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Sunday the 29th of January 2017 is undoubtedly a day engraved in the memory of all Muslims who live in Quebec, Canada. On that day, the great mosque of Quebec City had been the target of a terrorist attack that has claimed the lives of six people and wounded eight others.
This tragedy was an opportunity to shedlight on a problem that was neglected for years : the absence of a cemetery reserved to the Muslim community of Quebec City. Until then, the eponymous province had a Muslim cemetery in Montreal, where the families were guided by the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center (CCIQ). Except for this place, no other option was offered to the community when it comes to dealing with burials, except the repatriation of the body to the country of origin - a binding and tedious process.
To alleviate this lack, the Muslim Grave Association of Quebec (ASMQ) and the CCIQ have redoubled efforts to create a Muslim cemetery. A small victory was also celebrated Sunday the 9th of July at the multi-confessional cemetery «Les Jardins Québec», in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures. The place has hosted 500 lots in a square dedicated to Muslims. The initiative is being undertaken by the ASMQ as a first step towards setting up other sections.
Two entities and two totally different projects
However, the project faces a disagreement from the two associative entities since the CCIQ aims to provide a land for a single location. «The future of this project will depend on the vote of 50 people residing in Saint-Apollinaire. This decision will be made following a referendum on July 16th»,explains Mohamed Kesri to Yabiladi, the center’s secretary in charge of the Saint-Apollinaire cemetery.
It is because the steps of the mosque of Quebec to acquire this land have been lagging for several months. The first obstacle concerns its purchase. Negotiations with these inhabitants, owners of several parcels of land near the one coveted for the implantation of the burial site, are slow. The talks are expected to end this week, according to Mohamed Kesri. «The Muslim cemetery in Quebec City will be launched Inch'Allah on July the 16th, 2017 in Saint-Apollinaire», he hopes.
According to the ASMQ, this loss of time could have been avoided. The association opted for another choice, which was not appreciated by the CCIQ. «On Sunday, July the 9th, in Saint-Augustin, a square reserved for Muslims in a Catholic cemetery was inaugurated», says Mohamed Kersi. An option that the CCIQ did not want, hence a delay in the progress of the project.
Contacted by Yabiladi, Hadjira Belkacem, President of the ASMQ, wanted to «leave the choice to the families of the deceased». «We cannot please everyone. Families turn to us, others prefer to call the mosque. This is how it works».
Being at the service of families
The file that it launched in 2014 is finally closed, rejoices Hadjira Belkacem. Ultimately, her wish is to obtain «small sections reserved for Muslims in existing cemeteries». «This option is the most appropriate. It is much easier, less expensive and ideal since it can be easily maintained. It is also a way of saying that this is our country and we have the right to live and die there».
Following this strategy, the association remains the guarantor of this lot even if it is managed by different owners because it is the one that advises families to opt for this place, which now has 500 places for Muslims. A «sufficient number», believes Hadjira Belkacem. «When we talk about Quebec, we must also take into consideration the surrounding regions, hence the need for us to opt for proximity. We want several small sections everywhere rather than one large cemetery in Quebec City. We do not want services to be all located in one place because we believe that we must also think about the living and, consequently, the distance that separates the communes to get there».
The ASMQ, the only Muslim association to operate in the funeral sector in Quebec City, notably by several actions such as the mutual aid and solidarity fund, reserved for burial expenses, does not intend to stop there. «Other projects will be accomplished Inch'Allah, starting with a cemetery in Sherbrook. Obviously, the project was very well received by the Muslim community in Quebec City.»
