New Documentary Highlights Burial Challenges Facing Muslim Communities in Spain

A new Spanish documentary titled Entierro Digno (A Dignified Burial) has drawn attention to the difficulties faced by more than two million Muslims in Spain in securing burial spaces that comply with Islamic rites. Produced in cooperation with civil society groups, the film exposes a significant gap between legal guarantees and administrative realities, showing how bureaucratic hurdles undermine religious rights despite existing protections.

The documentary reveals that Muslim cemeteries account for only about 0.2 percent of Spain’s nearly 17,850 burial grounds, an imbalance it describes as disproportionate to the size of the Muslim population. As a result, families are often forced to repatriate bodies at high cost, transport the deceased across regions in search of available plots, or engage in prolonged disputes with local authorities over basic burial requirements, including grave orientation.

While Spanish law, under a 1992 cooperation agreement, formally recognizes Muslims’ right to burial according to their beliefs, the film argues that weak local planning and administrative inertia have limited its implementation. Commenting on the findings, Al-Azhar Observatory said the issue reflects broader questions of full citizenship and social inclusion, warning that unresolved burial challenges may deepen feelings of exclusion and undermine coexistence.