A special burial plot is being set aside at a Birmingham cemetery to allow Muslims to dispose of ripped copies of the Quran.
The Birmingham Mail reports that following a campaign by city councillor Neil Eustace and the Stechford Mosque, the city council has agreed to set aside a patch of ground at Handsworth Cemetery.
Coun Eustace said: “I am delighted to have helped organise this facility for Muslims in Birmingham. Respect for each others’ religion is important. The respectful disposal of damaged or worn out Qur’an is very important to devout Muslims. Throwing them in the bin or burning them would cause distress and is out of the question. Burying them in Handsworth Cemetery is the best option.”
Imam for Stechford Mosque, Prof Tahir Mahmood Kiani, said the Holy Book must always be treated with respect.
“When a copy of the Holy Quran has become very old and splitting at the seams and the pages have become worn and torn, it is better to not use such a copy lest it falls apart and disintegrates while someone is holding it,” he said. “Such copies need to disposed of. However, due to the unique revered status the Holy Quran holds, disposing of it in a respectful manner is paramount.”
He said that a number of methods could be used, including placing the book in a river so the ink was washed away. But the preferred way was to wrap it in a cloth and bury it.
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