed Muslim cemetery splits Southern California residents

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (RNS) — When Abdul Wahab talks about the proposed Crescent Gardens Cemetery, a dedicated Muslim burial site, he often returns to a simple reality.

“People are going to leave this world anyway,” he said. “We don’t have a choice. We need the graves.”

Wahab is a board member of the Muslim Mortuary & Cemetery Committee, the nonprofit that has for years tried to move the cemetery plan forward against some local opposition primarily concerned with groundwater contamination.

Traditional Islamic burials generally involve ritually washing and burying the body in a shrouded white cloth as soon as practical after death, often within 24 hours. This tradition of burying the body without a casket has led some neighboring residents to raise concerns over water pollution. However, the Muslim Mortuary & Cemetery Committee told RNS all burials it oversees require the deceased to be placed in a covered cement box.

“We don’t require caskets, but we require cement boxes for everyone,” Wahab said, citing California burial regulations

The cemetery project has required years of environmental studies, public hearings, and meetings with residents as it moves through…