Ontario City Faces Backlash After Denying Muslim Burial Accommodation

Ontario City Faces Backlash After Denying Muslim Burial Accommodation
————————–
A city in Canada’s Ontario province has come under public scrutiny after denying a family’s request for a Muslim burial at a municipal cemetery, prompting a vigil and calls for policy change.

According to IQNA, thorold city officials rejected the request less than an hour before the planned burial of 18-year-old Alina Masud at Lakeview Cemetery on Dec. 6, citing a municipal bylaw. Masud, a Brock University student, was killed in a car crash on Dec. 3.

The family’s imam said prior approval had been given for a burial in a section aligned toward Mecca, as required in Islamic practice, before city council reversed the decision. About 100 people later gathered outside and inside Thorold City Hall during a council meeting to protest the move and highlight the lack of Muslim burial space in the Niagara region.

Masud was ultimately buried at the Islamic Cemetery of Niagara in Niagara Falls. The Bereavement Authority of Ontario said it is reviewing the case. City officials expressed condolences and apologised for the distress caused.